Dane Paterson’s 4-32 and an explosive 85 from Richard Levi allowed the Cobras to thrash the Lions by six wickets on Friday.
It lifted the Cobras off the foot of the table after losing their previous two matches, ending the Lions’ two-match win streak which started with a win in the reverse fixture last week.
The Lions chose to bat first in Potchefstroom, fresh from the confidence of their 294-4 against the Knights on Sunday, thanks to Reeza Hendricks’ 142. It didn’t go at all the way they had planned this time.
Rassie van der Dussen was the first to fall for six, thanks to Dane Paterson, who bowled excellently in tandem with Rory Kleinveldt, ending with economical figures of 0-23 from his 10 overs.
Hendricks provided the anchor once again with 29, but when Zakhele Qwabe bowled him, the rest of the top and middle order crumbled. Qwabe produced career-best figures of 3-38 by seeing off Dominic Hendricks (11) and Nicky van den Bergh (1) in quick succession, while spinner George Linde chipped in with the key wickets of Mangaliso Mosehle (1) and Dwaine Pretorius (19) to finish with impressive numbers of 2-19.
Nono Pongolo provided some crucial resistance with 47, but Paterson cleaned up the tail to earn his four-for.
Levi’s explosive starts at the top of the innings have been central to the Cobras’ season so far, and he proved pivotal yet again with a fourth half-century in six innings. His 85 came off 60 balls in what was a 125-run stand with Andrew Puttick, who only contributed 36 in that time.
With the venom taken out of the chase, Puttick was able to anchor his side to the finish line, ending on an unbeaten 57 for the team to record their third victory of the campaign.
It was a frustrating day for the Dolphins and the Warriors in Durban meanwhile, who were forced to share the points after rain washed out the contest.
The Dolphins would have felt confident of a victory in this one, after smashing their way to 236-3 from only 36.4 overs. Vaughn van Jaarsveld (85 off 95) and Morne van Wyk (92 off 93) built up a 131-run stand, before skipper Khaya Zondo looked well-set on 47 off 29. Rain had the final say, though, for the Dolphins to hold on to top spot.
Dolphins vs Warriors scorecard
Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images
