Medium fast bowler Alan Dawson and number four batsman JP Duminy played pivotal roles in taking Western Province to a grandstand triumph at their fourth attempt at annexing the Discovery Knockout Challenge Series at Kingsmead on Tuesday.
First Province demolished defending champions Northern Titans by 68 runs and then the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins by 73 runs in the final.
On a depressing day for their two challengers, Province only had Dolphins’ Lance Klusener emerge as a major thorn in their side.
Zulu finished with a five-wicket haul for 31 runs off his four overs as he bowled with pace and purpose in the final.
But like the Titans before them the Dolphins were all at sea against Dawson who got a unique leg before hat-trick — the first four Dolphins wickets fell in this manner — after having claimed four wickets for two runs in the afternoon game.
He claimed eight wickets for 10 in the two games in a remarkable effort with four for eight against the Natalians, and was named player of the day for his overall performance.
Duminy was undefeated in his two visits to the crease with 28 against the Titans and 53 not out against the Dolphins.
It was the launch of a late savage hitting spree by Duminy and Rory Kleinveldt (24) against the Dolphins that carried Western Province to their ultimate triumph as they plundered 47 runs off the three overs from the 17th to 19th delivered by Gulam Bodi, Dale Benkenstein and Nixon McLean respectively.
Spinner Bodi went for 17, Benkenstein for 18 and McLean for 12 as the score jumped from 113 to 160, which meant that the Dolphins were left to score the highest total — 167 — required for victory in the four-year history of the event.
Duminy held the Province innings together with his 53 in which he shared a 45 fourth-wicket stand with Lloyd Ferreria (34), who was run out by Bodi in an inspired piece of fielding excellence, and 40 with Kleinveldt for the seventh wicket.
He batted for 96 minutes and faced 48 balls of which he dispatched four to the boundary and two over the ropes. — Sapa