Two wins in a row for the Warriors, four losses for the Cobras and the Lions are caged in the lastest Sunfoil Series matches
Port Elizabeth: Warriors v Cobras
The Chevrolet Warriors edged the Nashua Cape Cobras by 16 runs in a thriller after a dramatic last-wicket stand of 68 by Justin Kemp and Dane Paterson, which fell short when the No 10 batsman edged to gully off JJ Smuts, having scored 42 off 36 balls with six fours and two sixes.
The Warriors owe their win largely to the all-round performance of Andrew Birch, who in their second innings scored 88, and then ripped the heart out of the Cobras middle order when Dane Vilas (84) and Sybrand Engelbrecht (72) put on 159.
The Cobras had been offered a target of 322, thanks to Birch scoring his 88 off 83 balls (13×4, 1×6). The Cobras looked lost at 53-4, when Vilas and Engelbrecht began their assault over the next 38 overs. They both fell to Birch off successive deliveries, and off-spinner Simon Harmer chipped away at the tail, taking three wickets until the Cobras were nine down with 85 still needed. Kemp (34 off 59) took the anchoring role as Paterson went for broke.
Heroic it may have been, but the Cobras now have four losses from four, and their chances of defending their crown are remote.
The Warriors finished with 16.06 points, taking them to third on the table with 51.98. just 0.84 behind the Titans, while the Cobras accumulated 5.98.
Kimberley: Knights v Dolphins
The Dolphins got back to winnings ways with an emphatic all-round 242-run win over the Knights. The tone had been set on Saturday, when the Dolphins attack first of all engineered a crushing 197 first innings-lead by bowling out the Knights for 255. A quick-fire 171 in 35 overs presented the hosts with a target of 369 in 105 overs.
Daryn Dupavillon did the damage two wickets in three balls, leaving the hosts at 11-3 overnight. Diego Rosier and Pite van Biljoen stood firm for 20 overs, putting on 57, but Dupavillion stepped up to dismiss those two, and then added another to end with 5-38 and the man of the match award, while left-arm spinner Kehav Maharaj claned up the tail with 3-49.
The Dolphins collected 17.06 bonus points, while restricting the Knights to 4.1.
Benoni: Lions v Titans
Titans opener Heino Kuhn strangled the Lions with a dogged unbeaten 244, ending the log leaders’ run of victories in a energy-sapping bore-draw.
After two big wins against the Cobras, the Lions had looked to be on track with a first innings score 485 for seven. This time, though, they came up against a more resolute opposition batting line-up. They may have harboured hopes when they had taken two wicket for 80 runs, but then a stand of 147 between Cobus Pienaar (66) put paid to any thoughts of a quick turnaround. Roloef van der Merwe also harvested 66, and Qaasim Adams scored his seventh first-class ton, his first for the Titans (101, off 179 balls).
Kuhn faced 515 deliveries, from which he hit 20 fours and a six at a strike rate of 47.
When the bell rang for the declaration at 505-5 and the captains decided they had had enough, 1 035 runs had been scored for 12 wickets.
The Lions gathered 6.64 points to stretch their lead at the top of the table to 69.22. The Titans (6.82) remain second with 52.82.
