Stephan Maree starred with bat and ball as Paul Roos Gymnasium (PRG) comfortably overcame the Standard Bank Paarl Regional Performance Centre (RPC) in the opening fixture of this year’s Momentum Friendship Games in Stellenbosch on Friday.

The match was played at the Paul Roos Gymnasium Cricket Oval ahead of the third Momentum ODI at Eurolux Boland Park tomorrow, with the host side first posting 151 for four, before their opponents replied with 89 all out.

Maree was the star man after striking an unbeaten 42 off 24 balls, which included six fours, before he claimed two for 22 in an excellent four-over spell.

The Paarl RPC had won the toss and opted to bowl first, but their ploy backfired as PRG lost only four wickets in their 20 overs.

Rudi Klaasen (36) and Ruan Terblanche (32) put on 62 for the first wicket, before both were among the wickets to fall quickly.

The other two were Kanya Cotani (six) and Erlank Pretorius (seven) as the Paarl RPC revived their hopes by reducing the home side to 96 for four.

But Maree and Chris Albertyn (18 not out) put on an unbroken 55 to turn the tide of the game by batting through until the end.

Fernell Petersen was the pick of the bowlers, taking two wickets for 18 runs in three overs.

Paarl RPC lost two wickets for nine runs as they were put on the back foot from the outset. Only three batsmen reached double figures – Akeem Minnaar (19), Myron Hull (22) and Diyaan Adendorf (25 not out) – but it was not enough as the away side struggled.

Apart from Maree’s double, Pretorius also claimed two wickets to end as the pick of the bowlers with two for six.

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images