The Hollywoodbets Dolphins got their CSA T20 Challenge campaign off to a strong start with a confident eight wicket win over the Itec Knights at St George's Park on Tuesday.
A disciplined bowling display from the Dolphins and then a well-managed chase saw the Dolphins reverse the result from the CSA T20 Knock-Out competition final earlier in the season.
Batting first, the Knights lost the one wicket in the powerplay and managed to amass 43 from the first six overs.
Ruan de Swart was the wicket-taker when Patrick Kruger got a leading edge to Jason Smith at point with the score on 20.
Raynard van Tonder and Jacques Snyman got the Knights to 43 in the powerplay.
The pair added 16 runs to the total as the Dolphins spinners applied the pressure with the ball in the next seventeen deliveries before Odirile Modimokoane got into the act.
Snyman had got to 16 off 12 balls before he forced one back to the left-arm spinner who took a good catch to claim his first wicket of the match with the score on 59.
The squeeze from the Dolphins continued when they picked up the wicket of the set Van Tonder when he was run-out for 38 in the eleventh over with the total having advanced by just one run from the previous wicket.
The Knights went to 100 in the seventeenth over of the innings before Prenelan Subrayen picked up his first wicket when Knights skipper Pite van Biljoen was caught at point for 25.
Subrayen finished his four-over spell with figures of one for 13. Along with the other two spinners Bryce Parsons (0/22) and Modimokoane (1/27), the Dolphins turners returned combined figures of two for 62 in twelve overs.
Andile Phehlukwayo got in on the act in the eighteenth over when Patrick Botha was well caught in the deep by Dave Miller. The Knights at the loss of that wicket were 109 for five.
Ottniel Baartman’s final over went for just eight runs as the Dolphins restricted the Knights to 128 for five in their 20 overs.
In the Dolphins chase, they started calmly with Keegan Petersen and Grant Roelofsen playing with clear heads through the powerplay.
After the first six over the Dolphins had got to 36 without loss, Petersen contributing significantly with 23 while Roelofsen added eight.
The Dolphins went through the halfway stage of their chase on 68 with both openers still at the crease. The requirement for the second half was 62 runs to win off 60 balls.
Petersen then fell for 45 off 37 balls when he holed out off Patrick Botha in the eleventh over. Roelofsen was then caught for 27 with the score on 80.
The hundred for the Dolphins came up in the fifteenth over with Dave Miller and Andile Phehlukwayo at the crease.
Miller’s 34 not out at the end helped the Dolphins home with twelve balls to spare.
Their second match of the competition is against the Imperial Lions on Thursday.
Summary of the Result
Itec Knights 128/5 (R van Tonder 38 F Behardien 36* P Subrayen 1/13)
Hollywoodbets Dolphins 130/2 (K Petersen 45 D Miller 34*)
Dolphins won by eight wickets.
