Hardus Viljoen took 7 for 32 as the Lions wrapped up their Sunfoil Series match against the Titans shortly after lunch on the final day at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday.
In the other opening match, Rudi Second made the difference as the Knights cruised to a 128-run victory inside three days over the Warriors in their encounter in Bloemfontein.
Thanks to Tenda Bavuma’s 83 and fifties from Stephen Cook and Quinton de Kock, the Lions posted 401 in their first innings. They then skittled out their rivals from Pretoria for 197 with Ferhaan Behardien’s 58 being top score as Chris Morris made merry with the ball, taking 4-38 in 16.3 overs.
De Kock, batting at No5, then made a run-a-ball 59 and allowed the Lions to declare their second knock at 155-5, leaving the Titans with a target of 360 in plenty of time.
However, the Titans never remotely looked like getting there.
They had slumped to 68-6 with Viljoen and Morris sharing three wickets apiece, before Mangaliso Mosehle joined Behardien and the pair added an unbeaten 50 partnership to take the Titans to 121-6 shortly before lunch on Sunday.
However, Mosehle was caught behind by De Kock for a well-played 42, with Viljoen claiming his scalp, with the score on 149 with the last ball of the session. Shaun von Berg joined Berhardien who had picked up his second fifty of the match.
Behardien was left unbeaten on 71 as Viljoen claimed his 7-32 when he bowled Ethy Mbhalati first ball to have the Titans all out for 169 and hand the Lions an emphatic victory by 190 runs. It was the 25-year-old Viljoen’s second best career bowling performance – he has an 8-105 – but he also picked up 6-92 against the Warriors in Port Elizabeth earlier this year.
On Saturday, Second struck his ninth First-Class hundred, 113, to help the Knights set the Warriors a 331-run winning target, which was always beyond the Eastern Cape side.
After reaching stumps at the end of the second day at 286 for 8, Quinton Friend was ninth man out for 44, and then Second was last man out with the score on 327.
In their victory chase the Warriors stumbled early, losing Vuyisa Makhapela, bowled by Friend for a four-ball duck, early. The Warriors slipped to 36-3 before JJ Smuts (eventually run out for 62) and captain Colin Ingram put on 70 for the fourth wicket.
Wickets tumbled regularly after that and with Wayne Parnell absent hurt, the Warriors were rolled over for 202, for their second disappointment with the bat after putting up 137 in their first innings.
