A battle between spinners on a helpful pitch at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom helped decide the outcome of the CSA One Day Cup match as the Eastvaal Renault Dragons lost by just six runs to Goldrush Boland on Saturday night.
Boland were dismissed for a paltry 121 in 23.2 of their scheduled 27 overs but the men from the winelands struck back by dismissing the home side for a miserable 115 in reply to claim an unlikely victory.
Twenty-three-year-old Dragons leg-spinner Caleb Seleka took advantage of a tacky pitch which had been under covers for much of the last 24 hours to rip out the Boland lower order after Onke Nyaku (2-0-13-1), Migael Pretorius (2-23) and exciting former Border seamer, Thobile Hlatuka (2-26), had made early inroads.
But Boland’s own, seasoned leg-spinner, Imraan Manack, responded with 3-20 as the Dragons stumbled to 115 all out in 24.1 overs.
Captain Wihan Lubbe (7) was smartly stumped by Jhedli van Briesies off Manack before bowling Dom Hendricks (1) and Dian Forrester (14) to hollow out the top order.
Lesiba Ngoepe ground out a fighting 30 from 46 balls (3x4) but, at 93-9, the writing was on the wall.
Pretorius went down fighting with 24 from 18 balls (2x4, 1x6) but the end came with a return catch to Akhona Mnyaka (2-19) and the 10th wicket partnership of 22 with Seleka came to nothing.
Earlier Boland opener Grant Roelofsen top scored with 39 from 37 balls (6x4) on a difficult batting surface and Lehan Botha battled to 25 from 32 balls but there was never any momentum or stability in the Boland innings which subsided meekly 3.4 overs before its allocation of 27.
The match has been reduced to 27-overs per side because of a wet outfield following torrential rain on Friday and overnight.
NORTH WEST DRAGONS: Meeka-eel Prince (wkt), Dominic Hendricks, Wihan Lubbe (captain), Rubin Hermann, Lesiba Ngoepe, Ruan de Swardt, Dian Forrester, Migael Pretorius, Onke Nyaku, Caleb Seleka, Thobile Hlatuka
BOLAND: Grant Roelofsen, Blayde Capell, Gavin Kaplan, Jhedli van Briesies (wkt), Ferisco Adams, Yves Kamanzi, Imraan Manack, Nathan Jacobs, Akhona Mnyaka, Glenton Stuurman (captain), Lehan Botha