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Dolphins Duo Defy WP in Durban
Dolphins Duo Defy WP in Durban
Kyle S 6_42
February 2023
HollywoodBets Kingsmead, 14th February 2023
On a day when generosity might have been expected, Six Gun Grill Western Province were not shown any love by Hollywoodbets Dolphins pair Bryce Parsons and Ruan de Swardt. The 2 left-handers combined for an unbroken partnership of 208 to take the home team to an 8 wicket victory in their CSA 4-day series match.
The Story of the Match
Winning the toss and batting first, WP battled through their first innings of 210 all out, with only Eddie Moore (51) and Kyle Simmonds (47*) making any notable contrubutions. The Dolphins spinners made good use of a testing and turning pitch, taking 7 wickets.
In reply, the Dolphins could only muster 129, with Simmonds the destroyer-in-chief, taking 6/42. Tshepo Moreki chipped in with 3/66, in an outstanding bowling performance.
In the WP second innings, batter number 9 Simmonds (64) again marshalled the tail, ably supported by Beuran Hendricks (28) and Moreki (14*). They managed to take the score from 89/8 to a respectable 191 all out, leaving the Dolphins 273 to win. Keshav Maharaj (7/75) was the nemesis of the WP line-up.
The target appeared insurmountable, and when de Swardt joined Parsons at the crease at 65/2, it seemed one wicket would lead to more and a victory for WP. In the race for the 4-day title, the win was crucial for WP to maintain the pressure on the top-of-the-table Dafabet Warriors.
There was no Valentine’s Day love to be shared by the Dolphins pair, as their outstanding partnership romanced their supporters.
The loss will be hard to take for the away team, as they were on top for the majority of the match. The scant consolation could be that they will move to the top of the log on the completion of this round of matches, with both their nearest rivals having a bye.
Scorecard
Table