Western Province edge closer to final

CAPE TOWN, Dec 27 - Western Province's newfound ability to defend a total saw them edge ever closer to a Standard Bank Cup semi-final place with a 50-run victory over Free State although their ultimate fate rests in the hands of others.

Their 244 for five was too much for Free State and once opener Kosie Venter was fourth out for a well made 80, the visitors' Christmas goose was well and truly cooked.

Province's success in claiming the last Free State wicket with two balls to spare also gave them the bonus point that may yet prove crucial.

Mind you, Province were prepared to give Free State a life or two to make it more entertaining for a 5 000-strong crowd which was quite as healthy as that for the Durban Test match.

Herschelle Gibbs, Lloyd Ferreira and HD Ackerman all dropped catches (Gibbs' by far the hardest, Ackerman's the easiest) but some sparkling glove work from Andrew Puttick made up for those lapses.

Thami Tsolekile's promoted understudy produced two stumpings and a catch off the slow left arm bowling of Claude Henderson to vitally assist the Free State innings losing its way in mid-innings.

His first as the most important. Wiaan Smit - dropped by Ferreira before he reached double figures - was threatening to help the visitors to their target in a 75-run second-wicket partnership with Venter.

But his attempt to go down the track to the Henderson in tears and when Morne van Wyk was brilliantly caught by the diving Graham Smith on the deep midwicket boundary for 21 it was the cue for four Free State wickets to fall for 16 runs. There was no way back from there.

Western Province's 244 was founded around the efforts of the prolific Neil Johnson and Ashwell Prince.

Johnson thumped his third score of 90 or more in the competition this season - 91 this time - and shared a 97-run partnership with Prince (67) in 118-ball to give the innings real impetus after it threatened to lose direction at 68 for three when they came together.

Johnson made his runs from 115 balls and thundered 11 fours while the fleet-footed Prince scampered to his runs in 75 balls with four fours and one six.

With Lloyd Ferreira back to lash 18 in nine balls at the death, Province had given themselves the kind of total that is expected to be defensible as the dew sets in at Newlands.

Many of the crowd had probably turned out to see Herschelle Gibbs continue his rich vein of form. he didn't. After three balls the prolific opener stepped away in an attempt to cut Bakkes and was caught behind.