A magnificent 101 (65 balls) from Western Province captain, Kyle Verreynne, took his side to a 6-wicket victory against the North West Dragons in the opening CSA One Day Cup clash at the J.B. Marks Oval in Potchefstroom on Saturday, 16 September.
Having to chase down 276 for victory, their task was made even harder when load shedding caused an unexpected delay. Western Province then needed to score a revised target of 244 in 38 overs.
Verreynne stepped up and smashed 11 fours and four sixes on his way to a match winning innings.
It was a disappointing night for the North West Dragons bowlers as they failed to defend a good total on their home soil.
Photos: Wouter Pienaar
New recruits, Migael Pretorius (2/30) and Ruan De Swardt (1/21) bowled well in the opening 15 overs, as they had Western Province at 74/3. Pretorius had Tony de Zorzi caught at slip by Wihan Lubbe for 13. Lubbe also pulled off a ridiculous one-handed catch to send Yaseen Vallie packing for 16.
When Verreynne showed his intent, most of the other Dragons bowlers suffered as a result, going at more than six runs to the over.
It was carnage as Province scored 174 runs in the next 20 overs to seal an incredible victory.
Eddie Moore (41 off 47) and Mihlali Mpongwana (27 off 17) finished off the chase with more than four overs to spare.
The Dragons will take this result on the chin and will need to regroup, especially in the bowling department.
Earlier on, Raynard van Tonder’s unbeaten 129 (145) was one of the major highlights of a solid batting performance from the Dragons. Wihan Lubbe also hit 46 (46) and Senuran Muthusamy contributed with 34 (42).
The Dragons will now head to Kingsmead next for a clash against the Dolphins on Friday, 22 September.
