A nail-biting four-wicket win over the Imperial Lions at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium on Thursday has guaranteed the Hollywoodbets Dolphins a semi-final berth in the Momentum One Day Cup with two round-robin games still to play.
The top of the table clash was always going to be a tantalizing affair and it lived up to the hype as the Dolphins crossed the line in the final over with Rob Frylinck and Senuran Muthusamy doing the business with an unbeaten stand of 72.
The Dolphins got off to a solid start in the match with the ball after they bagged the wicket of Dominic Hendricks for two in the third over of the match, LBW to captain Prenelan Subrayen.
Thirty runs later and the Dolphins snared their second scalp, when the dangerous Ryan Rickelton was caught behind off Okuhle Cele for 24 when he threatened to change gears. At that stage the Dolphins had the Lions in check with their run-rate just under four runs to the over.
Just one run later and the Dolphins had their third wicket, Reeza Hendricks became Cele’s second scalp in the same over when he played on for thirteen.
At 40 for three the Lions were in a spot of trouble however the pair of Nicky van den Berg and Wihan Lubbe realigned their innings and took the momentum away from the Dolphins.
The duo put together 93 for the fourth wicket in nineteen overs and they looked set to push the Lions past the 150 run mark before Van den Berg was caught by Marques Ackerman for 42.
Another partnership brewed as Lubbe and Delano Potgieter cobbled together a brisk fifth run stand for the fifth wicket. Potgieter was eventually dismissed for 23 with the score on 183 in the 39th over of the innings.
Lubbe made a crucial fifty for the Lions and was batting his way to a maiden List-A century before he was well caught by Ackerman on the fence for 85 off 91 deliveries.
The Lions then lost their final five wickets for thirty runs as they were bowled out for 244 in the fiftieth over.
Rob Frylinck, Okuhle Cele and Senuran Muthusamy all picked up two wickets while Subrayen, Daryn Dupavillon and Sibz Makhanya all took one wicket.
It was a steady, measured chase from the Dolphins in reply and they lost their first wicket with the score on 28 as the in-form Grant Roelofsen fell for 14.
A partnership of 34 between Sarel Erwee and Marques Ackerman was broken when the former was dismissed for 36 off the bowling of Aaron Phangiso.
Cody Chetty joined Ackerman and the pair took the Dolphins to the brink of a hundred before Chetty fell for nineteen – the score 98 for three in the 23rd over.
The first significant partnership of the innings was between Ackerman and Khaya Zondo. The pair put together 61 for the third wicket as Ackerman went to his first fifty of the competition.
He fell after the drinks break for 54 off 65 deliveries, mistiming a pull shot with the score on 159.
Zondo’s positive knock came to an end at a crucial stage when he was caught for 41 off 46 balls with the score on 176. The Dolphins still needed 69 runs from 84 balls with four wickets in hand.
Muthusamy and Frylinck then put together a measured stand to take the Dolphins to their eighth win of the competition.
Muthusamy finished 43 not out while Frylinck ended on 28 not out.
Stand-in captain for the Dolphins Prenelan Subrayen was pleased with the contributions throughout the game from the team.
“What’s encouraging is that it isn’t the same few guys standing up in every single game,” Subrayen said. “Today we had guys contributing throughout the innings and for Rob and Sen to get us over the line at the end the way they did was very reassuring.”
