Dragons finish sixth in challenging red ball series
The Potchefstroom based team showed a lot of growth standing strong in difficult times and also putting in immense effort to get their first win against the KZN Inland Tuskers and their second against the Boland Rocks.
The North West Dragons had an interesting CSA 4-Day Series campaign with a debut victory, some disappointments and numerous examples of true grit sprinkled on top.
The Dragons finish the series in sixth place and pick up two log points after a challenging couple of months. The Potchefstroom based team showed a lot of growth standing strong in difficult times and also putting in immense effort to get their first win against the KZN Inland Tuskers.
The victory against the Tuskers in their third match of the competition was one of the biggest highlights. The Dragons beat the Tuskers at the end of Day 4 by 115 runs. The margin might have been big, but the Dragons needed quick wickets and captain, Wihan Lubbe stepped up with a five-wicket haul to bowl his team to victory. It was a scene of delight for the Dragons who at that stage moved to second position on the log after picking up draws against the Warriors (home) and the Lions (away).
It went a bit downhill from there as losses against Western Province (8 wickets), Titans (302 runs) and Dolphins (10 wickets) followed. The Dragons redeemed themselves in the final match against the Boland Rocks with an innings and 48-run victory in Paarl.
The Lions and Western Province are currently contesting the CSA 4-Day Series final at the Wanderers.
The Dragons are now looking forward to the upcoming CSA T20 Challenge with their first match on Friday, 8 March against the Titans at Supersport Park. The Dragons first home game is against the Lions on Sunday, 10 March.
Top performances for the Dragons:
Batsmen:
- Grant Mokoena – 492 runs at an average of 41 with 1 century (168) and three 50’s.
- Migael Pretorius – 478 runs at an average of 47.8 with 1 century (109*) and four 50’s
- Lesego Senokwane – 455 runs at an average of 37.91 with 2 centuries (100 and 137).
Bowlers:
- Migael Pretorius – 19 wickets at an average of 23.84, strike rate of 51.1. Bowling best of 6/78.
- Duan Jansen – 14 wickets at an average of 25.78, strike rate of 48.5. Bowling best of 5/31.
- Gideon Peters – 13 wickets at an average of 32.15, strike rate of 44.8. Bowling best of 5/48
