The Nashua Titans moved to the top of the Supersport Series log after drawing their match against the Nashua Dolphins at Centurion on Sunday.
The Titans resumed play on the final day of the match on 180 runs for two, with Zander de Bruyn and Martin van Jaarsveld in the middle and chasing the 401 runs the Dolphins had posted in their first innings.
But Van Jaarsveld departed as early as the first session on 16 runs caught behind by Duncan Brown off Lance Klusener.
Partnered by Albie Morkel, De Bruyn calmly turned the match around for the Titans — who for most of the four days had faced defeat — with a splendid unbeaten 104 runs and helping his side post 376 for five.
De Bruyn’s 104 came in 177 balls, with Morkel lending a helping hand with a well-struck 53 off 77 balls.
It was a much-improved Titans batting performance in the second innings compared with the poor 290 all out the team had accumulated in the first innings.
The difference from the two batting stints was that the Titans were fighting to stay in the game the second time around, and their perseverance paid dividends.
By the time Dolphins openers Imraan Khan and Doug Watson came to occupy the crease for the Dolphins’ second innings, it was blatantly obvious that the match was headed for a draw as the Durban side were chasing 266 runs to win in 29 overs and also the last hour of play.
A task too tall for the Dolphins, Khan blasted the ball to try to build on his first-innings score of 151 runs, and was finally bowled out by Titans spinner Paul Harris on 60 runs.
Khan was awarded the man-of-the-match prize for his 210 runs and one wicket.
Watson had departed moments before on 17 being caught in the slip by Titans skipper Daryll Cullinan off Alfonso Thomas.
After the academic 29 overs, both Cullinan and Dolphins skipper Hashim Amla, who at the time was at the crease on six with his brother Ahmed on 24, decided to shake hands and accept the obvious, with the Dolphins ending on 119 for two.
It was a dull end to what had promised to be a brilliant encounter. — Sapa