The Warriors missed a chance to move to second spot on the Momentum One-Day Cup log – with just two games to play – as they crashed to a disappointing defeat against bottom-of-the-table VKB Knights at Buffalo Park yesterday afternoon.With the Cobras defeating the Lions earlier in the day, a win would have put Warriors second and virtually sealed them a play-off place.
However, it was not to be as their batsmen let them down in the end.
The Knights posted a competitive 258/6 at the end of their 50 overs thanks to opener Rudi Second (110 not out off 149 balls) making a gritty century and carrying his bat while swashbuckling efforts from Patrick Botha (63) and captain Werner Coetsee (42) helped them reach the target.
The Warriors then stumbled to 184 all out, 72 runs short of the Knights’ score.
The chase began positively as Jon-Jon Smuts and Colin Ackermann started well.
However, Ackermann got a bit bogged down and was caught behind for nine off the bowling of Coetsee with the Warriors on 36.
Captain Colin Ingram and Smuts then took the Warriors to 50 in the 10th over, but having reached the mark, Ingram (9) was bowled by Coetsee, who claimed his second wicket.
Smuts, who had been very positive up to this point, then became a bit defensive and he and new man Yaseen Vallie shared a partnership of 37 in 11 overs.
With the score on 87 and Smuts having just brought up his half-century, the Warriors were dealt a body blow as three quick wickets looked to take the game away from them.
Former Border and Border schools player Mbulelo Budaza came back to haunt his former teammates as he removed Smuts (53) LBW, bowled Vallie (17) and then had Jerry Nqolo (1) caught behind.
At 91/5 the Warriors were almost out of the game and Christiaan Jonker and Clyde Fortuin tried valiantly to bring them back with a 55-run stand.
Having taken the Warriors to 146 at the end of the 34th over, Fortuin (27) and Jonker (26) fell within five runs of each other, ending any chance they had left.
Simon Harmer (23 not out) enjoyed a breezy knock at the end. However, Michael Erlank cleaned up the tail quickly, picking up the final three wickets as both Sisanda Magala and Basheer Walters were stumped, while Lundi Mbane was caught.
In the morning, the Knights won the toss and elected to bat in perfect batting conditions.
However, it was the Warriors who claimed an early breakthrough as Walters, opening the bowling with Magala, had Reeza Hendricks (3) caught behind by keeper Fortuin in the second over.
Erlank then joined Second at the crease and they safely negotiated good opening spells from Walters and Magala.
Having just seen the back of the two quicks, Erlank (15) was caught by Ingram in Harmer’s first over to reduce the Knights to 35/2 in the 12th over.
This brought Botha to the crease and he proved the perfect foil for Second’s careful approach as he played freely around the ground, keeping the run rate ticking.
They took the Knights past 50 in the 16th over and then past 100 in the 26th over.
Second then brought up his half-century in the next over, with a four off Mbane, while Botha then followed him in the following over, hitting Harmer for a six to reach his 50.
In Mbane’s next over, Botha brought up the hundred partnership with a boundary, then misjudged a drive off the next ball, hitting it straight to Harmer who took the catch to dismiss him for 63 off 54 balls (7x4, 1x6).
Pite van Biljon was the next man in. However, he did not last long, making only 14 before being caught by Ackermann off the bowling of Smuts.
Tumelo Bodibe (4) then came and went and with the Knights on 175/5 in the 39th over, they were in a spot of bother.
However, Second finally found another willing partner in Coetsee and they looked to pick up the rate as they entered the final 10 overs.
They brought up the 200 in the 44th over and then took the attack to the Warriors off the next three.
Magala was first hit for 11 runs, Mbane then went for 16 and Magala another 11 with the Knights having scored 38 off three overs, boosting themselves to 239 by the end of the 47th.
The final three overs only went for 19 though, with Second bringing up a well-worked century featuring only four boundaries.
