An exciting final day is on the cards for Border and South Western District in their CSA three day competition clash at Buffalo Park on Saturday, with the visitors aiming to set Border a challenging chase to win the match.
After Border resumed day two on Friday morning with a slender one run lead over SWD's first innings with five wickets in hand, the hosts batted well to turn it into an 84-run lead by the time they were bowled out.
SWD were then well placed at 128/3 during the last session of play, before two late wickets meant they ended the day on 146/5, a lead of 62-runs over the hosts.
SWD will begin day three with Obus Pienaar (33no) and first innings hero Niel Hornbuckle (2no) at the crease and they will be looking to give Border a stiff target to chase in their final innings.
In the morning session on Friday Mncedisi Malika and Malwande Zamo resumed Borders innings on 169/5, but added just two runs to the score before Zamo edged Hershell America behind to fall for 17.
Clayton Bosch then joined Malika and was the aggressor in 45-run stand, that also saw Malika reach his second first class half century, before Bosch fell for a quick-fire 25-ball 26, caught off the bowling of Bradley de Villiers, with the score 216/7.
Phaphama Fojela (9) didn't last long before being run out and Basheer Walters (13no) hit a couple of fours in a 17-run partnership with Malika, before he fell to de Villiers for a career best 61.
This left Sithembile Langa (1) to be the final wicket to fall, off the bowling of former Border spinner Tsepo Ndwandwa with the hosts all out for 252, just before lunch.
SWD negotiated the couple of overs to the break without trouble on 11/0, before resuming in the afternoon.
The opening stand between openers Letlotlo Sesele and Marco de Kock was looking good, before Walters trapped Sesele LBW for 19 to get the breakthrough at 39/1.
Bosch then struck in his second over, bowling de Kock for 21 as SWD slipped to 53/2.
Walters then picked up his second, Jean du Plessis (14) being caught by Martin Walters with the visitors still 11 runs shy of the Border score.
However Brendon Louw then joined Pienaar at the crease and they set off on a positive 55-run partnership before the two Walters’s, Basheer and Martin teamed up again to get rid of Louw for 35.
Yamkela Oliphant (8) then fell, caught behind by Malika off the bowing of Langa, just four balls before play was ended for the day because of bad light...