Bacher destroys Warriors with unbeaten 158

Lions 308 for 2 (Bacher 158*, Ackerman 75) beat Warriors 304 for 7 (Jacobs 102, Henderson 69) by 8 wickets
Scorecard

A stunning unbeaten 158 by Adam Bacher at Sedgars Park in Potchefstroom was instrumental in the Lions successfully chasing down a steep target of 305 set by the Warriors. It was Bacher's highest score in the competition, as well as the Standard Bank Cup's second-highest score, and the result was that the Lions cantered home with eight wickets to spare in 43.4 overs. In the last ten overs of their innings, 105 runs were scored.

The Warriors had come out blazing after choosing to bat first on a batsman's dream pitch. When the Lions removed Dumisa Makalima early, Arno Jacobs came out and ravaged the bowlers with 102 runs off 105 balls. Tyron Henderson struck seven boundaries and two sixes in his 69 while Mark Boucher added a quick 42 in what appeared to be a winning total of 304 for 7. Derek Crookes, although expensive in his eight overs, took 3 for 72.

In reply, the Lions started briskly, but could not keep up with the required run-rate. Bacher stood firm, while Hylton Ackerman attempted to raise the scoring-rate. His 75 in 62 helped but they still needed nearly 10 an over in the final 10 overs. Bacher had taken 115 balls to reach his hundred and then decided to go into overdrive. In another 27 balls, he had 158 and the Lions had won a game in which 612 runs had been scored.

Western Province Boland 233 for 4 (Puttick 109, Prince 77) beat Eagles 229 for 5 (van Wyk 65, Beukus 77) by 6 wickets
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At Goodyear Park in Bloemfontein, Western Province Boland beat the Eagles in a game that could have gone either way to the very end. The Eagles began in a determined fashion after losing the toss and being asked to bat. Morne van Wyk and Jonathan Beukus put on 131 runs before van Wyk was stumped while trying to up the tempo. Van Wyk's 65 had opened the door for Benjamin Hector to score a quick 35 off 31. Beukus, playing the anchor role, scored a patient 77. In trying to score quickly, Nicky Boje and Johannes van der Wath fell within two balls of each other as the Eagles finished on 229 for 5.

A second-wicket partnership of 184 between Andrew Puttick and Ashwell Prince followed the early wicket of Herschelle Gibbs. The wickets of Prince for 77, Puttick for an excellent 109 and Jean-Paul Duminy for eight swung the game, leaving it on a knife's edge. In the end, Neil Johnson swung the game in Province's favour, scoring 21 off 13 balls to see them to 233 for 4 with only two balls to spare.

Titans 220 for 5 (Kemp 79*) beat Dolphins 216 for 7 (Khan 58, Benkenstein 78) by 5 wickets
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After winning the toss and batting first in Durban, the Dolphins were in trouble, but were rescued by Imraan Khan and Dale Benkenstein. Even then, they could only muster 216 for seven in the 45 overs allocated.

When rain interrupted after 20 overs, the Titans had struggled to 90 for 4, and were behind the Dolphins on Duckworth-Lewis. But on resumption, Albie Morkel took matters into his own hands and smeared the ball around the ground. Having an able partner in Justin Kemp, he saw the Titans regain control, but fell for 44 (31 balls) to a good boundary catch. Once again the game was in the balance but Kemp, with 79 not out, and an unbeaten 31 from Geoffrey Toyana saw the Titans home by 5 wickets.