Boland clip Dragons’ wings

A wonderful bowling effort from Goldrush Boland saw them down the Renault Potchefstroom North West Dragons by nine runs in a pulsating CSA T20 Challenge match at Boland Park in Paarl on Friday evening.

Having posted a below-par score of 148-9 after being sent in to bat first by Wihan Lubbe, Imraan Manack (4-0-30-3), Glenton Stuurman (4-0-25-2) and Keith Dudgeon (3-0-21-3) combined to restrict the Dragons to 139-9 in their allotted 20 overs.

Manack made an early breakthrough, bowling Meeka-eel Prince (2) in the first over. However, Ludwich Schuld (30) and top-scorer Janneman Malan (50) added 52 runs for the second wicket from 40 deliveries to set the Dragons on their way.

Ferisco Adams (4-0-32-1) broke the stand, having Schuld caught at mid-wicket by Gysbert Wege.

The loss of the wicket seemed to slow the Dragons down with Lubbe (13) adding 34 runs for the third wicket with Malan from 36 balls.

Lubbe was then clean-bowled by Dudgeon to set in motion a flow of regular wickets.

The turning point in the chase came when Manack bowled Malan, who had faced 49 balls, striking two boundaries.

With Malan back in the pavilion, Lesiba Ngoepe (24) tried valiantly to rally the troops.

Striking one four and a six from 16 balls, Ngoepe was cleaned-up by Manack.

Dudgeon accounted for Dian Forrester and Ruan de Swart – both without scoring before Stuurman finished off the innings with the wickets of Diego Rosier (6) and Jade de Klerk (2).

REESE-FORTUIN JUST MISSES OUT ON HALF-CENTURY

Earlier, a second-wicket stand of 72 from 46 balls between Gavin Kaplan and Clyde Reese-Fortuin looked set to launch the home side to a massive total.

Kaplan and Blayde Capell (17) had started briskly, adding 26 runs for the first wicket from 13 deliveries.

Kaplan struck three fours and a six from 22 balls before being caught by Forrester from the bowling of Alfred Mothoa (4-0-32-3).

Once Kapan departed, the rest of the Boland line-up struggled.

Reese-Fortuin fell one short of his fifty, being bowled by De Klerk (4-0-23-1) for 49 from 34 balls after cracking three fours and two sixes.

Aviwe Mgijima and Wege both fell for three, falling to Lubbe (3-0-22-1) and Caleb Saleka (4-0-19-1) respectively.

Adams (3) and Stuurman (1) were both run out while Jhedli van Briesies (10) and Dudgeon (4) failed to trouble the scorers much, both falling to Mothoa.

Boland, who lost this same fixture last season by three runs, will be happy to pick up the early four log points at home while the Dragons will have to be content with the two points after their first match against the Dafabet Warriors was washed out.

The Dragons remain in the Cape and take on World Sports Betting Western Province on Sunday at WSB Newlands while Boland travel to Johannesburg to take on the DP World Lions at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.

Goldrush Boland: Gavin Kaplan, Gavin Reese-Fortuin (capt, wk), Blayde Capell, Aviwe Mgijima, Gysbert Wege, Jhedi van Briesies, Ferisco Adams, Keith Dudgeon, Imraan Manack, Glenton Stuurman, Siyabonga Mahima.

Renault Potchefstroom North West: Dian Forrester, Caleb Seleka, Diego Rosier, Alfred Mothoa, Janneman Malan, Lesiba Ngoepe, Meeka-eel Prince (wk), Ruan de Swart, Ludwich Schuld, Wihan Lubbe (capt), Jade de Klerk.