The opening day of Round 4 saw a tremendous outing for the Lions’ new recruit Wesley Marshall (145), Dolphins’ Daryn Dupavillon (7/38) and the Cape Cobras’ Pieter Malan (125), writes Abhai Sawkar.
Lions vs Warriors
Wesley Marshall’s domineering, quickfire maiden century for the Lions has driven his team to taking the upper hand in the away game against the Warriors.
Despite losing their openers early, two consecutive partnerships of over 100 helped wrest the momentum from the Warriors and post a mammoth total. Wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton and the Proteas-capped all-rounder Wiaan Mulder provided excellent support for Marshall.
Basheer Walters starred with the ball for the Warriors – his 5-wicket haul was overshadowed by the Lions’ stellar show with the bat. Walters claimed the wickets of the openers as well as a couple more late wickets to somewhat pull things back, but it was a successful day in the office for the Lions.
Lions 385/8 (Marshall 145, Mulder 91, Rickelton 72 – Walters 5/58)
Dolphins vs Knights
A barnstorming 7 wickets for Daryn Dupavillon highlighted a frenetic first day for both teams. While the Knights were bowled out for just 116, the fight was on, as the Dolphins lost 7 wickets even though they’re up by 53.
Jonathan Vandiar and Raynard van Tonder added 46 together, but thereafter, Dupavillon repeatedly knocked over the stumps of the middle order batsmen, catalyzing a fast collapse.
Gerald Coetzee spearheaded the fightback for the Knights, but a handy return to form for Grant Roelofsen has ensured that the home side is the slight favourite at the moment.
Knights 116 (Vandiar 39 – Dupavillon 7/38)
Dolphins 169/7 (Roelofsen 64* – Coetzee 3/38)
Titans vs Cobras
The young, new-look Cobras side have got the ball rolling in what was a solid performance with the bat throughout.
First of all, today saw the debut of yet another two young newcomers in opener Jonathan Bird and speedster Mihlali Mpongwana.
Recent Proteas Test opener Pieter Malan stroked his way to a controlled, well-paced century. He formed strong early partnerships with Bird and captain Zubayr Hamza. In addition, an excellent 86 from Aviwe Mgijima helped ensure that the Cobras came up tops at the close of today’s play.
Five bowlers took a wicket apiece, and it will be another big game for Aiden Markram when the Titans bat, as his direct competitor, has also struck up some much-needed form.
Cobras 351/5 (P Malan 125, Mgijima 86 – Thomson 1/11)
Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
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