Johannesburg – The Highveld Lions made short work of the Warriors to bowl them out and end their season with a 125 run victory in Port Elizabeth on Sunday.
In the only match to stretch to a fourth day, the Warriors resumed their second innings on 119 for four, still facing a deficit of 271 runs.
After a magnificent opening spell from Chris Morris on Saturday, he continued with his early morning success, trapping Arno Jacobs and ending his excellent innings of 73.
Adrian McLaren and Wayne Parnell shared a sixth-wicket stand of 84 runs, each reaching their half-centuries along the way.
McLaren was unbeaten on 65 but Parnell was eventually out, lbw to Imran Tahir, for 58.
Tahir picked up one more wicket and Cliffe Deacon cleaned up the tail, bagging three wickets for 70 in the process.
Morris finished with a fine four-wicket haul for 31 runs which would do his reputation no harm after he was auctioned off at a surprising R5 million ahead of the forthcoming, lucrative IPL cricket circus.
Neil McKenzie was voted Man of the Match for his vital contribution of 46 in the Lions’ low-scoring first innings of 157
and his century in the second. He had also shared a double-century partnership with Alviro Petersen which was eventually brought to an end when the latter was caught behind after scoring a superb 119
runs.
The Lions went into the game as the closest rivals to the Cobras for the title. Despite their victory, their first innings total left them short of bonus points but they finished the season a credible second while the Warriors slipped down into fourth place. – Sapa