Free State tons too much for EP in cricket week

CHRISTOPHER Schreuder and Raynard van Tonder shared a 184-run second-wicket stand to set up a 55-run victory for Free State against Eastern Province on day four of the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week in Bloemfontein.

Schreuder hit 134 from 113 (18 fours, five sixes) and Van Tonder an unbeaten 129-ball 133, including 10 fours and three sixes.

Van Tonder also shared a 105-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Phillip Visser (53*) to help their side to a daunting 353/3 at the end of their allotted 50 overs.

Eastern Province’s bowlers struggled to make an impact.

Only Campbell de Wet (1/51) and Lutho Sipamla (1/70) made breakthroughs, Sipamla also getting the runout of Dylan Francis for four.

Chris Benjamin hit 105 runs off 115 deliveries (eight fours) in the EP reply and Jimmy Sholto-Douglas added 52 from 53 to keep EP in the running.

They were missing another big contribution that would put them on a level playing field with Free State, but Free State’s bowlers got wickets at crucial times, restricting the Eastern Cape side to 298.

Northerns beat Gauteng by six wickets. Joshua Richards hit 100 from 143 balls, with a respective 42 runs from Muhammed Mayet to help Gauteng to 227/8. William Ledwaba and Ruan de Swardt took two wickets each.

At Grey College’s Windmill Ground, Easterns fell to Boland by five wickets in spite of Jarred Alder’s 95-ball 110.

Boland reached their target with 10 balls to spare.

In other matches, Border delivered a seven-wicket defeat to Namibia, while Western Province beat KwaZulu-Natal by eight wickets.

KwaZulu-Natal Inland were victorious by seven wickets in their clash against the Northern Cape, while Mpumalanga were crushed by a 61run loss at the hands of Limpopo.

South Western Districts beat North West by 160 runs thanks to a fivewicket haul by Richard Papenfus (5/21) who restricted the opposition to 118 in their reply to SWD’s 278/9.