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Magnificent Lions win 4-Day domestic trophy

rugby03 March 2024 10:00| © MWP
By:Patrick Compton
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The DP World Lions crowned a magnificent come-from-behind performance by beating Western Province by 99 runs in the CSA 4-Day Series final on the final afternoon of the match – played over five days – at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Western Province, chasing 308 for victory, would have felt some hope of victory at lunch which they took on 191 for six with Daniel Smith and Kyle Simmonds still at the crease and batting confidently. But in a final surge by the home team after the break, Province lost their last four wickets for just three runs as Bjorn Fortuin completed his seventh five-wicket haul by trapping Smith leg before for 52 – his second half-century of the match – and then Beuran Hendricks the same way three balls later.

Tshepo Moreki then cleaned up by uprooting Simmonds’ middle stump before he had Dane Paterson held at slip to complete the Lions’ triumph as Province were dismissed for 208 in 77.2 overs.

“We were put massively under the pump on the first morning (when the Lions were 35 for five in gloomy conditions on a green pitch). Our backs were to the wall, big time, but we kept fighting back,” said a proud Lions’ skipper Dominic Hendricks afterwards after accepting a winners’ cheque for R1.5 million.

There was no argument about the player of the match award which went to Lions’ allrounder Delano Potgieter who struck 81 and an unbeaten 155 in the match, coming in to bat on 35 for five in the first innings and 113 for six in the second innings.

'I TOOK MY OPPORTUNITY'

Asked how he felt during these pressure moments, Potgieter replied that he didn’t overthink the situation. “I like to keep it simple. I think one of my strengths is that I keep calm and relaxed.”

He acknowledged that he might not have played in the match if Wiaan Mulder had been fit to bowl (in which case specialist batter Mitchell van Buuren would have played). “I just took my opportunity,” he said.

The end might have come quickly after lunch, but Province would have entertained hopes of victory during the morning in a match that they bossed during the first three days.

Resuming on their overnight total of 99 for three, Western Province added another 92 runs in the session for the loss of three wickets, two of them contentious lbw decisions.

Tony de Zorzi and Kyle Verreynne took their fourth-wicket partnership to 64 in 142 balls, batting carefully against the tight opening seam attack from Moreki, Codi Yusuf and Malusi Siboto before Verreynne was adjudged leg before to a delivery from Yusuf that nipped back at him. Verreynne was batting well out of his crease, however, and the ball hit his back pad above the roll so there was a possibility the ball would have gone over the stumps.

De Zorzi, who had played the anchor role with calmness and assurance, was the next to go, once again leg before, this time to Bjorn Fortuin, with the ball appearing to miss the leg stump as he pushed forward. He had struck a solid 55 in 157 balls – his second fifty of the match – in an innings that included seven fours.

There was no controversy over the final wicket, however, with Mihlali Mpongwana pushing a delivery from Fortuin to Josh Richards at short-leg. Richards quickly flicked the ball back, hitting the stumps with a careless Mpongwana just out of his ground.

The victory represented a remarkable achievement by the home team who refused to lie down after they lost the toss and were reduced to 35 for five and 112 for seven in their first innings before recovering to total 225.

In their second innings, they were in trouble on 113 for six and 159 for seven before Potgieter, helped by sterling contributions from the lower order, took their second innings total to 394, setting Province 308 to win.

The final was a superb advertisement for the first-class game – despite an almost deserted ground – with Moreki claiming his first-ever five-wicket haul as well as a vital half-century in the Lions' second innings, while Bjorn Fortuin took 5-69 in 26 overs to become the leading wicket-taker (35) in the Division One competition.

LIONS: Joshua Richards, Dominic Hendricks (capt), Zubayr Hamza, Temba Bavuma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Delano Potgieter, Bjorn Fortuin, Codi Yusuf, Malusi Siboto, Tshepo Moreki

WESTERN PROVINCE: Tony de Zorzi, Edward Moore, Yaseen Vallie, Gavin Kaplan, Kyle Verreynne (capt, wk), Daniel Smith, Mihlali Mpongwana, Kyle Simmonds, Beuran Hendricks, Dane Paterson, Mthiwekhaya Nabe

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