van der Wath lifts Eagles

Titans 178 and 110 for 6 trail Eagles301 for 9 dec (van der Wath 100, Jacobs 70) by 13 runs
Scorecard

The Eagles dominated the second day of their match against the Titans at Goodyear Park in Bloemfontein, first gaining a 123-run first-innings lead and then destroying the Titans to leave them at 110 for 6 at the close. Johannes van der Wath stood out for the Eagles with the second hundred of his career, and three of the six Titans wickets. The Eagles were 123 for 5 and appeared in danger of squandering a good start, but a 71-run partnership between van der Wath and Loots Bosman took them past the Titans' total of 178. Bosman was caught behind for 41, but van der Wath went on to his hundred off 132 balls which included 18 boundaries and a six. Then followed a brief passage of play that went the Titans' way: from 296 for 6, the Eagles crashed to 301 as Ryan McLaren, Dillon du Preez, van der Wath and Thandi Tshabalala got out in quick succession. The Titans' second innings began as the first had: in disaster. But they were partially revived from their position of 41 for 4 by a stand of 52 between Alviro Peterson (46) and Pierre de Bruy. They were 110 for 6 at the end of the day, and all set for a heavy defeat.

Dolphins 72 for 5 trail Lions 499 for 9 dec (Bacher 140, Motaung 80, McKenzie 80, Hall 74, Govender 5-87) by 424 runs
Scorecard

At the Wanderers in Johannesburg the Lions completely outclassed the table leaders, the Dolphins, by amassing 499 in their first innings. By the close the Dolphins could only manage 72 for 5. Adam Bacher could not add to his overnight 140, leaving it to Neil McKenzie and Andrew Hall to put on 133 runs for the fifth wicket. McKenzie finished on 80 while Hall contributed 74 as the two flayed the ball all around the Bullring. Wickets went down regularly in the search for a big first-innings lead, and the Lions slipped from 465 for 4 to 499 for 9 before the declaration came, just after Russel Symncox - the son of the former Test offspinner Pat - took a hat-trick by dismissing Werner Coetsee, Garnet Kruger and Goolam Bhayat. The Dolphins' innings was in stark contrast to the Lions' stint. Runs were scarce but wickets fell in a torrent. The sole joy for the Dolphins came from Ugasen Govender, who impressed with the ball on his debut, taking 5 for 87 with his medium-pacers.

Andrew Puttick took the honours at Mercedes Park in East London as Western Province Boland took a 328-run lead over the Warriors into the third day. Puttick spent nine hours at the crease as he compiled a near-chanceless double-hundred, his third, which included 25 fours and a six. Puttick put on 124 with his overnight partner Vernon Philander (44) and then a quick 87-run stand with the aggressive Paul Adams, who made 49. Rory Kleinveldt biffed 39, including one six, off the bowling of Burton de Wett, that sent journalists diving for cover as the ball sailed through an open window of the press box. Despite this, de Wett finished with a career-best 3 for 36. Apart from an 81-run partnership between Mark Bruyns and Steven Pope, the Warriors' wickets fell far to quickly on a placid pitch. Pope scored 44 while Bruyns was undefeated on 66. A lot will depend on Bruyns if the Warriors are to avoid the follow-on.