Standard Bank: Rain saves Natal, Symcox triumphs (20 October 1998)

20 October 1998

Rain saves Natal, Symcox triumphs

Trevor Chesterfield

CENTURION (South Africa) - Ask Allan Donald how he is enjoying his "rest" and his eye light up. After all, playing the odd Standard Bank League limited-overs match is, he considers, "good fun".

He will also tell you how Free State were "a mite unlucky not to have won" when their game against the Natal Dolphins was sunk without trace.

"Without Polly (Shaun Pollock) and Zulu (Lance Klusener) we'd have given them a good hiding," he smiled almost cheerfully.

But rain in what has been an unusually damp October has partly wrecked Northerns, Natal, Western Province and Free State's early floodlight campaigns this South African spring.

While rugby still continues to lumber its muddy way across the news pages, the start of this seasons' Standard Bank League programme has been low key thanks to the rain.

It may have rained in Bloemfontein to save Natal, but in Kimberley Pat Symcox batted with usual professional pomp to help steer his old province Griqualand West to their first victory of the season over Eastern Province, down in Paarl the low, slow Asian sub-continental type surface saw Gauteng bowled out for 156 and yet still win by a comfortable margin of 88 runs and Border beat current giant killers North West to collect their first points of the series.

Doug Watson propped up Natal with some gritty batting in a match that was consigned to a watery grave early evening. After losing four wickets for 11 runs Watson scored a century and saw the Dolphins to 190. Free State didn't even get a chance to bat or test the Duckworth/Lewis format which is drawing much criticism in South Africa.

Louis Koen second century in succession failed to help Eastern Province to chalk up a second victory when they played the now led Kepler Wessels side of Griquas in Kimberley. Koen's rich run streak may have nudged the national selectors who will no doubt include him on their list of "may bes" when it comes to looking at LOI options when the series against West Indies and that later in New Zealand are held.

Eastern Province Jumbos scored an impressive 281 for three with Koen's top-score of 151 the best this domestic season. But, thanks to the grizzled Symcox and an innings of 82 along with half century contributions from Micky Arthur and Martin Gidley, who added 107 for the first wicket, Griquas won in style with four balls of the innings remaining.

And scoring at more than six runs an over throughout an innings against a bowling attack which contains four bowlers with international experience is a tough call. But Eldine Baptiste, Meyrick Pringle, Mornantau Hayward and Dave Callaghan shows just how solid was the Griquas reply.

Scoring 157 in 45 overs means one of two things: either the batsmen had lost their radar system or the pitch was of such low quality it deserved to be condemned. Ken Rutherford, an erstwhile New Zealand skipper did just that after Gauteng gained a comprehensive victory in Paarl (which in Afrikaans means pearl).

Boland were routed for their lowest Standard Bank League total of 69 with Andrew Hall, a recent victim of a hijack attempt, taking three for 17, Derek Crookes two for 10 and Clive Eksteen three for 12..

Border captain Piet Strydom scored 106 and won the man of the match award to help prick an over-confident North West bubble at Buffalo Park. North West crumbled to a lowly 122 to lose by 119 runs as they failed abysmally to chase the 242 need needed for victory.

On Wednesday Eastern Province are at home to Boland while Friday sees the final round of matches until December with the SuperSport Series (A Section) taking over to prepare the players for the West Indies tour.

Source :: Trevor Chesterfield, Pretoria News