Border rocked, then fight back
NAMIBIAN skipper Sarel Burger struck twice early yesterday afternoon with his medium-paced deliveries to rock Border back in their first innings, with openers Mkhululi Calana, 0, and Gerhardt Abrahams, 4, both back in the pavilion with only five runs on the board.
Gionne Koopman and number four Kabelo Sekhukhune added a magnificent 124 runs in 32 overs to take the game away from the Namibians.
Sekhukhune played well for his 74 off 107 balls, scored in 134 minutes. He stroked 11 boundaries and it was a surprise when medium-pacer Craig Williams.
Jerry Nqolo made two before he became another Williams victim.
Enter the in-form Marco Marais at 137 for four wickets, the stage nicely set for him to play his normal attacking game.
He didn’t disappoint. He played carefully for a time and then cut loose. He raced to his half-century off 37 balls with eight fours to take the stuffing out of the Namibian attack. He hit left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz for four, four and six in one over.
Ironically two balls later teams went off for bad light.
At close of play Border were on a 233/4 with Koopman on an excellent 81 (10x4) and Marais on 65 off only 52 balls with 10 fours and a six.
Earlier, Border did well to dismiss the strong Namibian side for 157 in their first innings shortly after lunch, after having the visitors struggling on 41 for four wickets after 14 overs.
However, a 75-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Niko Davin, 85, and Burger, 23, added some respectibility to the score. the
Davin, in only his second firstclass match, played some handsome strokes and reached his half-century off only 38 balls with seven fours, his first for Namibia.
On debut last week he scored 47 and 44 against Eastern Province in Port Elizabeth and at only 20 years of age appears to have a good future ahead of him.
Having lost six wickets by lunchtime, the visitors were in trouble and they lost their last four wickets in double-quick time, with Sithembile Langa being the destroyer-inchief, finishing with 3/47.
Workhorse Phaphama Fojela, now playing in his 85th first-class match for Border, started the slide, grabbing four of the first five wickets and ending with the excellent figures of 4/39 off 13 well-controlled overs. Fojela enjoyed support from speedster Sinovuyo Ntuntwana, who took 3/40.
Davin batted for 111 minutes for his 85 (11x4) and faced only 73 balls. He looked completely composed at the crease – always a sign of a good batsman.
Play resumes at 9.30am with Border well-placed to advance to a good total and garner some valuable batting bonus points.