A sensational century by Auto Investments North West Dragons' Janneman Malan was not enough as the Dafabet Warriors secured a 21-run win in their CSA T20 Challenge clash in Gqeberha on Saturday.
Malan carried his bat as he clubbed 111 runs off 60 balls including 11 boundaries to help his side to 200/3.
Earlier, swashbuckling half-centuries by JP King and Sinethemba Qeshile were the driving force behind the hosts setting a formidable 221/5.
Chasing 222 to win for a return to the top of the log, the Dragons raced to 64 without loss at the end of the power play.
They added a further 11 runs before Ludwig Schuld was sent packing by JP King for 18 but not before Malan brought up his half-century off just 24 balls having struck seven fours and two sixes.
Malan and Wihan Lubbe (16) took their side to the halfway mark of the innings at 91/1 but the left-hander headed back to the dugout after he was outfoxed by an Alfred Mothoa slower ball.
Needing 119 from 48 balls, Malan started the 13th over with two sixes off Mothoa, who eventually conceded 18 runs in his third over.
JP King went for 17 off his final over to finish with figures of 1/31 from his four overs.
Malan and Lesiba Ngoepe went past 50 runs in their partnership, taking the Dragons to 155/2 at the end of the 16th over, with 67 runs still needed from the final four overs.
Malan brought up his century in fine style with a boundary in the penultimate over, but the writing was seemingly on the wall for the visitors
Ngoepe fell for a well-played 42 off the first ball of the final over, dismissed by Duanne Olivier, who came in as a concussion substitute for Beyers Swanepoel.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, JP King and Jiveshan Pillay tormented the Dragons bowlers, recording an 87-run stand for the opening wicket with King scoring a maiden half-century.
The duo would perish within eight runs of each other as Kerwin Mungroo had Pillay caught by Malan for 25 before removing JP for a well-played 61 which included six fours and three sixes to leave the Warriors on 95/2.
Swanepoel struck four consecutive boundaries before he retired hurt on 22.
Qeshile and Patrick Kruger then continued the onslaught as they recorded a fifty partnership of their own, taking the Warriors to 190 before Kruger, who struck 34 from 21, was caught by Lubbe off Caleb Seleka in the 18th over.
Qeshile scored a career-best 53 before he was the first of two wickets to fall in the final over, caught by Achille Cloete off Migael Pretorius, who then bowled CJ King for a golden duck off the next delivery.
Despite going for some runs early on, Pretorius was the most economical bowler for the Dragons taking 2/32, while Mungroo claimed 2/54.
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Warriors snap Dragons' unbeaten run
Sports reporter
Image: Richard Huggard/Gallo Images
A sensational century by Auto Investments North West Dragons' Janneman Malan was not enough as the Dafabet Warriors secured a 21-run win in their CSA T20 Challenge clash in Gqeberha on Saturday.
Malan carried his bat as he clubbed 111 runs off 60 balls including 11 boundaries to help his side to 200/3.
Earlier, swashbuckling half-centuries by JP King and Sinethemba Qeshile were the driving force behind the hosts setting a formidable 221/5.
Chasing 222 to win for a return to the top of the log, the Dragons raced to 64 without loss at the end of the power play.
They added a further 11 runs before Ludwig Schuld was sent packing by JP King for 18 but not before Malan brought up his half-century off just 24 balls having struck seven fours and two sixes.
Malan and Wihan Lubbe (16) took their side to the halfway mark of the innings at 91/1 but the left-hander headed back to the dugout after he was outfoxed by an Alfred Mothoa slower ball.
Needing 119 from 48 balls, Malan started the 13th over with two sixes off Mothoa, who eventually conceded 18 runs in his third over.
JP King went for 17 off his final over to finish with figures of 1/31 from his four overs.
Malan and Lesiba Ngoepe went past 50 runs in their partnership, taking the Dragons to 155/2 at the end of the 16th over, with 67 runs still needed from the final four overs.
Malan brought up his century in fine style with a boundary in the penultimate over, but the writing was seemingly on the wall for the visitors
Ngoepe fell for a well-played 42 off the first ball of the final over, dismissed by Duanne Olivier, who came in as a concussion substitute for Beyers Swanepoel.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, JP King and Jiveshan Pillay tormented the Dragons bowlers, recording an 87-run stand for the opening wicket with King scoring a maiden half-century.
The duo would perish within eight runs of each other as Kerwin Mungroo had Pillay caught by Malan for 25 before removing JP for a well-played 61 which included six fours and three sixes to leave the Warriors on 95/2.
Swanepoel struck four consecutive boundaries before he retired hurt on 22.
Qeshile and Patrick Kruger then continued the onslaught as they recorded a fifty partnership of their own, taking the Warriors to 190 before Kruger, who struck 34 from 21, was caught by Lubbe off Caleb Seleka in the 18th over.
Qeshile scored a career-best 53 before he was the first of two wickets to fall in the final over, caught by Achille Cloete off Migael Pretorius, who then bowled CJ King for a golden duck off the next delivery.
Despite going for some runs early on, Pretorius was the most economical bowler for the Dragons taking 2/32, while Mungroo claimed 2/54.
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