Captain AB de Villiers joked that he is getting ‘too old’ for tense finishes, as the Tshwane Spartans completed a tight one-run victory over the Paarl Rocks in a key Mzansi Super League fixture at Boland Park on Sunday.

The Spartans amassed 203 for five, after which the hosts were limited to 202 for six. Boundary fielder Dean Elgar dropped a catch in the closing over, but saved four vital runs regardless, as the ball effectively ricocheted off his face and away from the rope.

‘I’m too old for this now. That was a great chase by them. I thought we had enough. But it was a really good chase and great game of cricket. There’s still room for improvement in the bowling,’ said de Villiers.

‘There are a couple of hiccups here and there. Elgar is a unique character. I’m just happy he’s okay and not in the hospital.’

Defeated captain Henry Davids rued a poor performance with the ball, as the Rocks conceded the highest score of the tournament so far.

‘We honestly thought they were 20 runs short and it was a good wicket to bat on, with the wind across and things like that. On this type of surface, we thought we can can get there,’ added Davids.

‘Our bowling was not up to the mark and we didn’t execute our bowling plans well. All in all, everyone chipped in and we had a good game. Small margins, indeed.’

Batsman Theunis de Bruyn was named Man of the Match for a brisk 66 from 39 deliveries, which featured nine fours and two sixes.

‘We all scored more than 400 runs, so must say that was a serious cricket game. The groundsman has obviously done a good job. That wasn’t as clinical as we’d like to be, but we’ll take the win,’ concluded de Bruyn.