Natal made heavy weather of defending a total of 223

Natal made heavy weather of defending a total of 223 in their Standard Bank Cup match against Free State at Kingsmead last night, squeezing home by seven runs in an exciting contest that produced much for the crowd of 4000 to enjoy. The game's exciting conclusion was mainly due to most of the Natal bowlers being unable to find a disciplined line or length and even though Victor Mpitsang, with one run in his only previous Standard Bank Cup innings, had little chance of seeing Free State home when he came in with 35 runs wanted off four overs, he and Herman Bakkes did enough to make a close match of it.

The Natal innings saw man of the match Andrew Hudson at his best as he plundered the Free State bowlers for an unbeaten half-century off just 32 balls, his innings turning a competitive total into an almost unbeatable one.

Captain Dale Benkenstein also got on top of the attack as he scored 58, he and Hudson adding 61 for the fourth wicket off just 48 balls as Natal ran amok in the closing stages of their innings, having been asked to bat first in conditions that were kind to the bowlers, swing and bounce being freely available.

Doug Watson (35) and Mark Bruyns (47) had got the innings off to a solid start, seeing off some impressive bowling by Bakkes, Mpitsang and Matthew Hoggard.

Natal were pretty woeful in the field right from the start, Kosie Venter (28) and Morne' van Wyk (47) taking advantage of far too many short deliveries as they put on an opening stand of 66 in 15 overs. Even though Eldine Baptiste got rid of Venter via the inside edge and the pad, it was only when Wade Wingfield got hold of the ball, in the 21st over, and began bowling a full length to allow for swing, that Natal clawed their way back into the game.

Wingfield got rid of Van Wyk with his fourth delivery and in his next over he produced a jaffa that squared Boeta Dippenaar (8) up and sent his off-stump cartwheeling. The dual strike inspired his team-mates and suddenly they were flinging themselves around the field, wicketkeeper Errol Stewart, Benkenstein and Hudson all pulling off spectacular, diving catches.

Wingfield picked up four for 23 in five overs as Free State caved in and at 122 for six in the 29th over, they should have been dead and buried. But the other Natal bowlers, Ross Veenstra and Keith Storey - in his second spell - apart, continued to be wild and undisciplined and Gerard Brophy (22) and Johan van der Wath (26) not only gave the Free State innings some respectability, but saw them to the brink of victory, Bakkes and Mpitsang's last-gasp stand of 27 off 24 balls not quite being enough to take the spoils away from Natal.

While Gary Gilder and Baptiste were the major disappointments for Natal in terms of the bowling, Veenstra and Wingfield both did a wonderful job. While Wingfield's four wickets cut down the Free State innings in its prime, Veenstra made them work for every run and, when he only conceded seven runs while bowling the 42nd and 44th overs, he sealed their defeat.