Northerns Titans took complete control of their SuperSport Shield match against Boland at Paarl, thanks to a monumental innings from Maurice Aronstam.
The 23-year old batsman converted his maiden first class century into a double century, showing great determination while still playing his shots. With Alfonso Thomas taking three wickets, Boland ended the second day with a huge deficit of 354 and just six wickets in hand.
The first session produced dreary cricket. Despite their commanding position, the visitors added just 62 runs in 33 overs, Aronstam scoring 26 off 89 balls. Ryan Groeneveld worked hard in the heat, bowling a spell of 10-4-12-1. He claimed the only wicket to fall when Kruger van Wyk popped up a catch into the covers.
After lunch Northerns put the hammer down, scoring another 89 off 20 overs.
Aronstam played with much more freedom, going to his 200 with successive boundaries at which point Gerald Dros declared. Aronstam’s marathon lasted 577 minutes, during which time he faced 448 balls and hit 19 fours and four sixes. His unbroken partnership with Pierre Joubert added 131 to equal the Northerns record established in the 1968/69 season.
The Boland openers negotiated the fourteen overs before tea safely. Ethy Mbhalati impressed with his pace and aggression and caused great discomfort to the Titans batsmen.
However, Alfonso Thomas found some movement when he pitched the ball up and had both Erasmus Hendrikse and Henry Davids caught behind the wicket.
Justin Ontong and Gerhardus Strydom added 61 for the third wicket, but Boland’s chances of matching the visitors’s score all but disappeared as first Ontong hit a long hop in Thomas’s comeback over to deep square leg, and nightwatchman Groeneveld was run out needlessly with three overs remaining. – Sapa