After seven successive victories in as many matches in the Eastern Premier League Benoni Northerns Cricket Club’s (BNCC) Premier League XI suffered their first defeat of the season when they travelled to Boksburg Cricket Club’s Prince George Park on December 2.
The team technically lost by three runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method when their reply in the batting innings was shortened to 46 overs after a spell of afternoon rainfall.
Chasing a score of 160, skipper Kurt Francis and his team would be confident that they could surpass that target set by Boksburg, but it was not to be as they were bowled all out for 154 in the 45th over.
In the bowling innings BNCC’s Kundai Matigimu (4/38 in 8.2 overs) and Leonard Killian (3/15 in 10 overs) did well with the leather.
Francis was the top-scorer with the bat for BNCC in the reply with 40 runs followed by WP Myburgh with 35 runs.
Their efforts would be in vain though as they experienced defeat in their final match of the first half of the campaign.
“A terrible way to end the first half of the season, but I guess that’s cricket,” said the BNCC skipper.
“We got outplayed by a team that wanted it more and all credit must go to the Boksburg skipper Adam Forbes and his boys.
“A few things didn’t go our way, but we’ve got to pick ourselves up now and come back harder next year in order to keep our position at the top of the table.”
The league now breaks for the festive season and will return in January.
• Meanwhile, Actonville Spurs Cricket Club’s (ASCC) Premier League XI enjoyed a comprehensive victory at home to Springs Old Boys at Lords Cricket Grounds in Actonville on Sunday.
Batting first, the team put together a big score of 310/6 in their 50-over innings.
An unbeaten century from the experienced Ridwaan Daya as well a well-played 51 runs from opener Saahil Khan set the tone for the victory.
Springs were well short of the target, bowled out for 142 runs in their reply.
ASCC’s skipper Imraan Manack was the chief destroyer with the cherry claiming figures of 4/32 in 10 overs.
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