Dolphins all at sea after Jumbos stampede

Eastern Province stayed on course for their first SuperSport Series victory of the season as they reduced KwaZulu-Natal to 202 for eight on the second day of their match at Kingsmead.

It left the Jumbos still leading by 219 and with every chance of enforcing the follow-on after they were bowled out for 421 in the morning.

The Dolphins were their own worst enemies. They were healthily placed at 110 for two shortly before tea but somehow conspired to lose six wickets for 87 runs on a blameless pitch.

Robin Peterson claimed three wickets and there were two apiece for the tearaway attack of Nantie Hayward and Mfuneko Ngam as the Jumbos chipped away at the Dolphins' order.

The day had begun unsatisfactorily for the home side. They saw the Jumbos' last wicket pair add a further 35 to their overnight 386 for nine before the innings came to a close.

Wayne Murray and Ngam took their partnership to 39 in all before Murray was caught at the wicket off the bowling of John Bastow while just two runs short of his half-century.

Dougie Watson and Mark Bruyns put on 54 for the Dolphins' first wicket to confirm the impression that there was not much in the pitch for the bowlers.

But the disciplined bowling of the Jumbos meant that scoring was painfully slow with Watson spending an hour and a quarter over his 19 before he was the first to go, caught behind off Hayward.

His partner followed after spending two hours on his 43 to the same combination but at 110 for two the Dolphins appeared to be in no immediate danger.

John Kent and Ashraf Mall put on a dreadfully slow 29 in 19 overs before Kent became the first of Peterson's victims and when new batsman Benkenstein went shortly after tea to the bowling of Ngam, the rot was about to set in.

His wicket signalled a stumbling collapse as the Dolphins lost five wickets for 55 runs in the space of an hour and a half with only Errol Stewart - 19 not out from 66 balls - providing prolonged resistance.

Jonty Rhodes hit one six in his 32-ball 19 but no-one was able to support Stewart in the kind of concentrated resistance to ward off the looming spectre of the follow-on.