The Eagles ran out 21-run winners of their opening Standard Bank Cup cricket match in Bloemfontein against the Titans in a game affected by rain.
The Titans had to chase 145 runs off 26 overs after the total was adjusted courtesy of the Duckworth-Lewis system after the Eagles had scored 145/5 in 34,4 overs when the rain came down.
The Eagles bowled brilliantly with captain Nicky Boje continuing leading the way, taking 3/20. Johan van der Wath also bowled well, picking up three wickets for only 22 runs. He dismissed both Titans openers, leaving them reeling at 15/2. Cliff Deacon and Boje continued where Van der Wath left off and the Titans were unable to string together a decent partnership to take them to victory.
The Titans won the toss and elected to field in very windy conditions, hoping the wind would help their two opening bowlers, Dale Steyn and Brendon Reddy, pick up a few wickets.
It looked to be the right decision when Reddy struck with his second ball in the match, when Morne van Wyk was caught behind by wicketkeeper Kruger van Wyk, putting the Eagles on 1/1. Reddy also dismissed the Eagles’ other opening batsman, Loots Bosman, when Paul Harris caught him at mid-off for only eight runs.
When Steyn took the wicket of Eagles big-hitter Davy Jacobs for a duck, the home team found themselves in deep trouble on 17/3.
That brought Jacques Rudolph and Nicky Boje to the crease and the pair turned the match around.
Boje and Rudolph (58) shared a 118-run partnership before the latter lost his wicket when he edged a delivery off Steyn and wicketkeeper Van Wyk dived majestically to take the catch.
Boje was still at the crease on 66 when play was called off, along with Pieter Koortzen, who had yet to score.
Steyn bowled brilliantly, also trapping Ryan Bailey leg before, to end with figures of 3/19 in 6,4 overs.
The Eagles travel to East London on Sunday to play the Warriors, while the Titans will host the Lions in Centurion, also on Sunday.
Victory for Dolphins
Two power surges prompted by threatening thunderstorms darkened the playing area at Kingsmead in Durban to such an extent that the umpires had to twice halt proceedings in the Standard Bank Cup limited-overs cricket match between the Dolphins and the Warriors on Friday night.
But fortunately the floodlights were only dimmed for about five minutes on each occasion and that enabled the Dolphins to edge home by 31 runs in a Duckworth-Lewis decision game — halted eventually by a severe lightning and rain storm after 25 overs had been bowled by the Dolphins.
The Warriors’ target had then been reduced to 149 to win in the reduced time.
The Dolphins, after having won the toss through skipper Lance Klusener, had opted to take first strike and managed a total of 220 for seven off their 45 overs with opening batsman Doug Watson hitting his fifth one-day century with 114 not out.
In reply, the Warriors got 117 for six after some hectic early hitting by Justin Kreusch, who hit 42 off 43 balls in 53 minutes with seven fours. But once he had top-edged to Klusener, the rest of the Warriors’ batting was kept in check as they slumped from 40 for one to 113 for six.
The Dolphins’ innings was propped up by Watson, who batted through the innings for 188 minutes. He hit 17 fours off 143 balls and at one stage the Dolphins’ scoreboard showed a list of batsmen who had failed to reach double figures.
Imraan Khan (31) and Andrew Tweedie (20) were the exceptions on a night of extraordinary happenings.
Best bowling on the night was from Marco Olivier and Justin Kreusch, who both got three wickets for the Warriors, while the Dolphins’ attack shared the scalps with Zahir Abrahim making the initial breakthrough with the wickets of Kreusch and Carl Bradfield (15).
Match called off for Lions, Cobras
Heavy thundershowers forced the Standard Bank Cup cricket match between the Lions and Cobras to be called off after just 28 overs of play.
The start was delayed due to the rain, but the two teams finally took to the field at 7pm with the match reduced to 33 overs a side.
The Lions had won the toss and put the Cobras in to bat and it all looked rather good when David Terbrugge had opener Andrew Puttick back in the pavilion for just one.
With just a smaller number of overs available to them, the Cobras began to hit out quite freely and eventually got to 208 for eight wickets off 28 overs when the rain came down again.
Captain Thami Tsolekile put on a useful 35 before he was caught by Terbrugge off the bowling of Eugene Moleon, while JP Duminy top-scored with 58.
De Wet was the best of the bowlers, taking three wickets for 57 runs in his seven overs.
But once the rain came down again, umpires Ian Howell and Brian Jerling had no option but to call off the game. — Sapa