Janneman Malan put on a masterclass on how to navigate a slow JB Marks Oval pitch with a brilliant half-century to help the NWU Dragons clinch a four-wicket victory over the Knights on Saturday.
The toss went Lesiba Ngoepe's way and the Dragons' captain asked the visitors to bat first.
The Knights, led by Gerrit Jacques Snyman, mounted a total of 257 in 48 overs.
The home side chased down the total in 46.5 overs. They scored 259-6 to claim victory.
The match was reduced to 48 overs a side following a stoppage due to lightning in the area during the Knights' innings.
Malan was the foundational beam of the Dragons' innings.
The 28-year-old’s innings ebbed and flowed according to the demands of the match situation and he departed for a well-played 90 off 117 deliveries.
The opener relied more on singles and twos for his tally. He struck a mere six fours and a single six.
This is Malan's 26th List A half-century. He faced 82 balls to register the milestone.
Malan was dismissed in the 43rd over with the Dragons needing 38 runs to win.
The chase was all but done and dusted as Malan had set his side up for victory with four crucial partnerships.
The first one was a brisk 69-run opening stand with Matthew Kleinveldt that saw the Dragons sail through powerplay without losing a wicket.
Not only that, but unlike the Knights who crawled to 27-0 in the first 10 overs, the Dragons had raced 60-0.
Aaron Phangiso and Malusi Siboto took control of the post-powerplay period, conceding a mere 34 runs between the 11th and the 20th overs.
Malan and Rubin Hermann held firm during that phase and accumulated 52 runs off 74 balls for the third wicket.
That stand was succeeded by a 68-ball 50-run partnership between Malan and Lesiba Ngoepe.
Malan and Taheer Isaacs upped the tempo with an industrious 29-ball 41-run partnership that drew the Dragons closer to victory.
The pair manipulated the field and ran twos frequently as they pushed the required run rate down.
Ruan de Swardt (19*) and Migael Pretorius (23*) took over from Malan and saw the Dragons home with an over to spare.
SNYMAN ON SONG
Earlier, Snyman launched three sixes and crunched five fours on his way to 85 off 77 deliveries.
This is his 10th List A half-century and he faced 51 balls to reach the milestone.
The 30-year-old showed patience as he navigated a tricky powerplay before playing with more freedom in the middle overs.
Snyman continued from where he left off after the 4-Day Series in December, despite a two-month break from the game.
Snyman was called in for the Dragons' last two matches and he scored three half-centuries in as many innings.
Patrick Botha complemented Snyman's effort with a brisk 40 off 45 deliveries.
The rest of the visitors' batters did not do so well.
Dominic Hendricks, who is on loan from the Lions, got a start with a well-paced 29 off 35 but failed to kick on.
Dian Forrester was the only other batter to go past 20.
Ruan de Swardt was the pick of the bowlers for the Dragons with three wickets for 44 runs in 7.5 overs.
The allrounder ensured that the visitors' tail did not wag for long enough to cause problems for them.
Matthew Kleinveldt bagged the big scalps of Jacques Snyman and Dominic Hendricks on his way to two wickets for 39 runs in seven overs.
Mungroo also finished with a brace of wickets.
DRAGONS: Janneman Malan, Matthew Kleinveldt, Rubin Hermann, Lesiba Ngoepe (capt), Taheer Isaacs (wk), Ruan de Swardt, Migael Pretorius, Caleb Seleka, Kerwin Mungroo, Achille Cloete.
KNIGHTS: Gihahn Cloete (wk), Gerrit Jacques Snyman, Dominic Hendricks, Lesego Senokwane, Patrick Botha, Dian Forrester, Tiaan van Vuuren, Aaron Phangiso, Dane Piedt (capt), Malusi Siboto, Johannes van Dyk.