A second-innings collapse from Free State allowed Western Province to run out easy eight-wicket winners with a day to spare in their Supersport Series Super Six cricket match at Goodyear Park on Sunday.
The home side began the second innings with a 120-run lead but were skittled out for a mere 78. That left Western Province needing 199 for victory, which they did without too much fuss.
Openers Andrew Puttick (45) and Derrin Bassage (79) did all the hard work and went the latter fell with the score on 163, it was just left for Lloyd Ferreira (43 not out) and captain Ashwell Prince (21 not out) to do the mopping up.
Free State had already lost the wicket of Gerhardus Liebenberg before the close of play on Saturday and things only got worse on Sunday.
Charl Willoughby had Morne van Wyk back in the hut in just the third over of the day. The left-arm seamer got one to go right across Van Wyk, who edged it behind to Thami Tsolekile with the gloves.
Boeta Dippenaar, who has been in superb form with the bat in this competition, could not match his first-innings knock of 69 and was Willoughby’s second victim of the morning. The South African batsman was rapped high on the pads, but it was enough to convince the umpire in raising his finger.
The Eagles continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. Jonathan Beukes went for 18, leg before to Quinton Friend, and the Province seamer then set himself up for a hat-trick when, with his very next ball, he had Kosie Venter edge to Tsolekile behind the stumps.
That left the home team reeling at 35 for five and then Claude Henderson created further havoc.
He picked up two wickets in his first three overs — Johannes van der Wath who edged one to Tsolekile and Ryno Arendse who holed out to Prince for just 11.
Cliffie Deacon managed to hold out with a fighting 22 but he was caught behind off the bowling of Dawson while Thandi Tshabalala and Victor Mpitsang both went for a duck, off the bowling of Friend and Henderson respectively.
Henderson finished with excellent figures of 3/20 off 7,5 overs. – Sapa