Champions Titans too strong for Warriors

THE Titans showed just why they are the Momentum One-Day Cup champions with a superb display in the field against the Warriors at Buffalo Park in East London yesterday.

The Titans won the match by 121 runs after setting the Warriors a target of 251 – at just more than five runs to the over.

Fast bowler Chris Morris started the rot, grabbing two wickets and having the Warriors at 16 for two wickets after 4.1 overs.

The home team were always behind the asking rate, and as the overs went by, the pressure began mounting on the Warriors batsmen.

But, in the top six, only Jon-Jon Smuts – with 25 – and Yassen Vallie were able to get among the runs.

It was a pity when Vallie was brilliantly run out on 40 with a direct hit by substitute field David Wiese at mid-wicket, when he thought a run was on.

The arrival of left-arm bowler Tabraiz Shamsi at 98 for five wickets, hastened the end.

He first had Marco Marais, 17, playing down the wrong line and bowling him and then, in his second over, rapped Sisanda Magala in front on the pads.

Suddenly the Warriors, at 114 for seven, had lost all chance of a win.

Simon Harmer, 18, resisted for a time, striking a six off Shaun von Berg, who earlier had induced Christiaan Jonker to sky a ball to deep mid-off, where he was caught for a duck.

But then Harmer became Shamsi’s third victim, also leg before wicket.

Shamsi finished with figures of 3/11 in six overs in a magnificent spell.

Towards the end of the innings, Morris returned for a second spell and had Aya Gqamane caught for four – his third wicket.

Von Berg had Anrich Nortje caught off a wild swing for six and the innings had imploded for 129.

Earlier, the Titans reached 250 in 50 overs, thanks mainly to captain Albie Morkel, who struck 80 not out to propel them to a reasonable score.

At one stage the Titans were on 197 for six wickets with only five overs left.

But Morkel, who had meandered to his half-century off 51 balls, realised overs were running out and went on the attack.

He slammed medium-pacer Gqamane for 6, 6, 6, 4 off successive balls, entertaining the crowd with his brilliant strokeplay in an over which cost 24 runs.

Despite losing three more wickets cheaply, 53 runs were added in the last five overs – thanks to Morkel, who batted for 63 balls and finished with six boundaries and four sixes.

At the start of the match, the Titans, who had elected to bat first, were rocked by the loss of three quick wickets in the first three overs.

Magala, returning to the Warriors, started the slide in his first over when he clean-bowled Bafana Mahlangu for a duck at two for one wicket.

In his second over, Magala bowled Andre Agathagelou for five, and then Nortje got in on the act when he trapped Rivaldo Moonsamy leg before for six – and the Titans were in all sorts of trouble.

But a patient 109-run partnership for the fourthwicket between Heinrich Klaasen and Farhaan Behardien saved the Titans’ blushes.

Although both scored half-centuries, they batted a trifle slow due to tight bowling and keen fielding. But, in the end, it did not present any problems. Klaasen went for a well-played 66 with eight fours and a six, and not long afterwards Behardien was caught in the covers for 52, with four boundaries.