Obakeng Meletse
The Dolphins invaded the home of the Knights, securing a convincing innings and 16-run victory to mark their first win in their CSA 4-Day Series campaign at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
The Dolphins' first innings score of 570/9 declared, proved to be insurmountable for the Knights. Key contributions to the total came from Tshepang Dithole (104), Slade van Staden (111) and Bryce Parsons (118), putting the visitors in a dominant position. Additionally, Romashan Pillay (81) and Andile Simelane (50) provided invaluable half-centuries to solidify the Dolphins' substantial total.
In response, the Knights found themselves in a challenging position. However, the opening partnership of Gerrit Snyman (81) and Lesego Senokwane (108) provided early reassurance, forging a strong 137-run stand that began to thaw the pressure. The Knights looked formidable at 243/3 but lost their way after Senokwane's dismissal.
They quickly spiralled, losing seven wickets for just 73 runs, eventually succumbing to 315 all out. The Dolphins swiftly enforced the follow-on, leaving the Knights 255 runs behind.
In the second innings, Prenalan Subrayen (5/68) and Daryn Dupavillion (3/49) proved formidable, restricting the Knights to 239 all out. This decisive performance granted the Dolphins a much-needed win following a first-round defeat against Western Province and a drawn encounter with the Titans.
Elsewhere, the North West Dragons and Boland Rocks played to a draw after both teams opted to end the match amicably on the final day at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom.
The Dragons have now drawn all four of their opening fixtures, while the Rocks recorded their first stalemate of the season alongside a win and a loss. Matthew Kleinveldt led the home side's batting with a stellar 133 runs, while Shaun von Berg capped a commendable bowling performance with figures of 4/106 for Boland.
Beginning day four with a lead of 148, the Rocks saw success in dismissing the Dragons for 458, which left them 136 runs short of their first innings total of 594/6 declared. The Dragons started day four strongly, claiming the pivotal wickets of Peter Malan (4) and Grant Roelofsen (12), effectively curbing the Rocks' scoring and eliminating any hopes of a result.
The standout performance for the Rocks came from Roelofsen, who secured a career-best first-class score of 240 runs, supported by Gavin Kaplan's 166 runs in the first innings. Ruan de Swardt showcased his all-round capacity by taking four wickets across the match and contributing an unbeaten 65 runs in the home side's single batting innings.
In the other match played this past week, the Lions beat the Warriors by 200 runs to remain top of the standings.