Lions end day with 385 for five
PARTNERSHIP: BATSMEN BREAK NATIONAL RECORD
Ken Borland
Highveld Lions batsmen Wihan Lubbe and Rassie van der Dussen broke the national fourth-wicket partnership record yesterday as they put the home side in firm control after the opening day of the Four-Day Franchise Series match against the Titans in Potchefstroom.
Having won the toss and elected to bat first, the Lions were in disarray as Eldred Hawken dismissed both the openers for ducks, Stephen Cook trapped lbw by the first ball of the match and Dominic Hendricks being caught behind in the swing bowler’s second over.
When Matthew Arnold then bowled Temba Bavuma off the inside edge for 10, the Lions had slumped to 12 for three. But the Titans bowlers would not see success for another 81.1 overs as Lubbe, the local lad, and Van der Dussen, the leading run-scorer in last season’s four-day competition, added 350 for the fourth wicket.
It broke the previous national record of 342 set by Eric Rowan and Peter Gibb for Transvaal against North-Eastern Transvaal at Ellis Park in 1952/53.
Lubbe stroked his way to his maiden franchise century and then made it a big one as he batted with great determination for 401 minutes, reaching 166 before he was superbly caught on the midwicket boundary by Hawken off left-arm seamer Clayton August shortly before the close.
Van der Dussen was sheer class in scoring his 175 off 257 balls, before being bowled by August.
The Lions ended the first day on a commanding 385 for five.
Burly Dolphins paceman Robbie Frylinck struck three quick blows early in the Cape Cobras innings as the runaway log-leaders staggered to 45 for four in reply to the visitors’ first innings of 225 all out at Newlands.
Frylinck removed three key batsmen as he bowled Janneman Malan for six in his second over and then dismissed Zubayr Hamza (17) and David Bedingham (0) with successive deliveries in his fifth over.
The Dolphins were sent in to bat and struggled to their total in helpful conditions for the bowlers, thanks mainly to a second-wicket stand of 75 between Sarel Erwee (35) and Cody Chetty.
Chetty’s sparkling innings of 71, with 14 fours, was the bedrock of the innings and there were also useful contributions from Dane Vilas (27) and Eathan Bosch (31*).
Medium-pacer Mthiwekhaya Nabe trapped Erwee lbw and then knocked the stuffing out of the middle-order as he finished with five for 60.
The Knights elected to bat first in their match against the Warriors in Port Elizabeth but were struggling on 94 for five, before Andries Gous and Ryan McLaren added 159 for the sixth wicket as Gous showed his talent with a brilliant 135 in his second franchise match and McLaren made it through to 74 not out, steering the Knights to 276 for eight at stumps.