The Cobras, Lions and Knights all claimed big wins in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge on Friday evening.

The Warriors won the toss and chose to bat first. After fielding first and suffering two bonus point defeats in the competition, Colin Ingram hoped that a change of tactic would also change the result. Unfortunately for the hosts, the Lions cruised to a 10 wicket victory and earned a bonus point in the process.

Craig Kieswetter was the only batsman to stand up and be counted for the Warriors. He carried his bat, scoring 82 off 64 deliveries. The overseas professional did his bit, but could only lead the Warriors to 144-6.

In reply, Chris Gayle smashed 108 of just 55 deliveries. Alviro Petersen bided his time at the other end, scoring a 35-ball 29 to guide the men from the big smoke to a dominant 10 wicket victory.

In Cape Town, the Cobras avenged their final defeat to the Dolphins last year with an eight wicket victory. The Dolphins won the toss and chose to put the runs on the board. Their innings never gathered momentum as Mthokozisi Sheki and Sybrand Engelbrecht returned figures of 3-23 and 3-16, respectively.

Richard Levi got the chase off to a flyer, smashing 44 off just 26 deliveries. His opening partner, Andrew Puttick, batted through the innings. He finished unbeaten on 48 off 39 balls to ensure the Cobras collected a bonus point victory.

In Centurion, the Knights continued their impressive start to the competition with a 35-run win over the Titans. After being asked to bat first, both Knights openers got in. Rudi Second scored a 25-ball 44, while Gerhardt Abrahams compiled a cautious 41 off 40 balls. Andre Russell provided the impetus at the death with his 21-ball 48, which pushed the total up to 179-7.

In reply, Dean Elgar held the innings together with 65 not out off 64 balls. Wickets fell around him, though, in the face of some disciplined bowling. Russell completed a good all-round performance with figures of 1-20 in his four overs. He was well supported by the two former Wynberg Boys’ High School pupils, Malusi Siboto and Shadley van Schalkwyk, who returned figures of 1-27 and 2-31, respectively. Their efforts restricted the Titans to 144-5.

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