A clinical display of fast bowling followed by patient batting saw the Momentum Multiply Titans take control of their clash against the Dafabet Warriors, ending with 86/3 on day one of their CSA 4-Day Series match in Gqeberha on Thursday.
Six wickets in the morning session and a further four after lunch saw the Warriors in all sorts of trouble as seam bowlers Junior Dala (5/27) and Merrick Brett (4/27) shared nine wickets to dismiss the home side for 157 almost an hour after the lunch break.
When stumps were eventually called after bad light interrupted play at St George’s Park, the visitors had Dewald Brevis (24) and Sibonelo Makhanya (4) unbeaten and aiming to wipe out the deficit of 71 as soon as possible.
Jordan Hermann and Diego Rosier got the hosts off to a solid start with 78 runs for the first wicket and were looking strong.
However, Dala started the rot with the dismissal of Hermann, who was bowled for 39 before Brett struck twice when he had Rosier caught in the slips for 34 and then trapped Matthew de Villiers for a two-ball duck.
Jean du Plessis faced 15 balls without troubling the scorers before he too was sent packing by Dala, as the Warriors slipped from 78 without loss to 80/4 inside 20 overs.
Keegan Petersen took his second catch in the slips when Brett found the edge of Sinethemba Qeshile’s bat before Dala trapped Patrick Kruger in front for four runs, falling to 89/6.
Senuran Muthusamy and Beyers Swanepoel guided the hosts to lunch on 104/6 and without further damage, but Swanepoel would not last long after the break, removed by Dayyaan Galiem (1/41) for 17.
Muthusamy shared 31 with Duanne Olivier (9), but the right-handed batter was removed by Dala, and Brett grabbed his fourth wicket when he removed Siya Plaatjie before Dala completed his five-wicket haul by removing Muthusamy for 33.
When the Titans returned shortly before the tea break, they lost the services of Joshua van Heerden (8) and Petersen (6) courtesy of Olivier and Swanepoel, respectively, to head to the tea interval on 31/2.
Skipper Neil Brand and Brevis steadied the ship for the visitors, taking their side beyond 70 with a 41-run stand for the third wicket, while cutting the deficit down to 85.
Brand, who put together a patient 30 from 62 balls, was sent back to the dugout when Alfred Mothoa trapped the left-hander in front of his stumps with the Titans still relatively comfortable on 72/3.
Makhanya joined Brevis in the middle, and they further reduced the deficit and the visitors sat on 86/3 when bad light halted proceedings shortly before 5pm.
HeraldLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.