Net run rate now the only separator at the top as Northerns lose to Alberton

The last two matches in the Eastern Premier League have not seen favourable results for Benoni Northerns Cricket Club’s (BNCC) Premier League XI in their quest to finish the league portion of the competition at the top of the pile.

First place at the end of the league stage means that the leaders automatically advance to the playoff final set to be played at Willowmoore Park’s main oval on March 17 while the teams that finish in second and third positions will be required to play a semi-final on March 16 for a spot in that final the next day.

After a five-wicket loss to rivals Kempton Park the weekend before, BNCC skipper Kurt Francis and his team knew that a win against Alberton at Northern Areas on March 3 was vital to their cause.

If they could not prevent defeat to Alberton they would at least have to stop their visitors from winning with a bonus point.

They could, however, not do that as Alberton enjoyed a five-wicket, bonus point win to equal BNCC’s point tally.

Northerns still lead the league by virtue of a slightly better net run rate and will need nothing but a convincing bonus point victory against fellow Benoni club Actonville Spurs on March 10 to secure the automatic final spot at Willowmoore Park in a fortnight.

At Northern Areas on Sunday, Francis lost the toss and was put into bat first.

Despite a top score of 66 runs from 91 deliveries from number three batsman Rian van der Merwe, BNCC could only muster a score of 201 in 49.1 overs.

With the ball, BNCC’s fielders rued vital dropped catches as Alberton chased down the score in 36.4 overs.

“We’re very disappointed with the last two results and we are going to have to pull out some good performances in the next two weeks,” said Francis.

They will aim for nothing but a bonus point victory when they play Actonville Spurs at Lords Cricket Grounds in a Benoni cricket derby on March 10 at 10am.

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