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Morkel stars for Titans
Staff Reporter
Posted Fri, 27 Mar 2009

Morne Morkel swung the battle for the SuperSport Series title decisively in favour of the Nashua Titans when he returned career best figures of 6/43 on the opening day of the four-day match against the Gestetner Diamond Eagles at the OUTsurance Oval on Thursday.

The Titans took a lead of 7.8 points into their match against the second-placed Diamond Eagles who are also the defending champions.

But the home side, after winning the toss, collapsed to 178 all out with Morkel taking his 150th first-class career wicket. It was the second time he had taken six wickets in an innings this season following his previous best 6/47 against the Chevrolet Warriors in the first half of the summer.

The Diamond Eagles would have been in even worse trouble but for another stellar performance by 19-year-old Rilee Rossouw who scored his third SuperSport Series century of the season to take his aggregate past the 600 runs mark. Only Imraan Khan of the Nashua Dolphins (4) has scored more centuries in this competition this season.

Rossouw came to the crease at the fall of the first wicket in the seventh over and had only reached 50 by the time the ninth wicket fell thanks to two wickets in two balls from Morkel. But then Rossouw took command in a 10th wicket partnership of 67 with Victor Mpitsang who held up his end in scoring a precious three runs.

Rossouw reached his century off 154 balls with 16 fours and two sixes and was out 10 balls later after having scored an additional nine runs.

The Titans then strengthened their position by reaching 107/2 before bad light stopped play.

The bizhub Highveld Lions also won the toss and decided to bat first against the Nashua Cape Cobras at Senwes Park and must have been disappointed to be all out for 296 after at one stage being 242/2. Neil McKenzie (76 off 139 balls, 12x4) and Jean Symes (50 off 52 balls, 11x4) put on 78 for the first wicket and then McKenzie and Stephen Cook (90 run out off 162 balls, 14x4) added exactly 100 for the second.

But the last seven batsmen managed only 41 runs between them as Stiaan van Zyl and Claude Henderson shared seven wickets between them.

The Cobras continued their fightback by reaching 18/0 by the close.

In contrast wickets tumbled all over the place at Sahara Oval St. George’s where the Chevrolet Warriors were put into bat and collapsed to 162 all out. Seamer Kyle Abbott, playing his first four-day match and only his third first-class match, took a career-best 5/18 in 17 overs, never having taken more than three wickets in an innings before.

The Nashua Dolphins did even worse when it came to their turn at the crease reaching 51/7 when bad light stopped play. Mario Olivier, who took all 10 wickets in an innings in a match last season, had taken 5/31 in 7.4 overs.