Sunfoil Series round-up: Titans go top, the Lions get bogged down and the Cobras set up for a tough day
Warriors v Titans, Port Elizabeth
The Titans underlined their Sunfoil Series credentials with a thumping 10-wicket win over the Chevrolet Warriors at St George’s Park that put them top of the table, at least for 24 hours.
Although the Warriors avoided an innings defeat by scoring 300 in their second innings, it left the Titans requiring a solitary run for victory, which they knocked off with plenty of time still remaining on the third day.
The dominant display gave the Titans 19.06 points from the game – the third-highest tally from a match by any team this season – and put them 3.22 points ahead of the Lions.
While the Lions will probably move back to the top at the conclusion of their game on Sunday, the Titans have undoubtedly issued a statement that they will push their rivals all the way in the competition.
Colin Ingram provided the major resistance for the Warriors with his unbeaten 115, but it was not enough as Ethy Mbhalati picked up three second-innings wickets to finish with match figures of 9-101, and Shaun von Berg came to the fore with a four-wicket haul.
Lions v Dolphins, Johannesburg
Just 30 overs of play were possible on day three, when the Lions resumed their innings on 356-5, but during that the Dolphins claimed the last five Lions wickets without too much damage and limited the hosts’ first-innings lead to 119.
However, that progress was pegged back when they lost Imraan Khan cheaply, leaving them on 22 for one in their second innings when play was abandoned for the day.
The Dolphins will, therefore, go into the final day still trailing by 97 runs with nine wickets in hand.
Knights v Cobras, Kimberley
Half-centuries from Stiaan van Zyl and Omphile Ramela gave the Cape Cobras a steady start to their second innings before rain intervened.
Van Zyl scored 52 and Ramela put on an unbeaten 76 as the Cobras reached 165 for two before the rain arrived to wipe out more than a session of play.
The Cobras began day three with a fresh innings having trailed by 10 runs in the first innings, but lost Richard Levi to the third ball when he was caught behind off the bowling of Duanne Olivier.
They recovered quickly, however, with Van Zyl and Ramela putting on a 107-run stand in 28 overs that put them on the front foot.
Corne Dry made the second breakthrough for the Knights when he removed Van Zyl, before Ramela and Andrew Puttick applied a cautious approach, with their unbroken stand of 58 scored at barely more than two runs per over.
Click here for Warriors v Titans scoreboard
Lions v Dolphins
Knights v Cobras
