Bosman and Bastow shine on day of few highlights

LOOTS Bosman and Jon Bastow provided the highlights on an otherwise forgettable opening day of this low-key match between two of the Supersport Series also-rans.

Stumps were drawn with Natal having reached 88 without loss in reply to Griqualand West's 279. Mark Bruyns was 33 not out with Doug Watson on 46.

Griquas batsman Bosman swashed and buckled a sparkling 71 off 79 balls with nine fours and three sixes, while Bastow bowled with line, length and fire to take four for 46.

Natal captain Dale Benkenstein put the opposition in on a greentop after winning the toss. However, his bowlers, bar Bastow, wasted both the pitch and the new ball.

Bastow had the idea - just short of a length on off-stump - and was rewarded with both the wickets that fell before lunch, which came with Griquas having put a healthy 133 runs on the board.

The visitors were reduced to 35 for two in the 11th over, but that didn't trouble Bosman, who went after the bowling as if his team were 400 for two. Opener Martyn Gidley proved more staid, but the partnership grew quickly until Bosman was caught behind off Bastow in the seventh over of the second session to end a stand of 112.

Gidley hung about for another eight overs before suffering a similar fate to Bosman, this time at the hands of Eldine Baptiste, after scoring 60.

And that, but for Pieter Koortzen's brisk 32 - which featured six fours - and Wendell Bossenger's rearguard 45, was where Griquas' better batting ended. The rest of it crumbled quietly away.

Wayne Kidwell bowled aggressively in his opening spell, and he seemed to have earned success when the visitors celebrated what they believed was Watson being caught behind for 16.

Watson believed it too, and tucked his bat under his arm and walked the first few metres of the journey back to the dressing room before casually glancing over his shoulder at umpire Johan Cloete - who had not raised his finger. So Watson veered back towards the crease and prepared to continue his innings, amid the gobsmacked Griquas players. Whether the batsman had misheard Cloete verbally pronouncing him not out was unclear, but it was that sort of day.