The Warriors, seeking a rare win this summer, went on the attack against the visiting Multiply Titans on Sunday, and by close of play had scored 254 for five wickets in their second innings, giving them an overall lead of 296, with one day left for play on Monday.
But earlier in the day things did not go so well for the home team.
The Titans resumed on 279 with seven wickets down, still 129 runs behind the Warriors’s first innings of 408, and the Warriors must have had visions of a good lead of around 100 runs on the first innings, enough to enable them to go all out for a victory.
And when Basheer-Dean Walters sent overnight batsman Henry Davids’ stumps flying off the fourth ball of the day, and number 10 batsman Tshepo Moreki fell for three, caught in the slips by Simon Harmer off Glenton Stuurman, it looked like the Warriors’ plans were well on target.
In came number 11 batsman for the Titans Alfred Mothoa, who boasted a batting average of 8.59 per innings leading up to the match.
With the other overnight batsman, never-say-die Corbin Bosch, encouraging Mothoa from the other end, the two proceeded to add 76 for the last wicket, frustrating the Warriors’ attack, who were without the services of medium-pacer Aya Gqamane, who pulled up lame in the first session on Saturday with what appeared to be a hamstring problem and hobbled off the field without bowling a single ball.
Eventually Harmer tempted Mothoa and he was caught by Eddie Moore for an excellent 32, by far his highest first-class score and the Titans were all out for 366, a slender lead of 42 for the Warriors.
Bosch was 53 not out at the end.
It was a gritty innings and highlighted the talents of this young player, son of the late Test cricketer Tertius Bosch.
The hard-working Stuurman finished with 3/84, and Walters 2/92, but the bowler to shine on Saturday was left-arm spinner Lesiba Ngoepe, who grabbed 3/27. He tempted Heinrich Klaasen, 73, Farhaan Berhardien, 19, and all-rounder Shaun von Berg, 32, to essay some big hits off his bowling. and all three were caught in the deep by some outstanding catches.
The Warriors started their second innings half an hour before lunch on Sunday and Moore and Gihahn Cloete attacked immediately.
It was evident the order from skipper Jon-Jon Smuts was for quick runs.
Although first innings centurion Moore went early, Cloete and number three batsman Colin Ackermann batted soundly, always looking for runs and determined to set the Titans a good target while leaving enough time for the Warriors to capture 10 wickets and extra points.
After Cloete, 63 (10x4), and Ackermann, 92 (11x4), were dismissed after adding 117 in 24 overs, it was left to Smuts to continue, and he and Ngoepe, 24, added 53 in well under an hour.
Ngoepe was out shortly before the close of play and Smuts was joined by the young Sinethemba Qeshile, an exciting batsman who has a great future ahead of him.
Smuts was on 49 when the umpires lifted the bails at the end of an excellent day for the home team. So far he has stroked his way to eight boundaries.
It seems likely that the Warriors will continue to bat for a short period on Monday and then set the visitors a tempting target...