THE Momentum One-Day Cup is drawing nearer to the finish line with only a week’s action remaining before the playoff stages, and the Cape Cobras look set to claim sole possession of the title.
Last season the Cape Town side shared the trophy with the Highveld Lions.
This time, after eight matches with only one defeat, the Cobras have made the number one spot on the log their permanent home.
However, two sides who have not enjoyed any success over the past two seasons, the Warriors and Dolphins have had a resurgence this season looking threatening as the Cobras’ closest competitors, occupying second and third place on the log respectively.
“The Warriors and Dolphins have got something really good going for them this season,” Cobras captain Justin Ontong said yesterday.
“Colin Ingram, Wayne Parnell and a few other guys have done well for the Warriors. The same goes for the Dolphins. They’ve shaken things around and the results are showing. Both sides are full of confidence right now and they will make sure they push us right to the end.”
Ontong, although admitting his pleasure at his side’s good start to the domestic season, remains cautious of the team getting ahead of themselves, shelving aside the “favourites” tag.
“Yes, we are very happy with how the team is doing, but I don’t think we have put out our perfect hand yet, so we can’t say we can be expected to win anything,” he said.
“The important thing is that we peak at the right time. Look, now we have a big week ahead of us playing against the two contenders that are in our sights (Warriors and Dolphins). We have come through some very close games, so it could still be anybody’s title to grab. But we are really keen to win all the trophies this season.”
The hunger for trophies is not only in Cape Town, but in Port Elizabeth, too, for the Warriors.
The side has been in a rebuilding stage for the past two season, following the departure of former coach Russell Domingo, who now heads the national team, and a handful of senior players after winning a duo of trophies two seasons ago.
“This (One-Day Cup) is a format we want to do well in. We spent a lot of our time in the off-season working on this format. We definitely want to win the 50-overs competition,” Warriors captain Davy Jacobs said yesterday.
Jacobs does not seem too bothered by the threat of the other sides also eyeing the 50-overs title.
“We are not concerned about how other teams are doing. We just want to win trophies, and to do so we must focus on ourselves.”
The Cobras and Warriors share the same number of points on the log (24), but the Cape side pips their coastal rivals to the top after having won five of their eight games, with the Warriors claiming four out of eight.
The Dolphins, who have played one game more, are one point behind after having suffered two defeats in their nine matches – their latest being a two-wicket defeat to the Warriors on Sunday.
The bottom-of-the-table Lions’ woes continued as they went down with a 38-run defeat to the Titans at the weekend – their sixth defeat in nine matches, and only one win under their belt.
The fourth semifinal spot is to be closely contested by the current fourth-place occupiers, the Titans, and the Knights.
The two sides face each other tomorrow in Bloemfontein, while in Paarl the Cobras will host the Warriors.
In the last round-robin matches on Friday, the Warriors play the Titans in East London, the Dolphins host the Cobras in Durban and the Lions and Knights square off at the Wanderers Stadium.
Warriors stay on the heels of Cobras as Cup battle reaches intriguing end
Last season the Cape Town side shared the trophy with the Highveld Lions.
This time, after eight matches with only one defeat, the Cobras have made the number one spot on the log their permanent home.
However, two sides who have not enjoyed any success over the past two seasons, the Warriors and Dolphins have had a resurgence this season looking threatening as the Cobras’ closest competitors, occupying second and third place on the log respectively.
“The Warriors and Dolphins have got something really good going for them this season,” Cobras captain Justin Ontong said yesterday.
“Colin Ingram, Wayne Parnell and a few other guys have done well for the Warriors. The same goes for the Dolphins. They’ve shaken things around and the results are showing. Both sides are full of confidence right now and they will make sure they push us right to the end.”
Ontong, although admitting his pleasure at his side’s good start to the domestic season, remains cautious of the team getting ahead of themselves, shelving aside the “favourites” tag.
“Yes, we are very happy with how the team is doing, but I don’t think we have put out our perfect hand yet, so we can’t say we can be expected to win anything,” he said.
“The important thing is that we peak at the right time. Look, now we have a big week ahead of us playing against the two contenders that are in our sights (Warriors and Dolphins). We have come through some very close games, so it could still be anybody’s title to grab. But we are really keen to win all the trophies this season.”
The hunger for trophies is not only in Cape Town, but in Port Elizabeth, too, for the Warriors.
The side has been in a rebuilding stage for the past two season, following the departure of former coach Russell Domingo, who now heads the national team, and a handful of senior players after winning a duo of trophies two seasons ago.
“This (One-Day Cup) is a format we want to do well in. We spent a lot of our time in the off-season working on this format. We definitely want to win the 50-overs competition,” Warriors captain Davy Jacobs said yesterday.
Jacobs does not seem too bothered by the threat of the other sides also eyeing the 50-overs title.
“We are not concerned about how other teams are doing. We just want to win trophies, and to do so we must focus on ourselves.”
The Cobras and Warriors share the same number of points on the log (24), but the Cape side pips their coastal rivals to the top after having won five of their eight games, with the Warriors claiming four out of eight.
The Dolphins, who have played one game more, are one point behind after having suffered two defeats in their nine matches – their latest being a two-wicket defeat to the Warriors on Sunday.
The bottom-of-the-table Lions’ woes continued as they went down with a 38-run defeat to the Titans at the weekend – their sixth defeat in nine matches, and only one win under their belt.
The fourth semifinal spot is to be closely contested by the current fourth-place occupiers, the Titans, and the Knights.
The two sides face each other tomorrow in Bloemfontein, while in Paarl the Cobras will host the Warriors.
In the last round-robin matches on Friday, the Warriors play the Titans in East London, the Dolphins host the Cobras in Durban and the Lions and Knights square off at the Wanderers Stadium.
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