Seven second innings wickets from Keshav Maharaj helped the Hollywoodbets Dolphins claim their first victory of the current Sunfoil Series campaign, when they beat the Warriors by 55 runs at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Sunday.
Following their mediocre first innings display, the Dolphins put together three solid days of cricket to bat themselves into a winning position as well as bowl the Warriors out in their second dig to claim an important victory.
Day four dawned with the Warriors still requiring 114 runs to win the match despite only having four wickets in hand.
Clyde Fortuin and Simon Harmer were the two batsmen at the wicket at the start of the day and the pair went about narrowing the deficit before the former fell to Senuran Muthusamy – LBW for 15.
Aya Gqamane joined Harmer at the wicket and he moved quickly to 12 from nine balls before he became Maharaj’s sixth victim. The Proteas spinner then trapped Tladi Bokako first ball to claim his best first class figures of 7/76.
Anrich Nortje was the last man in for the Warriors with his side staring down the barrel still needing 74 runs to win to match. With 55 runs needed he was run out for three handing the Dolphins a morale boosting victory.
Vaughn van Jaarsveld’s second innings hundred as well as Kerwin Mungroo’s first franchise five wicket haul helped propel the Dolphins into a winning position after they could only muster 145 in their first innings.
The Dolphins’ second innings 344 gave them the advantage as along with Van Jaarsveld’s hundred, openers Sarel Erwee and Morné van Wyk as well as Sibs Makhanya all passed the half century mark.
With their victory the Dolphins have moved up to third in the Sunfoil Series log temporarily with the two other games still underway.
The Dolphins will take a break this coming week and will resume their campaign with a clash with the WSB Cape Cobras in Pietermaritzburg on 1 March.
Hollywoodbets Dolphins vs Warriors
Played at St George’s Park
Dolphins 145 (Harmer 6/47)
Warriors 204 (Mungroo 5/45)
Dolphins 344 (Van Jaarsveld 110, Makhanya 68, Van Wyk 58, Erwee 52, Harmer 6/101)
Warriors 230 (Ackerman 63, Maharaj 7/76)
Dolphins won by 55 runs
Form more information visit www.dolphinscricket.co.za.
