North West v KwaZulu-Natal at Potchefstroom, match report

DAY 1

SUPERSPORT Series minnows North West fought back bravely against the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins at Potchefstroom yesterday in front of a noisily appreciative crowd of more than 1 000 people.

Facing an intimidating Dolphins total of 504-3 declared, the Dragons made decent progress towards achieving their follow-on target of 355, finishing on 258-6. The visitors may still be in charge, but they were made to work hard in the hot Potch sun yesterday.

The home side owed a great deal to their elegant middle-order batsman, Glen Hewitt, who struck his maiden first-class century. Considering that he couldn't make the side last season, the 26-year-old from Johannesburg was a revelation, playing a succession of lovely strokes on an admittedly flat pitch designed to break the hearts of bowlers. He needed some luck, somehow surviving a huge shout for lbw off Klusener, a caught behind appeal off Dale Benkenstein and being caught behind off a Ross Veenstra no-ball. But in general he looked well in command.

Hewitt, who finished with an unbeaten 107 (18x4) in 249 minutes, shared valuable partnerships of 94 with the talented Arno Jacobs (44) and 55 with Mark Lavine who struck an aggressive 41 in 52 balls. For the Dolphins, Ross Veenstra was the main wicket-taker, grabbing 4-61 in 16 overs.

Earlier, resuming on their overnight total of 416-2, the Dolphins lost Watson in the eighth over. Trying to cut Lavine, he only succeeded in getting an inside edge onto his leg stump.

The 26-year-old from Maritzburg, who is playing the most positive cricket of his career, can hardly complain about his start to the season, having scored two centuries in friendlies as well as yesterday's 220 - his highest first-class score - made in seven hours 13 minutes and including 30 fours and one six.

Despite negative bowling and understandably defensive fields, the Dolphins reached their goal of 500 half an hour before lunch, giving their pacemen a 20-minute fling at Morne Strydom and Andrew Lawson. The move paid off as Veenstra found the outside edge of Strydom's bat with the last ball of the session, sending the visitors in to lunch with appetites whetted.

DAY 2 PATRICK COMPTON

KWAZULU-Natal gave North West a brutal introduction to first-class cricket when they butchered their bowling on a hot, windy day in Potchefstroom yesterday.

On an easy-paced pitch that held no terrors for the Dolphins batsmen, the visitors plundered the home team's attack to rack up a mammoth 414-2 by the close. Not only did they collect a remarkable six batting bonus points within their allotted 100 overs, but they went some way to shattering the spirit of a team that approached their SuperSport Series debut with plenty of hope and self-confidence. Now it is a simple question of whether the Dolphins can grind out a victory on a pitch that seems to strongly favour the batsmen.

North West, who have won the Bowl for the last three years, were one of two teams, along with Easterns, who were added to the pool of provinces playing first-class cricket this season. They had enjoyed a good start to the season with victories over Free State and Easterns in three-day friendlies and a high-scoring draw against Northerns.

However, their high-spirits were remorselessly extinguished by an outstanding opening partnership of 340 by Doug Watson and Mark Bruyns after skipper Dale Benkenstein had won the toss and decided to take first strike on a pitch that had reasonable bounce and carry but allowed no movement off the seam.

Amazingly enough, the partnership broke no records (the Natal and South African first-class record is 424 by IJ Siedle and JFW Nicolson against Free State in 1926/7) although both Watson (203 not out) and Bruyns (142) registered their highest scores in first-class cricket. For Watson it was his second first-class double century.

The morning session was an indication of things to come as the two openers scored at four runs an over, punishing a North West pace attack that couldn't settle on a proper length, either bowling too short or too full. Initially it was Watson who took the eye as he played a succession of superb drives and cuts, registering nine fours as he raced to his 50 in just 66 balls. Bruyns, on the other hand, took 23 balls to get off the mark and was only 27 at the break to his partner's 67 - not that this mattered because the overall run rate was so healthy. The run feast continued in the afternoon although hefty left-arm spinner Corrie Jordaan, the best of the North West attack, did his best to slow the rate down. However, there was little suggestion that a wicket would fall with both batsmen comfortably in control. The greatest danger to the openers was their occasionally suspect running between the wickets with Bruyns very close to being dismissed in the morning through a misunderstanding.

Watson continued in his dominant vein in the afternoon, reaching his century with the total on 169. Shortly afterwards he gave his one and only chance when he skied a drive to deep midoff only for former Natalian David Pryke to spill the catch. More seriously for skipper Pryke, he apparently tweaked a hamstring and the North West strike bowler left the field shortly afterwards.

