Border fight back against Easterns

Border rose from the ashes of a disappointing first knock of 244 to rip out the Easterns top order. The hitherto unbeaten visitors were left reeling on 40 for four after the first day of their Supersport Series encounter on Friday.

Off-spinner Geoff Love, introduced to the fray early after Easterns' slow left-armer Anthony Botha had enjoyed a field day on the Buffalo Park pitch, knocked over both Easterns openers, Brad White and Dylan Jennings, before skipper Pieter Strydom claimed a third wicket for the slow men, that of Allied Mabene, before the close.

The 20 overs Easterns had to face turned into a trial of epic proportions and there is plenty of work for Gareth Flusk, unbeaten on 12, and the evergreen Mike Rindel, who has yet to score, to do to right the Easterns ship on Saturday.

Despite the absence of fiery paceman Andre Nel, serving a one-match suspension, Easterns managed to knock over the Border line-up with relative ease, thanks to Botha's three for 23 on his 24th birthday and a command performance from Kenny Benjamin, who took six for 73.

The Border innings was almost entirely built around a fourth-wicket stand of 134 between Steven Pope and Strydom, which contained an inordinately high proportion of boundaries. Pope blasted 18 fours in his 92, made off 200 balls, and Strydom hit nine fours and a six in his 63, which took only 93 deliveries.

However, when both were out in successive overs with the total on 208, the writing was on the wall for the home side. Benjamin removed Ian Mitchell, such a stalwart with the bat in recent matches, before another run had been added and then he and Botha grabbed another two each to end an innings in which the last seven wickets fell for a paltry 36 runs.

By close of play, however, Easterns' proud record this season of winning all four of their matches in firs-class and limited-overs cricket was facing a stern test in what is their first encounter away from Benoni's Willowmoore Park.