United take match to the wire

A batting collapse a week earlier, on Sunday, November 3, in their previous match away to defending champions Benoni Northerns, saw the team defeated by a mammoth 113 runs, and it was evident that skipper Justin Gamble and his teammates would need to pull up their socks if they were to force some more upsets in the elite competition.

United won the toss and put Peter Vonya’s KwaThema team in to bat.

This decision seemed to be a wise move considering how many teams’ batting orders have crumbled in the first innings, in the Premier League, this season.

United bagged two wickets cheaply in the first 10 overs, but KwaThema’s Maxwell Mtshweni (46) and skipper Vonya (68) turned up the heat with some classy drives and some big hits to stretch the away side’s score.

Ephraim Nyawo (38) and number 10 Musa Mancele (21) provided valuable contributions before they were bowled out for 230 in 47.4 overs.

Spinner Gamble was the best of the United bowlers, with figures of 3/38 in 8.4 overs, while Kevin Hinton and Branden Fleming each took a brace of wickets.

When United’s batsmen took to the crease it was Brendon Frost, one of the veterans in the side, who shone with the bat.

He played a terrific knock of 63 before he was run out.

With Frost’s wicket came the downfall of more United batsmen, until another of the club’s “oldies”, Paul Amorim, played a sublime innings of 44 and got his team back into the game.

United fought valiantly, but their chase ended on a sad note as the last wicket was taken in the final delivery of the match, with the team needing six to win.

Team manager Des Gamble lamented on another tough defeat in the elite league: “Once again we lacked in the batting department and just didn’t get it right.

“Paul got us right down to the last over, but it wasn’t to be.”

He added that the team has a lot to think about following another defeat in the Premier League and will have to prepare hard and knuckle down if they are to be successful in upcoming fixtures.