Warriors inch closer to semis
● Strong comeback sees thrilling victory over Dolphins
The Warriors staged a remarkable comeback to clinch a thrilling six-run win over the Dolphins in their Momentum One-Day Cup clash at Buffalo Park yesterday .
It was a big win for the Warriors that put them on the brink of qualifying for the competition semifinals as they moved onto 19 points on the log, four ahead of the Knights and five ahead of the Titans in fourth and fifth place respectively.
However, both those teams have a game in hand, so the Warriors would need to beat the Cape Cobras at Buffalo Park next Saturday to make 100% sure that they make it into the knockouts.
In Saturday’s match, the home side posted a solid 293/9 in their 50 overs.
The Dolphins looked to be cruising to an easy win on 198/3 in the 35th over before a flurry of wickets saw them lose their last seven wickets for 89 runs as they fell to 287 all out off the last ball of the match.
The Warriors were lucky that two dropped catches did not cost them, both off the impressive Jade de Klerk.
Opener Grant Roelofsen was dropped by keeper Matthew Breetzke on 26 and went on to make 50, and Cody Chetty was dropped on 10 by captain Eddie Moore, a tough chance running back towards the boundary and taking the catch over his shoulder, and he went on to score 71. But it was the period when De Klerk removed Khaya Zondo (19), Andrew Birch got Sibonelo Makhanya (0), Moore claimed the scalp of Chetty and Lesiba Ngoepe picked up the wicket of Senuran Muthusamy (20) that swung the match back in the home side’s favour, as their opponents fell to 224/7.
Prenelan Subrayen (25) and Robbie Frylinck (16) tried to rescue the match in a late charge, but the Warriors managed to see it out in the end.
Stefan Tait was the pick of the bowlers with 2/46 in his 10 overs, but all the bowlers made important contributions throughout the innings.
At the start of play the visitors won the toss and put the home side in to bat.
The Warriors then got off to a good start as two half-century partnerships saw them handily placed on 100/1 after 17 overs.
Openers Moore (19) and Breetzke put on 51 for the first wicket, with both batsmen getting in on the action.
Moore took on Keith Dudgeon in the fourth over, hitting a six and a four, and Breetzke got stuck into Subrayen in the eighth over, hitting him for successive maximums, with the second a picture-perfect straight drive back over the bowler’s head.
Moore was then caught by Muthusamy at deep square leg off the bowling of Dudgeon in the ninth over, with Ngoepe joining Breetzke for a 52-run second wicket stand.
Ngoepe then brought up the Warriors’ hundred with a single off Muthusamy in the 17th over, and having looked good in scoring 32 would have been disappointed to be caught by Dudgeon off Muthusamy trying to hit a six down the ground.
However, Breetzke would have been even more upset when, having worked his way to a solid half-century, he then tried to take a quick single and was run out by Marques Ackerman for 55 in the 20th over with the Warriors on 111/3.
Marco Marais (20) and Yaseen Vallie then joined up for a 31-run stand, with Marais offering a tame catch to hand Frylinck the ball after hammering Subrayen for a six.
Vallie then added another 30 with Onke Nyaku before he became the latest batsman to get himself in and set and then out for 35, caught in the deep by Zondo off Frylinck.
On 172/5 the Warriors need to rebuild and all-rounders Nyaku and De Klerk answered the call, putting on a stand of 64 for the sixth wicket before Nyaku (29) was bowled by Subrayen.
De Klerk then continued and brought up his maiden Alist half-century off 37 balls, hitting Frylinck for a boundary to reach the milestone before perishing with the next ball, caught by Subrayen.
Aya Gqamane then added 21 down the order to help the Warriors reach their solid total.