Province establish big lead in Supersport Series final

Graeme Smith scored an impressively disciplined 183 to help earn Western Province an ominous lead of 194 runs on the third day of the Supersport Series final against Border at Newlands on Friday.

With two days left and Border having spent much of the previous two in the field, the trophy would seem destined for Cape Town for the second time in three seasons.

Off-spinner Geoff Love put in a titanic effort in taking four for 107 off 49 overs, but it will take more than that to win this one for Border as Province reached the close on 446 for seven in reply to the visitors' first innings of 252.

Smith and HD Ackerman resumed on 229 for two, and from the outset it was clear their intention was occupation of the crease rather than chasing runs. And who could blame them, what with Province needing just a draw to claim the championship.

But Border were not about to allow the home side to dictate matters and they answered Province's reticence with over after over of watertight bowling. Vasbert Drakes, Tyron Henderson, Piet Botha and Love all made Province work for their runs, and just 34 of them were scored in the 29 overs sent down in the morning session.

Border's efforts paid dividends three overs before lunch when Ackerman, on 17, advanced up the pitch to a ball from Love and squeezed it onto his pad for Craig Sugden to take a good catch at silly point.

But the big fish, Smith, got away again. Having gloved a simple catch to the slip cordon off a Drakes no-ball on 19 on Thursday, Smith, on 138, chopped a delivery from slow left-armer Pieter Strydom into the pitch and onto the top of his off-stump. The bail blipped up and gently settled back into its groove.

Ashwell Prince joined Smith at the crease and they batted through the second session, which yielded 81 runs and featured increasingly desperate strokeplay as Border tightened the noose through Love and Strydom.

Ten minutes after tea the pressure boiled over and Smith attempted to cut a wide delivery from Love, only to get a bottom edge that was well held by wicketkeeper Ian Mitchell to end a fourth-wicket stand of 100. Smith was at the crease for 10 hours in which he faced 477 balls and hit 18 fours and a six.

Two balls later Love struck again when Neil Johnson lunged forward with an ill-judged sweep and was hit on the back leg plumb in front.

Thami Tsolekile showed a recklessness against the spinners which delayed Strydom taking the new ball until the 83rd over, and in the next over Drakes trapped Prince in front for 53 to make it 378 for six.

Three wickets in the space of ten overs after toiling so long for scant reward must have raised Border's hopes. But with the runs flowing off the unorthodox Tsolekile's bat and Dawson steady at the other end, the toehold that Border had regained on the match was deftly prised off.

Tsolekile flayed 53 off 70 balls with six fours and a six before slashing a catch to extra cover eight overs from the close. That came with Dawson 11 not out and Claude Henderson on 18.