Knights win joust at Willowmoore
The Multiply Titans returned to Benoni’s Sahara Park Willowmoore for a domestic day/night Momentum One Day Cup fixture against the VKB Knights on Friday, March 3.
The Titans were at the summit of the table heading into the match and were striving to extend a two-game unbeaten streak.
That winning result did not quite come for coach Mark Boucher’s side, though, following a match-defining fourth-wicket partnership of 132 runs between Knights batsmen Rudi Second (75 runs from 101 balls) and Leus du Plooy (72 runs from 82 deliveries).
Their good partnership allowed the visitors from the Free State to achieve a 22-run victory in the match, shortened to 48 overs apiece.
At the start Titans skipper Albie Morkel won the toss and elected to field.
His men bowled out the visiting side for 249.
With the bat the hosts found themselves in early trouble as the Knights’ opening bowler Shadley van Schalkwyk (3/53 in 10 overs) ran riot to destroy the Titans’ top order while Mbulelo Budaza cleaned up the tail with figures of 4/43 in 9.3 overs.
The Titans’ glimmer of hope in the chase came from Morkel (42 runs) and former Actonville Spurs Cricket Club all-rounder David Wiese (46 runs), but, when the captain was unnecessarily run out going for a non-existent single the writing was on the wall as the Titans lost their last five wickets for 43 runs.
On Sunday, March 5 the Titans returned to the top of the standings with a 35-run win against the Warriors in East London and moved to 14 points on the table, one more than the Hollywoodbet Dolphins.
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