Ackerman hauls Lions from the brink

Titans 204 and 394 for 9 dec (Petersen 139, de Villiers 56, Cullinan 51, Kemp 68*, Coetsee 4-135) drew with Lions 190 and 276 for 8 (Bacher 93, Ackerman 81*, Steyn 4-65)
Scorecard

Five wickets after tea infused life into a game heading for a draw, but the Titans could not prise out the Lions's last two wickets. Lions ended on 276 for 8, far short of the unrealistic target of 409 they had to chase in 84 overs.

Daryll Cullinan, the Titans captain, batted on for 12 overs at the start of the day, eventually declaring with the score on 394 for 9. From the very beginning, it became obvious that the Lions were not going to chase the target. At tea, they were 164 for 3. Five balls after tea, Adam Bacher edged Paul Harris to slip for 93. Dale Steyn then took two more quick wickets, and there was panic. The score was now 189 for 6. Hylton Ackerman and Ahmed Omar staged a revival amid fading daylight, but with the reintroduction of Stein, two wickets fell of consecutive balls. But Ackerman went on, and remained unbeaten on 81, a captain's innings that saved his team.

Western Province Boland 206 and 355 for 7 dec beat Warriors 189 and 258 (Bruyns 61, Jacobs 60) by 114 runs
Scorecard

The target of 374 set by Western Province Boland proved to be beyond the Warriors's reach. The 114-run victory suggested WPB's campaign was back on track after a rocky start to the season.

To win, the Warriors needed some player to make a big score. What they got instead were only starts. Mark Bruyns, Arno Jacobs and Mark Boucher all failed to convert good starts into a winning score. Bruyns had worked hard and looked set for more when he was caught off Charl Willoughby for 61. Jacobs was patient in getting to 60 when he was also caught off Willoughby. Boucher was watchful but was bowled by Neil Johnson for 49. From 214 for 4 the innings fell away as the Warriors were bowled out for 258, with Rory Kleinveldt taking 3 for 40.

Dolphins 300 and 209 for 8 beat Eagles 312 and 193 (Henderson 54) by 2 wickets
Scorecard

The Dolphins made a splash in Durban, squeezing past the Eagles by two wickets to move to the top of the table. After bowling out the Eagles for 193 in the second innings, it should have been an easy win. But the road to 206 was not easy, for Victor Mpitsang took three wickets to leave the Dolphins reeling at 40 for 3. Three more wickets, including Dale Benkenstein and Lance Klusener, heroes of the first innings, left the Dolphins on 110 for 6. Two more wickets for Roger Telemachus and the game was all but lost at 142 for 8.

But Andrew Tweedie, at No.9, and Zahir Abrahim, one place below him, put on 67 in 12 overs to snatch an unlikely victory. Tweedie, who had scored at nearly a-run-a-ball, ended on 42.