Bad weekend for Border cricket
It was a miserable weekend for Border as they were beaten by seven wickets against close rivals Eastern Province in their CSA 1-Day competition clash at Buffalo Park on Sunday.
It followed Border’s heavy 185-run loss in the three-day challenge match on Saturday, with these results setting them back after a positive start to their season.
The one-day match was ruled by the batsmen as Border’s Jason Niemand scored his maiden list A century in helping Border reach 289/8 at the end of their 50 overs. However, not to be outdone, Lesiba Ngoepe also reached his maiden list A hundred to lead his team to victory with 10 balls in hand.
Border’s next highest score was 41 from opening batsman Jerome Bossr, while two other EP batters reached 50.
The visitors chase got off to a flying start thanks to 30 off 22 balls from former Border star Marco Marais, but he became the first to fall, LBW to Bradley Mauer.
Fellow opener Matthew Christensen (18) followed soon after, popping the ball straight to captain Aya Gqamane at mid-off off the bowling of Mauer, with EP on 70/2.
Two big partnerships then powered EP to their comfortable win, with 98 between Ngoepe and Kelly Smuts (58) before he was caught off the bowling of Gqamane and then an unbeaten 124 with Tian Koekemoer (56no), as Ngoepe ended the match by smashing a four over extra cover to end unbeaten on 108 off 119 balls (12x4, 1x6).
Mauer was the pick of the bowlers with 2/49 in his 10 overs.
In the morning it was EP who won the toss and chose to field, an understandable decision after the way they ran through the Border batting order during the three-day match.
However, with a new opening pair in Mncedisi Malika and Bossr Border, they got off to a steady start, reaching 43/0 by the 10th over.
EP made the breakthrough as Malika edged one from Basheer Walters to wicketkeeper Matthew Christensen to fall for 28 with Border 44/1. Niemand then joined Bossr at the crease and they set about taking Border past 50 and then bringing up the teams hundred in the 22nd over.
By that stage Niemand, who was the aggressor in the partnership, had caught up with Bossr, with both on 36 runs, but two overs later Bossr’s patient innings came to an end as he was trapped LBW by Keenan Smith, ending a 64-run stand.
A quickfire 56-run stand off 44 balls between Niemand and Gqamane then got Border of the 200-run mark, before Gqamane was caught off the bowling of Thomas Kaber for 31 off 24 balls (2x4, 2x6). Niemand finally brought up his century in the 43rd over with a single off Lylle Peterson, but then fell to the same bowler in his next over for 108 off 94 balls (11x4, 1x6) with Border on 229/6. Smith and Walters, both with 3/42, were the chief destroyers for EP with the ball.