After building a rock-solid foundation of 225-0 at tea, the Dolphins then went moggy in the final session, smashing 189 runs and ensuring an almost unheard-of haul of bonus points. For much of the evening session, the Dolphins created a contest within a contest as they sought to reach 400 in 100 overs. After Bruyns was dismissed for 142 (16x4s, 1x6, 257 balls) and Hudson for a speedy 31, it was Benkenstein who just got the Dolphins home with two balls to spare, finally leaving the field with the inexhaustible Watson on 203, an innings that included 28 boundaries and one six in 400 minutes of pure torture for the North West bowlers.

DAY 3 By PATRICK COMPTON

THE pitch is looking the likeliest winner in the SuperSport Series match between North West and the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins at Potchefstroom. At the close yesterday, the Dolphins were 229-2 in their second innings, an overall lead of 371. At the crease were Andrew Hudson who had stroked an effortless 94, and skipper Dale Benkenstein who may give his senior partner a chance to reach his ton today. Earlier, Mark Bruyns (65) and Doug Watson (32) had got the Dolphins off to a good start.

However, on a pitch that looks like a slab of concrete and has got flatter by the day under the ceaseless rays of a scorching sun, the Dolphins will do mighty well to take half a dozen wickets today, let alone the 10 they need to get their season off to a winning start.

In the morning, Dale Benkenstein and his men were hoping to wrap up the North West innings quickly with the second new ball, but this hope was never realised. Resuming at 258-6, needing another 97 to avoid the follow-on, centurion Glen Hewitt and Ezra Poole comfortably negotiated the first hour with only a few play-and-misses against an ever-economical Shaun Pollock, and Ross Veenstra, to place in the debit column.

But when the two had added 94, they suddenly lost two wickets in two overs. First, Poole was adjudged lbw to Ross Veenstra, giving the left-arm paceman his fifth wicket, an impressive effort in conditions that offered nothing but toil for the seamers. He finally finished with figures of 28-5-95-5. "It was bloody hard work," he said with a grin afterwards, "but I've got to be happy." Including the two friendlies against Griquas and Free State, the big pacemen has taken 16 wickets for the Dolphins so far this season with the promise of one or two more today.

In the next over, Hewitt played a tired shot, scooping Eldine Baptiste to point where Robbie Macqueen made a good diving catch. His 151 (27x4s) in a shade under six hours was not only his debut first-class century but also the biggest first-class score by a North West batsman. If the Dolphins are to be denied today, the elegant middle-order batsman should be held mainly responsible.

DAY 4 PATRICK COMPTON

SPECTATORS came away from Potchefstroom with a severe case of run indigestion after yesterday's ultimately dispiriting SuperSport Series draw between the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins and North West.

On a slab of concrete masquerading as a pitch, a total of 1 318 runs were scored for the loss of 18 wickets. The statistics are even more startling from the point of view of the Dolphins who scored 758 runs for the loss of just five wickets. For their considerable pains, the visitors gained eight bonus points (six batting, two bowling) to North West's four for batting and the considerable satisfaction of proving competitive in their first-ever SuperSport Series match.

When play began yesterday the odds were always on the pitch winning the battle against a Dolphins team that was simply not good enough to produce a positive result in the prevailing conditions.

This may sound strange with KZN containing Shaun Pollock, Lance Klusener, Dale Benkenstein and Andrew Hudson, not to mention a clutch of other good players. However, on a bare, flat track that almost completely neutralised the pacemen, the Dolphins palpably lacked the quality spin attack they needed.

Off-spinner Robbie Macqueen bowled tidily and did turn the ball yesterday, being rewarded with one of the three North West wickets to fall. But in truth he rarely looked capable of unlocking the North West innings. His "twin", left-arm wristspinner Goolam Bodi, had a disappointing debut. The new signing from Gauteng was unable to bowl a consistently good length, delivering a series of long-hops and full tosses that were gratefully dispatched by the North West batsmen.

However Bodi should not be blamed. He is 20 years old, has plenty of raw talent, but desperately needs an apprenticeship in the B team. The problem lies in a development programme which sometimes demands too much, too quickly, of players of colour.

Resuming on 229-2 yesterday, Benkenstein and Hudson thrashed another 25 runs in five overs before the skipper declared, giving North West the task of scoring 397 to win in 97 overs. In the process, Hudson went to his first century of the season, and his 19th overall. Rarely put to the test last weekend, the former South African opener is in masterly form at present, and it seems a waste that he is no longer wanted at a national level.

Despite controlling the match, the Dolphins' hopes of victory were thin. Although Eldine Baptiste snapped up Andrew Lawson in the 16th over and Macqueen had Morne Strydom caught bat and pad just before lunch, Hendrik de Vos and Arno Jacobs effectively put the match beyond the Dolphins in the afternoon with a stand of 111 for the third wicket.

After that, both teams had their eye on the clock, and the umpires, for an early finish. At one point, Shaun Pollock even put all his fielders behind the bat - "eight slips and one gully," he chirped - effectively telling the men with index fingers that enough was enough. And soon enough, it was.