The win ensured that United will finish the year unbeaten as the Premier League enters its holiday recess, which will run until early next year.
Having got the better of his direct opposite (Shaun Liebisch) in the pre-match coin toss, United captain Justin Gamble opted to bat first, allowing the home side to lay a daunting target.
Opener Kabelo Sekhukhune gave his teammates little reason to worry as he smashed 92 in his innings, to put United well on their way for a potential mammoth score.
Fellow opener, Jose van der Berg, finished with 20.
The home side suffered a blip following their rampant start. Rian van der Merwe was sent back to the stands for naught, with Eden Links following suit after just two runs…but in came Gamble.
The skipper ensured that his side’s good start wasn’t left to waste, with his half-century keeping the scoreboard ticking at an impressive rate. Gamble finished with 67.
With United well-placed for a likely win – Aidan Justus (unbeaten 27) and Tshepo Motaung (undefeated 7) steered their side to their 50th over total score of 256/8 – leaving CBC with not just the proverbial mountain to climb, but also with little room for error in their run chase.
It looked bleak for the visitors early on in their innings, with star batsman Wesley Coulentianos being dismissed for one.
Liebisch added 22 before leaving for the bench, with wicket-keeper Wickus Germishuizen contributing 19 as the pressure to improve their run rate upped.
With the pressure on, the Boksburg side stuttered midway through their innings and the writing would soon be on the wall.
Altus Pretorius offered the biggest challenge to the United bowlers as he top-scored for his side with 39 – but it wasn’t enough to prevent the inevitable: a United triumph.
And triumph they did, with CBC sent packing for 133 after just 23 overs.
United bowler, Links, deserves exclusive mention for his performance in his allotted 10 overs – finishing with numbers of 5/58 and one maiden.
Teammate Branden Grutter took a hat-trick of wickets (3/31) in five overs, including one maiden.
“The best thing for us to do is to reflect on our performance,” said CBC skipper Liebisch.
“We have to look at some of the positives and the negatives and see what worked and what didn’t, but at the end of the day we were outplayed by a better side.” – @SabeloBoksburg
