It was a case of so close yet so far for Maties after a great bowling and fielding display got NMMU the 26 run win they desired at the Ibbies Oval today.

A solid batting display from man of the match Edward Moore who hit 72 (55) helped NMMU to post 153/5 from 20 overs.

The Madibaz shined under the Potchefstroom sun as they were tactically smarter than Maties who wilted under the pressure that the field placings created.

Maties lost key wickets as none of their batsmen could score more than 20 runs. NMMU’s best bowlers were Onke Nyaku and Solomzi Nqweni who took 2 wickets apiece.

NMMU started on a good note through Eddie Moore, who formed a great second wicket partnership of 72 together with Matthew Christensen before the latter went off with an injury.

Lloyd Brown then joined Moore as they kept the scoreboard ticking until Moore held out for 72 (55) after hitting six fours and two sixes.

Maties pegged back the runs in the final five overs through accurate bowling from spinner Niel Botha and Brandon Glover with NMMU ending on 153/5 off their 20 overs.

Maties had a poor day with the bat with soft dismissals and a run-out making their task that much harder.

The team from Stellenbosch just could not get going and eventually posted 127/8 with Isma-eel Gafaldien top scoring with 19.

Maties must now regroup for their next match with Pukke later tonight at 18:00, while NMMU literally change fields to the Puk Oval for their match with UCT.

Man of the Match: Edward Moore (NMMU)

FNB Best Bowler: Brandon Glover (Maties)

Best catch: Kyle Simmonds (Maties)

Best Batsman: Edward Moore (NMMU)