Western Province wrap up easy victory

Western Province are already looking like a dangerously decent team this season after beating Easterns at Newlands.

Under the captaincy of HD Ackerman and with a renewed sense of purpose following the massive underperformance of last season, they comfortably dealt with the whispered challenge of nearest Pool B rivals to win this Supersport Series encounter by 194 runs.

It never looked as though it would be any different.

Needing to collect just eight Easterns wickets on the final day, and with the visitors never in with a shout of chasing a mammoth victory total, the Province bowlers shared the wickets around as they polished off Easterns 45 minutes before tea.

Roger Telemachus and Allan Dawson both finished with three wickets each, Telemachus finishing off the match with an emphatic yorker which destroyed the stumps of Andre Nel.

The groundwork for the Province win was done on day one when 19 year-old Andrew Puttick hung around for almost the entire day, compiling his maiden first-class century in just his third game at the level.

Puttick earned himself the man of the match award for his efforts, and it is youthful talent like his which captain HD Ackerman is moulding into his inceasingly powerful unit.

With experienced heads such as Ackerman, Dawson and Neil Johnson, Province appear to have just the right amount of experience to complement the more precocious skills of Puttick, Graeme Smith, Thami Tsolekile and Charl Willoughby.

Throw Herschelle Gibbs, Roger Telemachus, Paul Adams and Ashwell Prince into the mix and you can see why last year was such an extraordinary disappointment. And that's without even bringing Test stars Gary Kirsten and Jacques Kallis into the equation.

Province will go into the Super Eight stage of the Supersport Series with as good a record as anyone and must now be favourites to complete the turn around and put another trophy in the cabinet.