It was a day of centuries as 19-year old Meeka-eel Prince joined Pieter Malan and Keegan Petersen as centurions as the North West Dragons claimed their first One-Day Cup victory with a three-wicket victory over the GBets Rocks at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom on Sunday.
Prince, who eventually fell for 166, was the foundation on which the Dragons built their victory as the young right-hander struck 15 boundaries and six maximums from just 140 deliveries. Prince was instrumental in the chase as the Dragons ended on 327 for seven with nine balls remaining after the Rocks had posted a formidable 323 for four after being sent in to bat first.
Prince was supported well by Lesego Senokwane (31) as the pair put on 78 for the second wicket from just 67 balls after the early loss of Lesiba Ngoepe for a second-ball duck, trapped in front by Hardus Viljoen (10-0-71-4).
Once Aviwe Mgijima (10-0-68-1) had Senokwane edging behind to Clyde Fortuin after striking four boundaries from 35 balls, captain Wihan Lubbe lasted just three deliveries before being trapped leg before from the lef-spin of Shaun von Berg (10-0-57-2).
Yet, Prince continued on his merry way, forming a near match-winning stand of 116 from 121 balls with Senuran Muthusamy (44) for the fourth wicket. Von Berg picked up his second leg before with some accurate bowling as Muthusamy was caught in two minds between playing off the back foot or the front.
Ruan de Sward (32) and Prince then accelerated the innings with a brilliant stand of 86 from only 59 deliveries for the fifth wicket to put the Dragons in the driving seat. De Sward struck just three boundaries in his 29-ball innings but the way in which he rotated the strike and gave Prince the opportunity to attack, put the Dragons on the front foot.
However, Viljoen was to cause some flutters in the Dragons changeroom as Janneman Malan pulled off a brilliant, one-handed catch in the covers to see the back of De Sward in the 43rd over. Viljoen then struck twice in his final over, trapping Duan Jansen in front for just a single before clean-bowling Prince.
Yet Rubin Hermann (18 not out) and Migael Pretorius (11 not out) saw to it that the Dragons claimed their first win and left the Rocks, rock-bottom of the One-Day Cup log. The fact that the Rocks bowled 17 wides did not help in their defence of their total.
Earlier, Petersen and Malan (Pieter) had put on a mammoth stand of 233 for the third wicket from only 203 deliveries to set the tone for a very entertaining match under the Potchefstroom sun.
Petersen struck eight boundaries and five sixes from 129 balls to register his fourth List A ton before being caught by Ngoepe on the fence from the bowling of Kerwin Mungroo (9-1-68-1). Petersen’s innings was vital after Jansen (10-067-1) and Pretorius (10-0-71-2) had reduced thew Rocks to 43 for two with the early losses of Janneman Malan (0) and Fortuin (19).
Pieter Malan registered his highest List A total of 171, which came from only 130 balls and included nine boundaries and eight maximums, most of them over the short mid-wicket fence, but was then found wanting on the longer fence on the opposite side of the field, caught in the deep by Senokwane from the bowling of Pretorius.
Petersen and Malan both used the lives given to them when they were dropped on 64 and 97 respectively, but despite the additional 125 runs scored by the pair, Prince made sure that the Dragons came out on top.