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DAY 3: Impressive Titans clean up Knights

rugby21 November 2024 16:55| © MWP
By:Ross Roche
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Momentum Multiply Titans © Gallo Images

The Momentum Multiply Titans cleaned up the Knights in three days as they secured an impressive 118-run win in their CSA 4-Day Series match at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Thursday afternoon.

It would have been an even bigger win had the Knights not shown some fight with a top 62-run last-wicket partnership between Patrick Botha (71*) and Malusi Siboto (24) after they were reduced to 101-9 late on the third day.

Spinner Tsepo Ndwandwa was the key bowler again, with figures of 3-36 and having picked up 5-33 in the Knights' first innings finished with superb match figures of 8-69, while Matthew Boast, 3-56, and Corbin Bosch, 2-15 backed him up well in the second innings.

The Titans batted first scoring 307 all out, the Knights responded with 193 and the hosts were bowled out for 167 in their second innings after lunch on day three, setting the visitors 282 to win.

The Knights started the final session of play on 32-2, still needing 255 to win, but were soon on the back foot as Dian Forrester (9) was caught off the bowling of Merrick Brett with the score 38-3.

That brought Botha to the crease, but he could only add 24 to the total along with Lesego Senokwane (32) before a flurry of wickets started the Knights' tumble to defeat.

Senokwane was caught and bowled by Bosch, Garnett Tarr was bowled for a fifth- ball duck by Ndwandwa and Tiaan van Vuuren (1) was caught by Keegan Petersen off the bowling of Bosch as they crashed to 68-6.

Aaron Phangiso (12) and Botha slightly delayed the inevitable with a 21-run stand, but another cluster of wickets saw Phangiso caught and bowled by Ndwandwa, Matthew Pollard caught by Bosch off Boast for a six-ball duck and Dane Piedt bowled by Ndwandwa, leaving Botha and Siboto to put in one final fight before the number 11 was run out.

Earlier in the day the Knights' second innings got off to a poor start as Boast had opener Isaac Dikgale (1) caught behind by keeper Rivaldo Moonsamy and had Aubrey Swanepoel (2) caught by Dewald Brevis to reduce them to 21-2, before Senokwane and Forrester took them to tea.

BRAND LEADS BY EXAMPLE

In the morning the Titans resumed their second innings on 51-3, but after adding just 17 runs to their overnight total they suffered a double blow in successive overs.

Jhedli van Briesies (17) became the first wicket of the day, caught behind by keeper Tarr off the bowling of Pollard and Moonsamy (1) was caught by Forrester off the bowling of Van Vuuren as they slipped to 69-5.

Bosch (16) and captain Neil Brand could only combine for a 20-run sixth-wicket stand before Bosch was pinned LBW by Siboto, leaving them on 89-6.

Boast (11) was next in, and just as it looked like him and Brand would take the Titans to lunch in a decent position overall, Piedt had other plans as he bowled Boast and Brett for a first-ball duck as the Titans limped to lunch.

In the post lunch session  Brand continued his lone hand, battling his way to an unbeaten 87 to help his side get to 167 all out.

He shared in a crucial 39-run ninth-wicket stand with Junior Dala (11), before captain Piedt trapped Dala LBW and bowled Ndwandwa for a fifth-ball duck to end the innings.

Piedt finished with impressive figures of 4-24, while Pollard was almost as good in picking up 4-50.

MOMENTUM MULTIPLY TITANS: Neil Brand (capt), Joshua van Heerden, Keegan Petersen, Dewald Brevis, Jhedli van Briesies, Rivaldo Moonsamy (wk), Andile Phehlukwayo, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Boast, Junior Dala, Tsepo Ndwandwa

KNIGHTS: Isaac Dikgale, Lesego Senokwane, Garnett Tarr (wk), Aubrey Swanepoel, Dian Forrester, Patrick Botha, Tiaan van Vuuren, Matthew Pollard, Aaron Phangiso, Dane Piedt (capt), Malusi Siboto

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