The Titans scrambled their way to the top of the Sunfoil Series table after edging out the Dolphins by two wickets in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday.
Chasing a paltry 91 for victory, the champions made heavy weather of the win before getting there with eight wickets down against a depleted home attack that was without the injured Proteas spinner Keshav Maharaj.
Another slow bowler in Prenelan Subrayen claimed a career-best 5/35 with his right-arm off-breaks, but it was still not enough as the valiant hosts were made to pay for their poor second-innings showing.
The Durbanites had started the final day on 146/5, a lead of only 44, and poor batting on day four saw them lose their remaining five wickets for only 47.
Daryn Smit, who was unbeaten overnight on 62, top-scored with 72 (131 balls, 9x4), but there was little else support from the rest of his teammates as the Dolphins were bundled out for 192 in 61.3 overs.
Leg-break bowler Shaun von Berg was the pick of the bowlers for the Titans on the final day and ended with 3/66, with captain Henry Davids returning the best figures of 3/29, having caught the host off-guard when he opened the bowling the previous day.
With a target of less than 100 and plenty of overs to get them, the away side limped their way through.
Subrayen was the star man with his maiden career five-for giving the batsmen nightmares, while Senuran Muthusamy picked up 2/43 – the pair doing excellently in the absence of Maharaj, who suffered a grade one tear of his groin muscle on Friday.
Heinrich Klaasen top scored with 35, while Von Berg made a critical unbeaten 16 after the Titans had lost 6/46 at one point.
In the end, they got over the line in 31.4 overs to move back to the competition summit with one round to play next week.
Mark Boucher’s men now have 94.62 followed by the Knights (92.24), Cape Cobras (85.74) and Dolphins (84.67).
* Aya Myoli, Bjorn Fortuin and Beuran Hendricks took three wickets each to help the Highveld Lions secure a dramatic 14-run win over the Warriors late on Sunday.
After the visitors declared overnight on their day three total of 153/2 at the start of day four, it left the hosts needing 258 for victory at Buffalo Park in East London.
But they made a mess of the chase early on after slumping to 42/4 thanks to the pace of Myoli, who claimed three of the wickets at that stage before ending with 3/58.
But a fifth-wicket partnership of 102 between Colin Ingram (46) and Lesiba Ngoepe put the Warriors well on track.
They needed just another 104 at that stage, but blew their prospects when both set men fell – Ngoepe going for a top score of 77 (104 balls, 9x4).
And, when Somila Seyibokwe (4) and Sisanda Magala (7) were removed either side of a rain delay, the end looked close at 183/8.
However, captain Simon Harmer struck a determined 45 and shared in a 54-run ninth-wicket stand with Anrich Nortjé (26) to take his side to the brink.
But they were removed by Fortuin (3/39) and Hendricks (3/70) respectively as the Lions sealed a memorable win.
The result helped the Johannesburg side climb off the bottom of the table and ahead of the Warriors with a total of 83.35 points to just about stay alive in the title hunt.
The Warriors are effectively now out of the race, with their 78.66 total too far behind the leaders, the Titans, on 94.62.