Nail-biter at Northerns
Those who say that cricket is boring should have been at Northern Areas on Sunday, February 2, when Benoni Northerns Cricket Club’s Premier XI were involved in a titanic thriller of a tussle against Springs Old Boys.
In a nail-biter of note, fortunes fluctuated until the very last ball of this cliff-hanger, when a never-say-die Benoni outfit squeezed out a fantastic four-run victory.
The true fighting spirit of the Northerns side shone through under intense pressure, as defeat in this match would almost certainly have left them with no chance of successfully defending the Easterns Premier League title they won for the first time last season.
The gutsy win kept captain Kurt Francis and his youthful team comfortably in second place in the league, although the destiny of the trophy is all but out of Benoni’s hands now, as they require leaders Kempton Park to lose at least one of their remaining five matches.
Against Springs, Francis lost yet another toss, and the home side had to bat first on a snake-pit of a pitch, softened by all the rain.
Losing their wickets at regular intervals, Northerns found themselves in all kinds of trouble, with nine batsmen back in the hut with barely 100 runs on the board.
But, as was the case away to Boksburg, the previous week, a spirited 10th wicket stand gave Benoni’s final total some respectability.
This time it was Lance Humphrey and Marlou Moore who got together to put on a partnership of 54 runs, that took the home side’s score to a none-too-impressive 158.
Moore top-scored with 31, while Dean von Ruben (25) and Stefan Jordaan (21) contributed valuable runs to the cause.
In reply, Old Boys also lost wickets regularly, but were cruising with 18 runs required and three wickets in hand.
Some fantastic “death” bowling by skipper Francis, in particular, saw Northerns eke out the narrowest of victories – much to the delight of a small, but vociferous crowd.
Francis mopped up the Springs tail for a smart return of three wickets for 18 runs in seven overs, while Humphrey, returning this season from a serious back injury, nabbed 3/27 in 8.4 overs.
Benoni coach Thys van Lingen was naturally proud of the fighting display from his boys, but not before quite a few anxious moments.
“Another toss lost and having to bat in very poor batting conditions,” he said.
“A spongy pitch in the morning was proving too much to handle for our top order, although youngster Stefan Jordaan did dig in his heels.
“That 10th wicket partnership by Lance and Marlou gave our bowlers at least something to defend and the bowlers took on the task with success, and even helped the opposition with 20 extras in the process.
“When the pressure was on, our boys refused to give up and that is what makes me proud to be involved with this club’s senior squad.
“Our captain led from the front in the death stages of the game and was too much to handle for the opposition, and victory by four runs certainly tells the story.”
n In the Promotion League, the eagerly anticipated top-of-the-table clash between leaders Benoni and second-placed Nigel never materialised, as rain rendered Nigel’s ground unplayable.
n This Sunday, February 9, BNCC’s Premier XI take on Duduza at Willowmoore Park, and the Promotion XI host United CC.
