Namibia held back by Border bowlers

WHEN Namibia started their second innings about 40 minutes before the tea interval in their Sunfoil ThreeDay match against Border at Buffalo Park, East London yesterday, the second day of the match, they had a particularly steep hill to climb.

At that stage the visitors trailed Border by 204 runs, a hefty deficit. They had been dismissed for 157 on Thursday and Border replied with 361 in their first innings yesterday.

But two quick wickets – one each to opening bowlers Phaphama Fojela and Sithembile Langa – rocked the visitors back, and Namibia went in to tea on a precarious 30 for two wickets, still 174 behind and under severe pressure from some attacking Border bowling.

Opener Zane Green was brilliantly caught at cover by a diving Bongolwethu Makeleni for six, and then Stephan Baard was bowled by Langa for 18.

Not long after play was resumed after the interval, the umpires had to check the light. It was then decided the light was not good enough for play and the players came off at 54 for two wickets after 15 overs. At that stage Craig Williams was on 22 and Jean Bredenkamp on 3.

At the start of play the two overnight batsmen, Gionne Koopman on 81 and Marco Marais, 65, resumed the Border innings on 233/4, and the two continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over nicely as Border began garnering extra batting bonus points.

But shortly before lunch, Koopman turned a wide ball on the leg-side off medium-pacer Christiaan Snyman and was easily snapped up by wicketkeeper Green just after he had reached his fifth first-class century.

Koopman possibly batted more solidly than he would have liked – he batted for five hours and 30 minutes – but with Border in dire trouble at 5/2 at one stage early in the innings, he was forced to play a real captain’s innings, and although a slow, steady knock, it was the right tactics under the conditions. He fully deserved his 101 off 228 balls. His knock was studded with 11 fours. He and Marais added 138 for the fifth-wicket.

As often happens when one partner in a top partnership goes, the second follows soon after and this occasion was no exception. Scarcely 11 minutes later Marais was on his way, trapped leg before wicket by Tangeni Lungameni for 88 sparkling runs, confirming his standing as Border’s most accomplished batsman this summer. He stroked 11 fours and hit a six off left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz, having batted for 188 minutes while facing 113 balls.

After lunch Border number seven Avumile Mnci batted well, farming the bowling among the tail on occasion, and he scored a neat cameo innings of 48 to take Border to a valuable lead of 204 runs when he was the last man out, leg before wicket to Scholtz. He hit five fours in his innings.

The best bowler for Namibia was their skipper, medium-fast Sarel Burger, who finished with figures of 3/48 off 19 overs.