The North West Dragons succumbed to a 123-run defeat against the Lions in the CSA 4 Day Challenge match at the JB Marks Oval from 17-20 November.
A defiant batting performance on the final day was not enough for the North West Dragons who were bowled out for 273 with an hour and a half of play left.
Delano Potgieter was left unbeaten on 81 (111) as he tried his best to marshal the strike and keep the Lions bowlers frustrated. Wesley Marshall also played one of his more conservative knocks hitting 56 (177) before holding out to Bjorn Fortuin (2/51).
Other top performers for the Lions in the second innings were Sisanda Magala (4/34) who hit the deck hard and gave batsman a tough time.
The Dragons had their backs against the wall for most of the match due to the fact that they were bowled out for only 169 in the first innings. A better first innings performance would’ve changed the complexion of the match.
Hundreds from Proteas’ Wiaan Mulder in the first innings and Ryan Rickelton in the second innings also went a long way in securing a win for the men from Johannesburg.
The Dragons picked up 4.38 points from this loss and will now look to regroup ahead of the match against the table topping Warriors in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) from 24-27 November.
The Dragons are currently second from bottom on the log and a win will be a massive boost to their hopes of staying in division 1.
