Dane Piedt returned the best-ever match figures in franchise history for the Cape Cobras as his side took a massive step towards the 4-Day Franchise Series title, scoring a resounding eight-wicket win over the Titans late on day three of their clash in Oudtshoorn.
Cape Cobras vs Titans
Cape Cobras captain Dane Piedt took seven for 66 in the Titans’ second innings to bowl the defending champions out for 151 after recording a first innings haul of six for 75. It gave the spinner career-best match-figures of 13 for 141, surpassing the Cobras’ previous best of 12 for 105 by Wayne Parnell against the Dolphins at Cape Town in 2015-16.
Piedt also charged past 50 wickets for the season, with his new tally of 52 putting him streets ahead of the chasing pack. Victory saw the home side move to 171,46 points at the top of the table, although their 25-plus points looked certain to be reduced by the end of the round on Thursday. However, the Cobras did all that was asked for them in their penultimate fixture at the Recreation Ground this week.
They started day three on 299 for five and managed to add 76 for the final five wickets, Jason Smith scoring 48. Sixty-eight of those runs came from the sixth-wicket stand between the all-rounder and Ferisco Adams, who managed 27 runs off his bat. Once the stand had been broken with the score on 260, all of the Cobras’ five remaining first-innings wickets fell for just 15 runs. Among those was star opener Pieter Malan, who had retired hurt on 95 (184 balls, 12×4) earlier in his innings, but on his return he lasted three more balls without troubling the scorers.
The pick of the bowlers was Shaun von Berg with four for 137 as the Cape side were bowled out for 375, a lead of exactly 100. The Titans’ second innings lasted just 65.1 overs as Piedt made merry, his seven wickets including that of top-scorer Andrea Agathangelou (84 off 181 balls, 10×4, 2×6).
Farhaan Behardien (24) was the only other man to reach the 20s, with the visiting side continuing their inconsistencies with the bat this season. Apart from Piedt, the Cobras’ other spinner, George Linde, ended with two for 45 as the Titans were bundled out for 151, leaving the Cobras with a victory target of just 52 runs in their second innings.
Debutant Leus du Plooy (2-29) struck twice as Malan was given a break from opening the batting due to his injury, but Zubayr Hamza (26) and David Bedingham (16) guided their side to a vital win.
The latest 4-Day Franchise Series table
| P | W | L | D | Pts | |
| Cape Cobras | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 171,46 |
| Highveld Lions | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 145,22 |
| Warriors | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 119,46 |
| Knights | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 101,68 |
| Titans | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 99,66 |
| Dolphins | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 86,46 |
*NB: Two round nine matches are still in progress.
Titans 275 (JL du Plooy 97 not out, H Davids 47, S von Berg 30, AP Agathangelou 29, VB Mahlangu 23; DL Piedt 6-75, GF Linde 3-88) & 151 (AP Agathangelou 84, F Behardien 24; DL Piedt 7-66, GF Linde 2-45)
Cape Cobras 375 (PJ Malan 95, SM Khomari 77, JF Smith 48, DG Bedingham 41, Zubayr Hamza 28, FD Adams 27, GF Linde 21; S von Berg 4-137, M Arnold 3-62, SA Mothoa 1-45, JL du Plooy 1-48) & 52-2 (Zubayr Hamza 26 not out)
Cape Cobras won by 8 wickets
Knights vs Lions
Career-best scores by Wiaan Mulder, Kagiso Rapulana and Nono Pongolo helped put the Highveld Lions in a dominant position after the third day of their 4-Day Franchise Series encounter against the Knights at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on Wednesday. The performances of the trio helped the visitors record an excellent 490 all out, a first-innings lead of 133, with the hosts then limping to stumps on 95 for five, still behind by 38.
It was a wonderful all-round day for title-chasing Lions, who initially saw centuries from Mulder and Rapulana, as well as a maiden franchise 50 from Pongolo. The medium-pacer was then the key man with the ball as he nabbed three for 24 to leave the hosts staring down the barrel of defeat.
The Johannesburg-based side started the second half of the fixture on 279 for five, with the Rapulana-Mulder stand extended to 126 for the sixth wicket, before the latter was eventually dismissed by Thandolwethu Mnyaka (1-85). It was his highest score at four-day level, and Mulder then went on to record his biggest score overall at first-class level by finishing up on a superb 146 (243 balls, 16×4). Prior to that he had added 91 for the eighth wicket alongside Pongolo, who made his franchise-best score of 52 (74 balls, 7×4).
Patrick Kruger was the pick of the bowlers for the Knights after collecting five for 60, his maiden five-for at this level. Pongolo, Nandre Burger (1-20) and Malusi Siboto (1-28) then sliced through the Central Franchise’s top order to leave them on 60 for five, before Andries Gous (27 not out) helped the hosts fight back by the close.
Knights 357 (KD Petersen 71, R van Tonder 70, TG Mokoena 46, GJ Snyman 33, RK Terblanche 37, AGS Gous 45, PJ van Biljon 21; BC Fortuin 7-70, MP Siboto 2-62) & 95-5 (AGS Gous 27 not out, PJ van Biljon 24; Z Pongolo 3-24)
Lions 490 (PWA Mulder 146, K Rapulana 135, Z Pongolo 52, SC Cook 49, T Bavuma 30, BC Fortuin 28; PE Kruger 5-60, T Ntuli 2-110, RK Terblanche 1-60, CA Dry 1-69)
Knights trail by 38 runs with 5 second-innings wickets in hand
Warriors vs Dolphins
Eathan Bosch continued his excellent season as the Dolphins hit back on the third day of their 4-Day encounter against the Warriors in East London. The fast bowler claimed four for 36 to leave the hosts limping along at 163 for nine at stumps – a lead of 274 – after scoring an entertaining 26 off 31 balls that helped the visitors reach 325 in response to the home side’s massive 436 for seven declared.
The KwaZulu-Natal side started the morning trailing by a massive 167 with only three wickets remaining, but they managed to reduce that margin to 111 thanks to Bosch, Senuran Muthusamy (46) and Prenelan Subrayen (20). Jon-Jon Smuts finished as the pick of the bowlers with three for 34.
It was then down to the Dolphins bowlers as they prevented the Eastern Cape franchise from running away with the game. Bosch cleaned up the top two batsmen with only 27 runs on the board, while further strikes by Kerwin Mungroo (1-18) and Keith Dudgeon (1-26) left the home side on 54 for four.
Sinethemba Qeshile (45) and Lesiba Ngoepe (34) tried to repair the damage with a 50-run sixth-wicket stand, but both fell to the spin of debutant Michael Erlank (2-26). Bosch added two more wickets late in the day to leave the game finely poised heading into the final day.
Warriors 436-7 (EM Moore 102, MY Vallie 110, S Qeshile 75, MP Breetzke 58, LC Ngoepe 39, SSB Magala 26 not out; E Bosch 2-74, KJ Dudgeon 2-70, P Subrayen 2-109) & 163-9 (S Qeshile 45, LC Ngoepe 34, MY Vallie 23, JT Smuts 20; E Bosch 4-36, MN Erlank 2-26)
Dolphins 325 (MJ Ackerman 84, SJ Erwee 66, S Muthusamy 46, E Bosch 26, G Roelofsen 24, P Subrayen 20; JT Smuts 3-34, GA Stuurman 3-49, TP Kaber 3-113, BD Walters 1-51)
Warriors lead by 274 runs with 1 second-innings wicket in hand
Photo: Cricket South Africa
