A record-breaking 185-run third wicket partnership between Pieter Malan and Keegan Petersen was enough to condemn the Dafabet Warriors to their first defeat of the season as they went down by seven wickets against the Gbets Rocks in Paarl on Wednesday.
Man-of-the-match Malan hit a run-a-ball 94 (10x4 and 1x6), alongside an unbeaten 74 off 92 balls by Petersen, which included three boundaries and three sixes, having joined each other in the middle with the score on 87/2.
The pair proceeded to score patient half-centuries as the Rocks ran out comfortable winners with 30 deliveries to spare and inflict a first defeat on the Warriors this season, denying them the chance to jump ahead of Western Province into pole position in the standings.
What an amazing partnership!
— The Rocks (@Paarl_Rocks) October 18, 2023
Pieter Malan & Keegan Petersen! 👏💪🔥
What a pleasure it was to watch those two in the middle!!#gbetsrocks #bolandcricket #gbets pic.twitter.com/RXEJuVFTNm
Earlier, a 60-run partnership between lower-order batters Liam Alder and Renaldo Meyer brought the Warriors back into contention as they posted a competitive 272/8 in their allotted 50 overs.
Chasing 273 for victory, The Rocks' openers Clyde Fortuin and Janneman Malan raced to 80 for no loss from 13.3 overs before Fortuin was stumped by wicketkeeper Sinethemba Qeshile for 38 after chasing a spinning delivery from Liam Alder.
Janneman was gone an over later when he played a Nealan van Heerden delivery back onto his stumps for 41 off 47.
Captain Malan and Petersen continued the ascendancy, recording a third-wicket half-century partnership as the Rocks breached 150 runs in the 27th over.
They looked in complete control to reach 100 in their partnership, as Malan brought up his half-century (3x4,1x6) off 57 deliveries.
They brought up 200 for their team before Petersen reached a half-century of his own from 69 balls, which included a boundary and two maximums.
Their partnership crossed 150 in the 42nd over as the Warriors bowlers could not find the right areas to create wicket-taking opportunities, while managing to steer their side past 250.
Malan fell with the scores level as he tried to hit the ball out of the park, falling six runs short of his century as JP King claimed the wicket.
The Warriors bowlers will have some serious introspection to do after conceding 25 extras as Alder (1-52) and Van Heerden (1-56) were the only wicket-takers in a wayward display of bowling and fielding by the men in green and black.
FIFTIES FOR QESHILE AND STUBBS
The home side got off to a wicket-taking start when fast bowler Achille Cloete removed both openers after the visitors won the toss and chose to bat first.
The right-arm seamer had JP King caught by Akhona Mnyaka for two runs, before removing Jordan Hermann for 17, completing a catch off his bowling to have the visitors on 49 inside 12 overs.
Qeshile reached his half-century as he shared 61 runs with captain Matthew Breetzke to take their side past the 100-run mark.
The pair fell within nine deliveries of each other, Breetzke falling first for 36 off Shaun von Berg before his Rocks spin twin Siyabonga Mahima bowled Qeshile for a well-played 53 with the Warriors on 114 after 25.4 overs.
Tristan Stubbs and Andile Mokgakane hit 57 for the fifth wicket, taking the visitors past 150 before the latter was trapped leg-before wicket by Hardus Viljoen for 27.
Stubbs hit two boundaries and three sixes on his way to a half-century but added just one run to the milestone before he was caught at long-on by Janneman Malan off Michael Copeland shortly after the Warriors crossed 200.
Having lost Patrick Kruger (15) in the 43rd over by Copeland, and with the score on 210, Alder and Renaldo Meyer (19 not out) combined to score 60 at the back end of the innings to help the Warriors close out the innings, Alder scoring a brisk 44 off 31 deliveries before he was dismissed in the final over.
It was a collective bowling performance from the Boland side as Copeland, Cloete, and Viljoen shared six wickets for 145 runs from 24 overs combined, while Mahima and Von Berg claimed one wicket apiece.
GBETS ROCKS: Janneman Malan, Clyde Fortuin [WK], Keegan Petersen, Peter Malan [C], Christiaan Jonker, Michael Copeland, Shaun von Berg, Akhona Mnyaka, Hardus viljoen, Achille Cloete, Siyabonga Mahima.
DAFABET WARRIORS: Jordan Hermann, JP King, Sinethemba Qeshile [WK], Matthew Breetzke [C], Tristan Stubbs, Andile Mokgakane, Patrick Kruger, Liam Alder, Renaldo Meyer, Nealan van Heerden ,Alfred Mothoa