Coetsee was smartly run out by Walters in the final over after he jumped up and caught an attempted drive from Second, spun around and threw down the stumps with Coetsee out of his ground.
Huge setback for Warriors
With the Cobras defeating the Lions earlier in the day, a win would have put Warriors second and virtually sealed them a play-off place.
However, it was not to be as their batsmen let them down in the end.
The Knights posted a competitive 258/6 at the end of their 50 overs thanks to opener Rudi Second (110 not out off 149 balls) making a gritty century and carrying his bat while swashbuckling efforts from Patrick Botha (63) and captain Werner Coetsee (42) helped them reach the target.
The Warriors then stumbled to 184 all out, 72 runs short of the Knights’ score.
The chase began positively as Jon-Jon Smuts and Colin Ackermann started well.
However, Ackermann got a bit bogged down and was caught behind for nine off the bowling of Coetsee with the Warriors on 36.
Captain Colin Ingram and Smuts then took the Warriors to 50 in the 10th over, but having reached the mark, Ingram (9) was bowled by Coetsee, who claimed his second wicket.
Smuts, who had been very positive up to this point, then became a bit defensive and he and new man Yaseen Vallie shared a partnership of 37 in 11 overs.
With the score on 87 and Smuts having just brought up his half-century, the Warriors were dealt a body blow as three quick wickets looked to take the game away from them.
Former Border and Border schools player Mbulelo Budaza came back to haunt his former teammates as he removed Smuts (53) LBW, bowled Vallie (17) and then had Jerry Nqolo (1) caught behind.
At 91/5 the Warriors were almost out of the game and Christiaan Jonker and Clyde Fortuin tried valiantly to bring them back with a 55-run stand.
Having taken the Warriors to 146 at the end of the 34th over, Fortuin (27) and Jonker (26) fell within five runs of each other, ending any chance they had left.
Simon Harmer (23 not out) enjoyed a breezy knock at the end. However, Michael Erlank cleaned up the tail quickly, picking up the final three wickets as both Sisanda Magala and Basheer Walters were stumped, while Lundi Mbane was caught.
In the morning, the Knights won the toss and elected to bat in perfect batting conditions.
However, it was the Warriors who claimed an early breakthrough as Walters, opening the bowling with Magala, had Reeza Hendricks (3) caught behind by keeper Fortuin in the second over.
Erlank then joined Second at the crease and they safely negotiated good opening spells from Walters and Magala.
Having just seen the back of the two quicks, Erlank (15) was caught by Ingram in Harmer’s first over to reduce the Knights to 35/2 in the 12th over.
This brought Botha to the crease and he proved the perfect foil for Second’s careful approach as he played freely around the ground, keeping the run rate ticking.
They took the Knights past 50 in the 16th over and then past 100 in the 26th over.
Second then brought up his half-century in the next over, with a four off Mbane, while Botha then followed him in the following over, hitting Harmer for a six to reach his 50.
In Mbane’s next over, Botha brought up the hundred partnership with a boundary, then misjudged a drive off the next ball, hitting it straight to Harmer who took the catch to dismiss him for 63 off 54 balls (7x4, 1x6).
Pite van Biljon was the next man in. However, he did not last long, making only 14 before being caught by Ackermann off the bowling of Smuts.
Tumelo Bodibe (4) then came and went and with the Knights on 175/5 in the 39th over, they were in a spot of bother.
However, Second finally found another willing partner in Coetsee and they looked to pick up the rate as they entered the final 10 overs.
They brought up the 200 in the 44th over and then took the attack to the Warriors off the next three.
Magala was first hit for 11 runs, Mbane then went for 16 and Magala another 11 with the Knights having scored 38 off three overs, boosting themselves to 239 by the end of the 47th.
The final three overs only went for 19 though, with Second bringing up a well-worked century featuring only four boundaries.
Coetsee was smartly run out by Walters in the final over after he jumped up and caught an attempted drive from Second, spun around and threw down the stumps with Coetsee out of his ground.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos