Jonathan Vandiar struck an unbeaten century and a half-century as Northerns were one of three teams alongside KwaZulu-Natal Inland and Border to do the double on the opening day of the CSA Provincial T20 Cup played on Friday.
Pool A
The powerful left-hander crashed scores of 81 (51 balls, 10 fours, 3 sixes) and then a career-best 107 (58 balls, 11 fours, 6 sixes) not out to help his side oust Free State first and then the Central Gauteng Lions in their big derby clash by 72 runs and seven wickets respectively.
Both the matches were played in Benoni, where their Pool A is based for the group phase of action being played over the current weekend.
In Northerns’ first game, the Centurion-based outfit batted first at Willowmoore Park and amassed what proved to be the highest total of day one – an impressive 203 for four.
Apart from Vandiar, wicketkeeper Evan Jones thumped an unbeaten 37 from only 15 balls in a dominant display. In reply, their Bloemfontein-based opponents were bowled out for 131 – Ruan de Swardt bagging three for 14 and Luvuyo Nkese collecting three for 24 in a bonus-point triumph.
Northerns then claimed another full complement of points when they crushed their Jukskei rivals in the late game. After Joshua Richards (71 off 55 balls, 6 fours, 3 sixes) lifted Gauteng to 167 for three, Vandiar’s ton made light work of the chase – the men from the north cruising home with 22 deliveries remaining.
The southern side also lost their earlier game, meaning they have plenty of work to do to reach the play-offs, when they went down to Hollywoodbets KwaZulu-Natal Coastal by 12 runs earlier in the day.
Delano Potgieter took four for 27 to restrict the Durban side to 124 for eight, but two each from the excellent Daryn Dupavillon (2/16) and Prenelan Subrayen (2/17) helped keep the Lions to 112 for eight.
Finally, an unbeaten 77 (40 balls, 10 fours, 2 sixes) by Wesley Marshall gave Easterns a nine-wicket win over Free State in their only game of the day.
Pool B
In Pool B played in Kimberley, meanwhile, Robbie Frylinck’s incredible return of 3.1-0-7-4 gave KZNI a flying start after they beat South Western Districts by eight wickets and with a bonus point.
History was made in Inland’s second match at the Diamond Oval, which saw them comfortably beat Eastern Province by five wickets, when Lauren Agenbag became the first female umpire to stand in a senior men’s provincial game.
The Northerns official has already umpired at Women’s Senior International level in T20 matches, but she now broke new ground in South African cricket.
The match itself saw EP bat first and post 161 all out in 19.5 overs – Kyle Nipper claiming three for 22. Frylinck’s unbeaten 51 (25 balls, 2 fours, five sixes) then enabled KZNI to get to their target with an over to spare.
The Port Elizabeth side did manage to win their earlier game, though, when half-centuries by Joshua van Heerden (61 not out off 54 balls, 6 fours, 2 sixes) and Kelly Smuts (64 off 46 balls, 8 fours) propelled them to a slender seven-run win over Boland.
The Cape team fell to a second loss late in the day when Jacques Snyman’s three for 15 and 24 runs with the bat gave home union Northern Cape a bonus-point five-wicket win in their only game on Friday.
Pool C
Finally, Border proved to be the team to catch in Potchefstroom’s Pool C when they beat Western Province and then Limpopo by five wickets and 35 runs respectively.
In the early game, captain Sinethemba Qeshile was the top-scorer with 38 as they omfortably chased down 150, before Jason Niemand’s three for 30 proved key in a 35-run triumph at Senwes Park.
Alfred Mothoa was slightly unlucky to be on the losing end in that game despite grabbing a lifetime T20 best of four for 23.
The Limpopo seamer was more fortunate in his earlier game, however, where his three for 25 helped secure a seven-wicket win over Mpumalanga.
It meant Mothoa did finish the opening day as the leading wicket-taker with seven sticks, while his team-mate Lerato Kgoatle also recorded one of the other key highlights of the day when his maiden limited-overs century – an innings of 101 not out off 67 balls (16 fours, 1 six) – played a vital role as his side chased down 173.
The match of the day, though, was the one that ended last with pool hosts North West seeing their match with WP finishing in a tie and the home side winning in a Super Over.
After both teams struck 163 – Kyle Verreynne (57 off 33 balls, 4 fours, 4 sixes) and Andre Malan (52 off 48 balls, 6 fours), with his second 50-plus score on the day, both hitting half-centuries – Migael Pretorius conceded only four in the extra six balls compared to the 13 conceded by WP to give NW victory.
Photo: Gallo Images
