It was a sweet victory for the North West Dragons against the Lions in the Pro20 Cup this past Friday, October 2, at the Wanderers when they picked up a superb six-wicket win.
The Dragons chased down the Lions’ total of 205/5, reaching the target with four balls to spare. The foundation was built on a brilliant chase under lights as Dian Forrester (51* from 28 balls) finished the job that Wihan Lubbe (55 from 27 balls) and Diego Rosier (45 from 25 balls) had started.
The Lions had also batted well, with Mitchell van Buuren smashing 66 from 36 balls and the experienced Rassie van der Dussen hitting 46 from 33 balls. It was, though, not enough as the Dragons batters stepped up to record the memorable win.
It was an impressive turnaround for the Dragons, who had lost their previous match to Border by 13 runs in KuGumpo City (East London) in an upset. In that match, the Dragons batters collapsed in their chase of 151/4 as they went from 92/2 to 138/9. It was only Ludwich Schuld, with 80 from 51 balls, who showed resistance.
The Dragons can now look forward to four home matches on the bounce in the Pro20 Cup as they aim to stay at the top of the table and secure a Super 8 spot. The top four teams in each pool qualify for the Super 8.
The Dragons are set to face SWD on Saturday, October 10, at the NWC Oval, with the match set to start at 18:00. SWD’s main threat will come from former Dragons player Janneman Malan, who captains the men from Oudtshoorn.
The Dragons then take on the Dolphins on Tuesday, October 13, at 18:00 in what should be a classic encounter between two equally matched teams.
Matches against Limpopo Impalas (October 21) and Northern Cape Heat (October 25) then follow to end the pool stages.
Fixtures (NWC Oval in Potchefstroom)
Saturday, October 10
North West Dragons vs SWD
18:00
Tuesday, October 13
North West Dragons vs Dolphins
18:00
Wednesday, October 21
North West Dragons vs Limpopo Impalas
18:00
Sunday, October 25
North West Dragons vs Northern Cape Heat
13:00
