Northerns win second match at Club Champs
Day four, Saturday, April 25, of the Momentum National Club Championships in Pretoria was a successful one for Benoni Northerns Cricket Club (BNCC).
After falling 29 runs short in their third Club Champs match versus Crusaders on Friday, April 24, BNCC were aiming to make up for that disappointment with a win over Erdinger Durbanville Cricket Club (Western Province) on Saturday at Irene Villagers Cricket Club.
Northerns had major injury problems going into the match and with Ernest Kemm having departed to play in Manchester in the United Kingdom on Friday Northerns really needed their players to remain fit.
Skipper Kurt Francis (who scored a gutsy 62 not out in the defeat against Crusaders the day before) was forced to do the 12th man duties after suffering a hamstring problem.
Wicketkeeper Rhenier Jordaan would skipper the team in place of Francis, who would, however, find himself in the field for 49.5 overs after opening fast bowler Lance Humphrey went off the field after the very first delivery of the match with troublesome back spasms.
Bowlers Stefan Jordaan (3/27 in eight overs), Mark Robey (2/35 in 10 overs), GC Pretorius (2/53 in 10 overs) and Stefano di Bartolomeo (2/57 in 10 overs) all featured with wickets in the first innings as Durbanville posted a score of 252/9 in their 50 overs.
With the willow for Northerns it was left-handed opening batsman Levon Shields who did the hard work early on.
He played a valuable knock of 62 runs off 80 deliveries before Cape Cobras franchise player Pieter Malan picked up his wicket.
Number four batsman JP Kok (Man of the Match in BNCC’s first win versus United Cricket Club East London on Wednesday) played a spectacular, match-winning innings of 115 runs off 116 deliveries that will long be remembered by the club.
Kok blasted 10 fours and a six in his stint at the crease particularly as batting partners fell around him.
He would find a good partner in number eight Stiaan Jordaan whose 12 runs off 11 balls helped Kok get strike and guide the team home with two wickets remaining.
The injured Lance Humphrey had also padded up in case he would be required to bat, but fortunately for him his teammates had managed to get over the line in 48.2 overs and claim BNCC’s second Club Champs win.
With no chance of topping Section Two (after two losses) and making Monday’s final Northerns will, today (Sunday, March 26) be playing to better their 2013 Club Champs performance of two wins when they play Union Stars Cricket Club (South Western Districts) at the same Irene venue.
