Gibbs finds form as WP draw with Gauteng

Herschelle Gibbs made amends for his first innings duck with an unbeaten 67 as Western Province's three-day friendly against Gauteng fizzled out into a draw at the Inanda Country Club in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Gibbs was clean bowled by David Terbrugge off the fourth ball he faced on Monday, but after WP had been set to score 264 to win off 54 overs, he settled himself in to bat through to the close.

There was support for Gibbs from Andrew Puttick, who made 41, but WP never really rose to he challenge and on the flattest of pitches Gauteng were always going to be pushed to bowl the opposition out.

Indeed, only three Gauteng wickets fell to the WP bowlers during the three days of the match, Paul Adams claiming all of three of them as Gauteng followed their 307 for one in the first innings with 227 for two in the second.

Sven Koenig, who made 119 on Monday, helped himself to another 86 on Wednesday and there was a bright, unbeaten third wicket partnership of 85 between Geoffrey Toyana and Zander de Bruyn before Gauteng declared.

Adams finished with match figures of three for 164. Then again, Mulligan George, who took a wicket in each WP innings, was the only other bowler on either side to claim more than one wicket from the match.