A riveting four-wicket return by Tashwin Lukas helped Durbanville Cricket Club (DCC) stun Assupol Tuks in their high-profile showdown on the third day of the Momentum National Club Championships in Pretoria on Monday.
The seamer grabbed 4/15 in 10 overs, four of which were maidens, as the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras representatives thrashed their Multiply Titans counterparts by eight wickets.
There was also another impressive win for Clares Cricket Club, as they thumped Impala Cricket Club by nine wickets, with Kovsies Cricket Club bagging their first win when they overcame Madibaz Cricket Club by six wickets in the other game.
The story of the day, however, came at the Mandela Oval where DCC produced some sensational cricket in a game that lasted a mere 55.4 overs.
After winning the toss and electing to bowl, the Capetonians rolled over Tuks for a scant 99 in 34.4 overs.
Although Lukas led the way with his four-for, Andre Malan (2/16), Nathan Swartz (2/21) and Jaco Castle (1/36) all impressed. Francois van Heerden top-scored with 44.
Pieter Malan (37 not out) and Byron Boshoff (35) then struck most of the runs as Durbanville reached their 100-run target in 21 overs. The bonus-point win put them on top of the table with two days of action remaining.
Elsewhere, Clares are up to second place after following up their nine-wicket win over Madibaz the previous day, with a comprehensive victory Impalas by the same margin thanks again to Vyash Gobind and Abdul Hack Razak, who claimed 3/21 and 2/9 respectively.
The pair had shared seven wickets in their previous win and the five between them at Irene Country Club helped shoot out the Impalas for 114 in 33.1 overs after winning the toss and bowling. Salman Yacoob (2/14) also collected two wickets, with Willie Mostert top-scoring for the Johannesburg side with 27. Bradley Porteous and Michael Alexander hit 53 apiece – from 64 and 46 balls respectively – as the KwaZulu-Natal side knocked off the runs in 21 overs.
Finally, three wickets for Beyers Swanepoel followed by half-centuries from Wihan Victor and Sachintha Galenhage helped Kovsies overcome Madibaz at Tuks Oval. Opening bowler Swanepoel claimed 3/20 to restrict their Nelson Mandela Bay opponents to 172/8.
Joshua van Heerden (49) and Morne Venter (44) hit 40s for their side, before Victor (59 off 94 balls, 4 fours, 1 six) and Galenhage (66 off 96 balls, 2 fours) guided the Free State side to victory with eight overs to go.
Day four of the competition continues on Tuesday.
The event, which is put together by Cricket South Africa (CSA), encompasses the six outright winners of the Franchise regional play-offs, all playing against each other in a 50-over format.
