DAY 4: Dragons and Dolphins win, Tuskers and Warriors share spoils in CSA 4-Day series

Potchefstroom: A fighting century from Keegan Petersen wasn’t enough to save the Momentum Multiply Titans from a heavy 196 run defeat on the final day of their CSA 4-Day series clash against the Eastvaal Renault NW Dragons at the JB Marks Oval on Sunday afternoon.

Overall, the Titans were completely outplayed by the Dragons, as the hosts twice declared their batting efforts, and bowled the visitors out twice to secure a well-deserved thumping win in the end.

The Titans resumed on the morning on day four on 31/2, needing a highly unlikely 424 more runs to win the match, while it was also going to be tough to try and save a draw, and so it proved as only Petersen, and a half century from Dayyaan Galiem delayed the inevitable.

Petersen finished unbeaten on 119 off 220 balls (12x4; 2x6), while Galiem scored 64 off 98 (8x4; 1x6), while it was an all-round bowling effort from the Dragons, as four bowlers picked up two wickets.

The day began with the Titans losing Sibonelo Makhanya (14), Lhuan-dre Pretorius (9) and Donovan Ferreira (7) all out cheaply, as they tumbled to 64/5.

That brought Galiem in to join Petersen, and they combined for a fighting 126-run sixth wicket stand, to take them past lunch and into the afternoon session.

Achille Cloete eventually made the breakthrough, having Galiem caught behind by keeper Rubin Hermann, followed by a quick double strike from Wihan Lubbe as he bowled Andile Phehlukwayo (5) and trapped Gerald Coetzee LBW for a second ball duck, with them crashing to 198/8.

Although on the verge of the win the Dragons were made to work for the last two wickets, as Junior Dala (18) stuck around for 77 balls, in a 59-run ninth wicket partnership with Petersen, before they finally ran out of steam.

Dragons: 491/8 declared (Meeka-Eel Prince 142, Dian Forrester 94, Wihan Lubbe 75, Rubin Hermann 69; Schalk Engelbracht 4/179, Donovan Ferreira 2/101)

Titans: 262 (Donovan Ferreira 71, Lhuan-dre Pretorius 70; Onke Nyaku 3/40, Wihan Lubbe 2/23, Alfred Mothoa 2/58)

Dragons: 225/6 declared (Lesiba Ngoepe 99, Wihan Lubbe 91; Schalk Engelbrecht 3/63, Gerald Coetzee 2/26)

Titans: 258 (Keegan Petersen 119no, Dayyaan Galiem 64; Wihan Lubbe 2/12, Dian Forrester 2/24, Achille Cloete 2/28, Onke Nyaku 2/36)

Paarl: Half centuries from Bryce Parsons, Tshepang Dithole and Jason Smith helped the Hollywoodbets Dolphins cruise to a comfortable five wicket win over Goldrush Boland just after lunch on the final day of play at the Boland Stadium on Sunday.

The visitors went into the final day of play on 49/1 in their second innings, needing a tricky 214 more to win, but they made it look easy in the end thanks to Parsons, 63 off 110 balls (4x4), Dithole, 60 off 109 (7x4) and Smith, 54 off 88 (4x4; 2x6).

Dithole was arguably the start of the match, backing up his first innings century with a good fifty in the second, while other impressive performances in the game included Pieter Malan’s 150, and young Tristan Luus’ seven wickets over two innings.

On the final morning Dithole and Eathan Bosch (34) resumed their innings and promptly extended their second wicket partnership to 83 runs, taking their side past 100.

Aya Gqamane then made the breakthrough, having Bosch caught behind by keeper Clyde Reeves-Fortuin, before Dithole was eventually out, caught by Akhona Mnyaka off the bowling of Aviwe Mgijima, with the score 140/3.

The defining stand followed between Parsons and Smith, as they combined for 95 runs to make the game safe.

Both fell towards the end of the chase, Smith edging Malan to Reeves-Fortuin, while Mgijima and Mnyaka teamed up again to get rid of Parsons, but by then it was too little to late and they easily cruised over the line.

Boland: 156 (Lehan Botha 45, Glenton Stuurman 27; Tristan Luus 4/42, Ottniel Baartman 3/19)

Dolphins: 346 (Tshepang Dithole 116, Khaya Zondo 61; Glenton Stuurman 4/46)

Boland: 452 (Pieter Malan 157, Grant Roelofsen 67, Gavin Kaplan 67; Ethan Bosch 3/60, Tristan Luus 3/102)

Dolphins: 264/5 (Bryce Parsons 63, Tshepang Dithole 60, Jason Smith 54; Aviwe Mgijima 2/37)

Pietermaritzburg: The Mootheeram Tuskers and Dafabet Warriors saw their weather disrupted match end in an almost inevitable draw on day four at the Pietermaritzburg Oval on Sunday.

It was almost poetic that rain had the final say on the final day, chasing the players from the field in the final session with the Tuskers on 136/4, still needing 89 runs to win in what could have been an exciting finish to the match.

But instead, the bad weather that had plagued the opening two days of play returned, with the captains shaking hands on the draw soon after.

The final day was largely dominated by the batsmen, as Matthew Breetzke scored and unbeaten century and Matthew de Villiers a fifty for the Warriors, while Malcolm Nofal scored a half century for the Tuskers.

The Warriors resumed their second innings in the morning on 157/3, with Breetzke, 101no off 219 balls (8x4; 1x6), and De Villiers, 52 off 119 (5x4), extending their fourth wicket partnership to 87 runs, as they neared the 200-run mark.

Ziyaad Abrahams then made the breakthrough, having De Villiers caught behind by keeper Cameron Shekleton, with the score 196/4, which soon became 229/6 as they lost two more wickets.

Breetzke received support from Thomas Kaber (21no), in an unbeaten 40-run stand, that allowed him to reach his hundred, followed by them promptly declaring.

Set 274 to win with less than two sessions remaining, Nofal, 59 off 105 (11x4) tried to keep his side in the hunt, sharing in a 33-run opening stand with Kagiso Rapulana (16), 41 with Mohammad Bulbulia (17), and 36 with Erlank.

When he fell, caught by Jordan Hermann off the bowling of Wesley Bedja, with the score was 110/4, the game was still in the balance, and it was rain after tea that then had the final say.

Warriors: 140 (Thomas Kaber 50no, Aphiwe Mnyanda 37; Daryn Dupavillion 4/28, Hardus Viljoen 3/25)

Tuskers: 185 (Cameron Shekleton 59no; Matthew Boast 5/52, Kerwin Mungroo 4/43)

Warriors: 269/6 declared (Matthew Breetzke 101no, Muhammad Manack 59, Matthew de Villers 52; Sean Gilson 2/91)

Tuskers: 136/4 (Malcolm Nofal 59, Michael Erlank 25no; Wesley Bedja 3/31)