Botha guides Boland to strong total

World Sports Betting Western Province will need 174 to beat Goldrush Boland in the CSA T20 Challenge at Boland Park.

Lehan Botha (52 not out off 36) led the way for Boland, whose top order all made starts as they grafted hard for their 173-5 on a still Tuesday evening in Paarl.

Allowing Western Province to chase could have been seen as a bold move by the hosts when they won the toss.

Daniel Smith’s pyrotechnics - including six consecutive sixes - helped the visitors hunt down an opening win at Newlands on Sunday afternoon, although Boland have won their first two outings batting first.

Gavin Kaplan clicked into gear in the second over by edging through slip, clipping to fine leg and then carving beautifully through extra cover for three successive boundaries off veteran Beuran Hendricks.

Rookie Asakhe Tsaka started excellently with the ball at the other end, meanwhile, with the slow left-armer conceding just eight from his first two overs to keep WP on the leash.

The 50 stand for the opening pair came up when Kaplan dispatched Tsaka - changing ends to complete the powerplay - over midwicket for the first six of the match.

But Kaplan (32 off 21) was outfoxed by the fourth delivery from legspinner Josh Breed, who coaxed a caught-and-bowled to leave the home side 60-1.

And then followed Roelofsen (24 off 20), fencing a ball from the returning Hendricks through to keeper Kyle Verreynne that cramped him for room.

Ones and twos then dominated for new pair Clyde Fortuin and Botha on the slow, low track, with Province content to contain in the middle overs.

Captain Fortuin broke the shackles on Nabe’s return in the 12th over, going four, six, four to bring up the Boland 100.

Things quickly worsened for Nabe when he dropped a dolly of a chance, as Fortuin tapped misguidedly into the legside.

Then came the second half-century partnership of the game off 39 balls, with Botha riding a short one from Hendricks to again find the rope at midwicket.

But the international class of Verreynne with the gloves brought the demise of Fortuin (30 off 23), when Breed sped and spun one past his thrashing drive, allowing the Protea to whip off the bails for a smart stumping.

Aviwe Mgijima helped the 26-year-old’s figures still further, holing out for a run-a-ball two as the leggie finished his allocation with 3-31.

Jhedli van Briesies also came and went, stepping down the track to crack Whitehead over wide long-off for a maximum before immediately pulling straight down the throat of debutant Jiveshan Pillay.

Botha belted a six away over point off Whitehead’s final over to reach his half-century, while Ferisco Adams (18 not out off 11) popped up with a heaving straight one of his own to set a stiff chase for their neighbours under the Boland Park lights.

GOLDRUSH BOLAND Gavin Kaplan, Grant Roelofsen, Clyde Fortuin (capt, wk), Lehan Botha, Ferisco Adams, Jhedli van Briesies, Keith Dudgeon, Imran Manack, Glenton Stuurman, Aviwe Mgijima, Siyabonga Mahima.

WORLD SPORTS BETTING WESTERN PROVINCE: Eddie Moore, Valentine Kitime, Kyle Verreynne (capt, wk), Daniel Smith, Oliver Whitehead, Juan James, Jiveshan Pillay, Beuran Hendricks, Josh Breed, Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Asakhe Tsaka.