A positive half-century from Grant Roelofsen was not enough as the Hollywoodbets Dolphins fell to a 34 run defeat to the Momentum Multiply Titans in the first match of the CSA T20 Challenge in Potchefstroom on Monday.
Dolphins opening batsman Roelofsen top scored in the match with 68 off just 42 balls with seven fours and two sixes.
The Dolphins started well with the ball claiming two of the Titan’s wickets inside the power-play with Neil Brand and Sibz Makhanya both falling to seamer Eathan Bosch.
Bosch bowled his four overs on the trot at the top of the innings and finished with two figures of 2-13.
The Titans then fought back through Dewald Brevis and Theunis de Bruyn as they started to get their innings back on track during the middle overs.
The pair put on 59 runs for the third wicket before Ottniel Baartman bagged his first wicket when he bowled De Bruyn for 20 off 22. Andile Simelane then took his first T20 wicket for the Dolphins when Brevis was caught in the deep for 57.
Thando Ntini got himself into the wickets column, getting rid of Corbin Bosch for 12 before Donovan Ferreira’s quick 24 off 13 balls was ended by Simelane who claimed his second wicket.
The Titans lower order of Dayyaan Galiem and Aya Gqamane put together 43 off the final 23 balls of the innings. Galiem ended with 26 off 13 balls and Gqamane scored 14 off 10 balls to finish the innings.
In reply, the Dolphins started well with the bat despite losing the wicket of Bryce Parsons in the power-play for ten, but Grant Roelofsen and Jon-Jon Smuts took their side to 51 for one in the first six.
Smuts and Roelofsen added 51 for the second wicket before Smuts was caught off the bowling of Aaron Phangiso.
Roelofsen went to a well-played half-century after the Dolphins lost the wicket of Khaya Zondo for four. His half-century came off 33 balls with six fours and one six.
The Dolphins went past 100 before Roelofsen holed out to Sibz Makhanya for 68. The KZN side were 111 for four in the fourteenth over of the chase.
The fifteenth over saw the Dolphins lose both Marques Ackerman and Andile Simelane, both run-out – as they fell to 117 for six.
Bosch fell for nine trying to get the Dolphin’s chase back on track and then Prenelan Subrayen became the third run-out of the innings with the total on 132 in the eighteenth over of the chase.
Jason Smith was the second to last wicket to fall for nine before Baartman was dismissed first ball as the Dolphins were bowled out for 134.
The Dolphins play the North West Dragons on Wednesday in their second match of the tournament.
SUMMARY OF SCORE:
- Momentum Multiply Titans 168/6 (D Brevis 57 D Galiem 26* E Bosch 2/13 A Simelane 2/25
- Hollywoodbets Dolphins 134 all out (G Roelofsen 68 A Phangiso 3/16)
- Titans win by 34 runs.
