Dolphins,warriors share trophy
IN THE end, the rain won the Momentum One-day Cup final. As it so often has in Durban this season, the weather had the final say, and the Dolphins and the Warriors had to content themselves with sharing the 50-over trophy.
The rain had already spoilt a well-poised game on Friday night, before intermittent drizzle put paid to any play on the reserve day that was yesterday. There very nearly was a toss yesterday, but drizzle just before 3pm put paid to that.
Match officials tried in vain to manufacture a match, even if it was reduced to 20 overs a side, but there was no change in the elements. There were genuine concerns about the safety of players on a field that had taken a lot of rain. Eventually, just before 5pm, the umpires abandoned the match, and the two coastal outfits each had a hand on the trophy.
For the Dolphins, it marked the end of a 16-year wait since they last held the limited-overs trophy. Their rain curse continued yet again this season, but Keshav Maharaj explained that they were desperate to play. “The boys would have loved to get out there and play in a final, but it’s a trophy in the cabinet nonetheless,” said Dolphins stand-in captain.
Maharaj also pointed out that they still felt in the game on Friday, despite being 1546. “We felt that if we got to about 210, with a bit of weather around, we were still in with a chance. But the weather gods were not with us.”
Maharaj added the trophy might spark a new era for Dolphins cricket, as they look to finish off an encouraging campaign in style, by challenging in the four-day competition.
“It has been a long time since we won the 50-over trophy, and about five years since the Ram Slam win, so hopefully this is the start of a new era, in which we bring trophies to Durban more regularly.”