Rain ruins thrilling end to one day challenge

RAIN ruined what was gearing up to be a thrilling finale, allowing Eastern Province to seal a 24-run Duckworth-Lewis method win over Border in their CSA Provincial One Day Challenge match at Buffalo Park yesterday afternoon.

Chasing an imposing 325 to win after EP captain Eddie Moore smashed a sparkling 158 to power his side to a big total, Border were on 220/6 after 35.2 overs, with in-form batsman Marco Marais on 76 and Aya Gqamane on 22 still at the crease.

It was still a big ask for Border to score 105 runs off 88 balls with four wickets in hand, but with Marais kicking things up a notch and his partnership with Gqamane on 66, it was all set to be an exciting finish before the rain called a premature end to the match.

In the morning session, Border won the toss and elected to field.

A superb 214-run opening stand between Moore and Matthew Breetzke then set EP on their way to a big score.

In the seventh over, Moore, on 13, edged one off opening bowler Phaphama Fojela to keeper Gerhardt Abrahams, who shelved a regulation catch that proved to be very costly.

The EP openers then took full charge of proceedings, hammering the Border bowlers all over the ground, with only Fojela keeping his figures tidy having gone for just seven runs off his opening five over spell.

Breetzke brought up his half century before EP passed the 100-run mark, while Moore reached 50 soon after.

Moore’s 100 came in the 34th over before the entertaining 214-run partnership finally came to an end as Breetzke, just six runs short of what would have been his maiden list A 100, saw his off-stump uprooted by Sithembele Langa in the 37th over.

Moore then found a willing partner in Onke Nyaku and they smashed a quickfire 73-run stand off 46 balls, with Moore reaching his 150 before he was finally out for 158 off 127 balls.

The Border chase got off to a bad start as Abrahams was out for a first-ball duck in the second over. Somila Seyibokwe’s (34) wicket in the 15th over then saw regular wickets start to fall for Border.

Bradley Williams (1), Gionne Koopman (60), Jason Niemand (8) and Kabelo Sekhukhune (10) were all out as Border stumbled to 154/6 and in big trouble.

However, Marais was then backed up well by Gqamane, which allowed him to play some cracking shots on his way to 76 off 47-balls (3x4; 6x6) with rain then having the final say.