The Dolphins took a massive 19,86 points from their Supersport Series cricket match against the Warriors with an innings and 29-run win on the fourth day of the game in East London on Sunday.
Sadly, the home team were never really in the game after the first session on the opening day when they captured four wickets. Thereafter, they were always on the back foot.
It was firstly a Kyle Smit maiden century and a then a lightning-fast 100 not out from Lance Klusener that placed the visitors in the ascendancy from then on.
Only a magnificent fighting 149 from Arno Jacobs and a brave 12 from Mario Oliver, who helped Jacobs add a valuable 73 for the ninth wicket, saved the Warriors blushes in their first innings, but within half an hour of play on Sunday the Warriors were batting again in their follow-on innings, 208 runs behind the Dolphins’ massive 512 for seven wickets declared.
The Dolphins’ pace attack led by Klusener himself applied pressure throughout the day and the Warriors were just unable to bat out the day to save the game.
Klusener gave a lion-hearted exhibition of wily pace bowling, occasionally switching to cutters and varying his pace, capturing five excellent wickets for 39.
He was well backed up by new boy Saidi Mhlongo, who grabbed two wickets, including the dangerous Steven Pope.
Burton de Wett stood firm for a while for a solid 43 — the highest score of the innings — while Johan Botha and Justin Kreusch dropped anchor during a 48-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Botha, Kreusch and later Abongile Sodumo all reached the twenties, but Lyall Meyer departed for a pair and Olivier was caught at mid-on having a go at Nantie Hayward.
Smit and Klusener shared the man-of-the-match award.
Eagles down Lions
The Eagles kept their hopes alive of reaching the Supersport Series cricket final when they beat the Lions by 129 runs in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
The Eagles declared their second innings on 256/5, leaving the Lions a target of 223 runs off a minimum of 44 overs to win the match.
The Eagles spinners used the conditions brilliantly to bowl out the Lions for a mere 93 runs. Captain Nicky Boje (5/23) and Thandi Tshabalala (3/29) stunned the visiting team’s batsmen with their bowling, helping to secure a much-needed win for the Eagles.
Boje took 36 wickets in his last four games and it was also the 20th time he had taken five wickets in an innings.
Opener Stephen Cook, with 17, was his team’s highest scorer, although there were 18 extras. The only other Lions batsmen to get double figures were Neil McKenzie (12), Werner Coetzee (11) and Garnett Kruger (16).
Davy Jacobs (113 not out) scored the 11th century of his first-class career, which helped the home team to a total at which they could declare and go for the win.
Jacobs also boasts 11 first-class half-centuries. Boje (32 not out) scored his runs of just 24 balls to show the intention of the Eagles camp. Morne van Wyk (41) seemed unlucky to be given out as he was caught off his pads by Andy Blignaut and umpire Johan Cloete gave him out. — Sapa