Captain Pieter Malan scored 71 off 56 balls as the Boland Rocks beat the Northerns Titans by 15 runs in the T20 Challenge final at St George’s Park on Sunday.

The tournament’s leading run-scorer hit two fours and five sixes to take his tally to 368 in nine matches, at an average of 46.00 and a strike rate of 118.70.

While the Rocks’ other top-order batsmen failed, No 7 Hardus Viljoen’s unbeaten 32 off 16 balls (three fours and two sixes) provided Malan with good support and enabled them to post 138-6.

Proteas spinner Tabraiz Shamsi took 3-20 in his four overs for the Titans and fast bowler Lizaad Williams 2-30.

In reply, the Titans slumped to 29-3 in the sixth over after losing Quinton de Kock (nine), captain Theunis de Bruyn (11) and Dewald Brevis (five) cheaply.

Heinrich Klaasen (17 off 15 balls), Sibonelo Makhanya (37 off 32) and Donavon Ferreira (22 off 13) got the Titans back into the game, but the lower order were left with far too much to do with 20 runs needed to win off the last over.

Siyabonga Mahima (2-22), Imran Manack (2-14) and Hardus Viljoen (2-14) all impressed with the ball for the Rocks.