/ 8 March 2004

Easy win for Western Province

Western Province duly completed a crushing innings and 186-run victory against Griqualand West in their Supersport Series Super Six match at Newlands on Sunday.

As in the first innings, the Griquas batting imploded and the match was completed well before lunch on the final day as the last eight wickets fell for 40 runs in a little more than 13 overs.

Benji Hector and Loots Bosman showed some early fight. Bosman profited from some edged boundaries and Hector hit the shot of the morning with a cover drive off Allan Dawson. However, he edged the next ball to JP Duminy at third slip to start the collapse.

New batsman Pieter Koortzen was trapped leg before in the same over, and the writing was on the wall. Wendell Bossenger attacked from the start, sharing a partnership of 33 with Bosman.

Quinton Friend, underused in the first innings, ended the partnership when he found the edge of Bosman’s bat, and the tail collapsed dramatically as the last six wickets fell within 28 balls or just seven runs.

Friend took four wickets in the space of 11 balls, completing his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. He sportingly made way for Dawson after a short but devastating spell. Given the chance to take his first 10 wicket haul, the little man duly obliged by having Deon Kruis caught by the first of seven slips.

Andrew Puttick’s marathon unbeaten innings of 250 earned him the man of the match award, backed up by Dawson (match figures of 10 for 92), Lloyd Ferreira (130) and JP Duminy (100 not out and four slip catches). — Sapa