Johannesburg – The Knights completed a comfortable eight-wicket victory over the Dolphins in their four-day Sunfoil Series match in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
Set a target of 115, thanks to a career-best 154 by Johan van der Wath in the first innings, they cruised to victory with plenty of time to spare.
The Dolphins had resumed on 252/5, still 25 runs adrift in their second innings and managed to string together four successive 50-run partnerships, but none was able to develop into a match-saving stand.
Kyle Abbott (68) and Calvin Savage (21), who had combined for a solid partnership in the first innings, added 56 in 30 overs before Werner Coetsee made the breakthrough.
Malusi Siboto finished with three wickets in the innings and seven in the match, coupled with a more than handy unbeaten 41 at number 11.
Van der Wath added two wickets for a match tally of five, and Shadley van Schalkwyk also finished with two after his first innings knock of 80.
Coetsee was the most economical bowler, going at just over two to the over while claiming two vital wickets at the end of the innings.
The Knights needed 115 in the final session, and waited until the tenth ball before Rudi Second opened their account with a boundary.
Michael Erlank plundered three boundaries off the next over, and the home side were up and running.
Craig Alexander was brought into the attack early, and responded by dismissing Erlank with his first ball but, after that, Rilee Rossouw and Second were in cruise mode.
With the match all but settled, Vaughn van Jaarsveld picked up a rare first-class wicket before captain Dean Elgar came in to apply the finishing touches.
Van der Wath was the worthy winner of the Man of the Match award. The Knights walked away with 19.38 points to the Dolphins haul of 5.42.
While remaining in third place after the weekend's fixtures, the Knights were still in touch with the Cape Cobras, eighteen points adrift, while the Dolphins remained in a much more distant fourth place on the log. – Sapa