Lutho Sipamla grabbed a career-best five-wicket haul as the DP World Lions retained their CSA One-Day Cup trophy by beating Six Gun Grill Western Province by 62 runs in the final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Thursday.
A total of 654 runs at a rate of more than seven an over were scored on the flattest of surfaces that stroked the batsmen’s egos while making life very difficult for bowlers who had no margin for error.
Chasing a formidable target of 359 for victory, Western Province were well in the game for at least half their overs thanks to a splendid second-wicket partnership of 113 in 107 balls between Tony de Zorzi (88 in 69 balls) and Eddie Moore (82 in 82 balls).
De Zorzi, who has enjoyed a wonderful season in all formats, looked in prime form, striking nine fours and three sixes in his innings.
After a faultless knock, studded with some fine shots through the off-side, it was a shock when, out of the blue, De Zorzi drove Sipamla straight to Reeza Hendricks at long-on.
The pace bowler then bowled one of the few genuine wicket-taking deliveries of the day with his next ball, getting one to move off the seam for Zubair Hamza to edge to wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton.
It was Moore’s turn to play the senior role now, and he and 20-year-old Daniel Smith kept up with the required run-rate with a partnership of 60 in 53 balls before Moore, who received two lives in his innings, tried to reverse-sweep the first ball – a long hop – of part-time offie Reeza Hendricks, only to mishit it straight to Bjorn Fortuin at square leg.
It was a moment of relief for Hendricks who had dropped Moore in the deep the over before.
Hendricks, who has something of a golden arm, then doubled up with the scalp of Smith a ball later, in exactly the same circumstances, before going on to capture his third by bowling Beuran Hendricks to return figures of 3-18 in three overs as only George Linde (42 in 32 balls) provided any further resistance.
But the bowling hero for the Lions was Sipamla who grabbed 5-71 after being specially brought into the side for the final after struggling for much of the competition. He may have been expensive, but he captured the key wickets that helped his team win the match.
Earlier, Joshua Richards, with 94, led an explosive effort from the Lions’ top-order as the home team pounded 358 for five after being put into bat.
Western Province had won a delayed toss – owing to a wet outfield – in a match that was reduced to 48 overs per team. If the visitors hoped to take advantage of any moisture in the pitch, the Lions’ openers swiftly disabused them of that notion.
The first four overs delivered by Beuran Hendricks and Nandre Burger were smashed for 43 with Richards having almost all the strike as Rickelton sat on his bat and admired a series of drives through the covers from his partner.
Eventually Richards gave Rickelton the strike and the left-hander responded with two fine straight drives of his own.
With Province bowling too short or too full, and on both sides of the wicket, the openers had themselves a ball, crushing 142 in 133 balls for the first wicket – their biggest this season – before the elegant Rickelton departed for 75 in 63 balls, including 14 fours, having his off-stump uprooted by left-arm spinner Linde after missing a sweep.
Reeza Hendricks took his place and immediately timed the ball to perfection as he helped Richards add 71 at almost a run a ball for the second wicket.
Richards, who finished unbeaten on 95 in the Lions’ last match against the Dolphins, was nailed in the 90s once again, being brilliantly caught by a diving Beuran Hendricks at midwicket with his score on 94 in 102 balls (9x4s, 2x6s).
There was to be no lessening of the tempo, rather the opposite, as another young gun, Mitchell van Buuren, increased the pressure on the hapless WP bowlers with a ruthless 62 in 36 balls (6x4s, 2x6s) as the Lions sped past the 300 mark.
Both Reeza Hendricks (69 in 64 balls, 6x4s, 1×6) and Van Buuren perished in the pursuit of quick runs, but the home team were able to post a formidable total.
DP WORLD LIONS:Joshua Richards, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Dominic Hendricks (capt), Mitchell van Buuren, Wiaan Mulder, Sisanda Magala, Evan Jones, Bjorn Fortuin, Malusi Siboto, Lutho Sipamla
SIX GUN GRILL WESTERN PROVINCE:Jonathan Bird, Tony de Zorzi, Eddie Moore, Zubayr Hamza, Daniel Smith (wk), George Linde, Mihlali Mpongwana, Wayne Parnell (capt), Beuran Hendricks, Tshepo Moreki, Nandra Burger.