Birch holds his nerves to steer Warriors to win over Cobras

In a breathless final over Andrew Birch conceded just five runs to help the Warriors to a nail-biting 12-run win over the Cobras in their RAM Slam T20 clash at Buffalo Park last night. Needing 18 to win off the final over and with former Warrior Wayne Parnell facing, unbeaten on 70 and remembering his heroics from the weekend, the match was still very much alive.

However, Birch held his nerve to concede just five singles, while bowling Sybrand Engelbrecht (14) off the fourth ball to secure a much-needed win that keeps their play-off hopes alive in the competition. The Warriors will be thankful for a top all-round bowling effort, led by Birch’s 3/28, while Jon Jon Smuts hit an unbeaten 61 off 40 balls. With the Warriors scoring 153/8 in their 20 overs the Cobras needed 154 to win. However, despite Parnell’s 74 off 60 balls, they fell short. Andrew Puttick was the first Cobras wicket to fall in the second over, bowled by Birch for five. Justin Ontong (6) became Birch’s second scalp as he picked out Colin Ackermann as the Cobras fell to 32/2. Keagan Petersen and Parnell then shared a 19-run partnership, with Petersen bowled by Bradley Dolley for 11 shortly after they passed the 50. Justin Kemp and Parnell combined for the innings’ best partnership of 47 and with the team three runs shy of 100 and Kemp looking dangerous on 20 off 15 balls, local star Lundi Mbane bowled him in the 15th over to reduce them to 97/4. Rory Kleinveld (4) was caught by Birch off the bowling of Smuts and Lesiba Ngoepe (1) followed soon after, bowled by Magala. There was some drama in the 18th over bowled bv Smuts as an over-the-waist full toss to Engelbrecht was caught, but called a no ball, and Smuts proceeded to bowl another over-the-waist no ball with one ball left in the over and was taken out of the attack by the umpires, with Mbane finishing the over. Nevertheless, the Warriors held on to seal a deserving win. In the first innings the Warriors won the toss electing to bat, and did not get off to the best start. The out-of-sorts Gihahn Cloete saw his middle stump pegged back by Rory Kleinveld for a duck in the first over. Colin Ingram struck two sixes and a four in scoring 18 from 14 deliveries but he skied the ball to keeper Puttick off Parnell going for a big hit, with them on 27/2. Ten runs later, Somila Seyibokwe (1) was trapped in front, the first of Mthokozesi Shezi’s five wickets. Smuts joined Colin Ackermann at the crease and they shared a promising 30-run partnership off 28 balls. Ackermann was looking good, having hit two fours and two maximums, when he cracked Kemp to Engelbrecht to depart for 34, the Warriors on 67. This brought David White to the crease and he and Smuts set about building a good partnership. They took the Warriors past the 100 and with the second ball of the 16th over, just two runs shy of a half century partnership, White (30) picked out Ngoepe off Shezi. Smuts then hit a six, four and single off the next three balls, before Shezi bowled Magala for a duck at the end of the over. Birch (2) and Clyde Fortuin (0) were both bowled by Shezi in the final over. However, Smuts faced the majority of the final two overs, smashing the ball as he reached his 50, ending on 61 not out with five fours and three sixes.