Vezokuhle Mntungwa’s 59 sealed a second win for Boland in a Man of the Match performance against Northern Cape.
The second set of matches at St Stithians saw Free State line up against Limpopo on the Main Oval and Boland battled with Northern Cape on the Baytop Oval.
Boland backed up their brilliant bowling display in their first match against Limpopo, with an equally outstanding batting display against Northern Cape in their second game.
Daniel du Plessis and Mntungwa got stuck in with an 82-run opening stand. Du Plessis was aggressive in his approach, hitting six fours before he unluckily lost his wicket to Garyn Weyers on 49 off 35 balls.
Mntungwa was key to Boland’s success, stringing together a 65-run partnership with Samuel Henderson whose explosiveness cost him his wicket after he smashed four sixes and two fours for a staggering 46 off 25 balls before Kutlwano Mokwena sent him packing.
A Barend Engelbrecht double did not stop Mntungwa who remained steady to reach his half-century, ending unbeatan on 59 as Boland posted 167-4.
A lethal opening bowling combination of 16-year-old Achille Cloete and 17-year-old Garreth Wolmarans ripped through Northern Cape’s top five, Cloete ending with 2-6 and Wolmarans 3-18 as they crumbled to 22-5.
Kieran Dreyden added to his heroics from the first game to make it 30-6, dismissing Relesego Mothibi. Northern Cape struggled to recover from there onwards.
Mkhuseli Mayekiso (34) and Engelbrecht (28) prolonged the inevitable with a 41-run partnership but a double from Andries Janse van Rensburg (2-9) wrapped things up, as Northern Cape were all out for 93.
Free State battled it out with Limpopo on the Main Oval. Free State posted 140-7 and Limpopo could only muster 122-8 in their 20 overs, as they lost by 18 runs.
Photo: Khalid Mohidin/SA Cricket magazine
