It was a very busy day for the changing room door as 17 wickets fell on day one of the Sunfoil three-day clash between Border and Northerns at Buffalo Park yesterday.
Both bowling units had a field day as first Border were skittled for 158 on the stroke of tea.
Northerns, however, were battling at 108 for seven wickets, 50 runs behind shortly before stumps.
Northerns soon found themselves in trouble as Yanda Pangabantu reduced them to 6/2 at the start of his third over with a double strike.
He first removed SA U19 World Cup-winning captain Aiden Markram for one, caught in the slips by Gionne Koopman, before repeating the trick the very next ball.
Victor Mahlangu fended the ball to the same man at slip for a first-ball duck.
Kyllin Vardhan and Cobus Pienaar then set about rebuilding Northerns’ innings with a good partnership.
They safely took the team past 50 after the drinks break and then brought up their own half-century partnership a few balls later.
However, with the partnership on 54, Koopman broke the deadlock and removed both Vardhan (18) and Pienaar (44) in successive overs.
Shershan Naidoo then became the second duck of the innings, bowled by Brandon Williams as Northerns slipped to 67/5, having lost three wickets for seven runs.
Heinrich Klaasen (34) and Shaun von Berg then added 34, of which Von Berg scored but four runs in a most patient innings.
In the morning session, Northerns won the toss and elected to field.
Openers Vuyisa Makhaphela and Koopman negotiated the early pressure, however Koopman (20) became the first wicket to fall in the 12th over, caught by Sammy Mofokeng of the bowling of Eldred Hawken with the score on 36.
Makhaphela and Burton de Wett then took Border past 50, before Makhaphela (31) became the second wicket to fall for the highest score of the first innings, caught by Alfred Mothoa off the bowling of Pienaar.
Just before lunch, Eden Links had De Wett caught for 19 by Mothoa as Border went into the break on 88/3.
Martin Walters and Jerry Nqolo resumed after lunch and put together a decent-looking partnership of 31 before Walters fell for 26 with the score on 119.
From there on it was a procession as first Nqolo lost his wicket for 18 and the rest folded with only Marco Marais (26) putting up a bit of resistance.
Hawken took four wickets.