Very little quarter given as Moreki shines for Cobras against the Titans
JOHANNESBURG: A patient century by opener Andrea Agathangelou proved to be the highlight for the visiting Titans, on a tough opening day of their Sunfoil Series match against the Cape Cobras in Paarl, yesterday.
The two sides were separated by just five points going into the penultimate round of matches in the competition, and on what is a notoriously slow pitch and with so much at stake, very little quarter was asked or given on day one at Boland Park.
The Titans’ scoring rate barely touched three runs an over all day, but having won the toss and chosen to bat, the visitors would have been keen to both build a big first innings total, and get the pitch worn to assist their two wrist spinners; Shaun von Berg and Tabraiz Shamsi.
By stumps, they’d reached 280/6 thanks mainly to Agathangelou’s 11th first-class century, a patient effort that saw him stay at the crease for over four hours and Farhaan Behardien’s as yet unbeaten 56.
It wasn’t the best start for the Titans, who strangely left out Chris Morris, who scored a century and claimed four wickets in his last match for the franchise, as they lost the wickets of Tony de Zorzi and Heino Kuhn in the first session with just 58 runs on the board.
Heinrich Klaasen, who is captaining the Titans, then shared a crucial stand off 111 for the third wicket with Agathangelou as the pair sought to wrestle control. Klaasen was caught behind by Cobras wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne for 35, the start of a mini-collapse that saw the Titans lose three wickets for 18 runs in seven overs.
One of those was Agathangelou who fell for a battling, but critically important, 105 off 190 balls.
Behardien and Shaun von Berg steadied the Titans ship with a partnership of 70 for the sixth wicket securing the Titans a crucial third batting bonus point in the process. Tshepo Moreki was the most successful of the Cobras bowlers, finishing the day with 2/60 from 23 overs.
Elsewhere, Simon Harmer continued his excellent form for the Warriors in East London, where he picked up his fourth “five-for” of the season as the Knights were bowled out for 188 in 59.4 overs.
He took 5/36 in 19.4 overs as the Warriors, who came into this round of fixtures in first place, assumed control of their match against the defending champion Knights. The Warriors will resume on 77/2, with Gihahn Cloete not out on 34 and Yaseen Vallie on 4.
Meanwhile, at the Wanderers the Highveld Lions’ batting woes continued as they slumped to 45/4 in 20 overs before a half-century from Omphile Ramela helped to restore some order against the Dolphins.
Okuhle Cele, with two wickets and Kerwin Mungroo with one, quickly gave the visitors the ascendancy.
The main partnership of the innings featured Ramela and Wiaan Mulder who added 70 for the sixth wicket before Ramela fell, to the second ball after tea, well caught at slip by Van Jaarsveld off the bowling of Senuran Muthusamy.
Mangaliso Mosehle and Aaron Phangiso were at the crease when the umpires called an end to the day’s play owing to bad light.