06 Oct WARRIORS BATSMEN SMASH TOURNAMENT HIGH SCORE TO DEFEAT IMPALAS
KIMBERLEY: The Gbets Warriors claimed their first victory of the CSA Provincial T20 Knock Out Competition when they triumphed by a mammoth 120 runs in their Pool D clash against Limpopo Impalas in Kimberley.
Openers, Wihan Lubbe and Matthew Breetzke set the tone early, combining for a massive, 129-run partnership in the batting-friendly conditions in the Diamond city’s Oval.
Lubbe dispatched six maximums, including three boundaries, on his way to a 33-ball knock of 65, while Breetzke was motoring at a similar rate to bring up his second half-century of the tournament, finishing on 59 off 33 balls (11 fours).
Despite Ntokozo Mahlaba (1/26) and Juandre Scheepers (2/40) providing respite for the Limpopo outfit by removing the two in-form batters, Jon Jon Smuts and Diego Rosier (31) stepped to the crease and upped the tempo.
The pair combined for a rapid 48-run stand off just 24 balls to take the Eastern Cape side to 186/3 in the 16th over, with Smuts going one step further than his 47 against Gbets Rocks on Monday to bring up his 18th fifty in T20 cricket.
Smuts was finally dismissed on 52 off 26 balls (4 fours, 4 sixes) as he helped propel his side to daunting 243/6 after 20 overs.
Malcom Nofal was the most impressive bowler for the Impalas with figures of 2/34.
With an uphill battle facing the Impalas batting line-up, the Warriors maintained their stronghold in the game with a solid bowling performance in the powerplay.
The Gqeberha-based team restricted the Impalas to 44/1 after six overs, with Nofal (38) leading the contribution with the willow, before the wickets began to tumble and the runs became harder to come by.
Mahlaba (19) showed some resilience, coming in at eight, but the Warriors victory shortly became a formality, as leg-spinner, Kyle Jacobs picked up two wickets for 14 runs in his spell as the Impalas chase whittled down, ending on 123/9 after their 20 overs.
To add to his impressive batting display, Smuts also contributed handy figures of 2/24 with his slow left-arm othordox.
The Warriors next face Eastern Cape Iinyathi on Wednesday, 06 October, while the Impalas wrap up their tournament with an encounter against the Gbets Rocks.
Media Enquiries:
| Team | Media Contact | Contact | |
| GBets Rocks | Mark Ward | sportpic2010@gmail.com | 082 415 4320 |
| Gbets Warriors | Yolanda Bukani | yolandab@cricket.co.za | 082 099 9973 |
| Eastern Cape Iinyathi | Bev Weimann | bevw@cricket.co.za | 083 381 4379 |
| Limpopo Impalas | Rejoice Phosa | phosan@cricket.co.za | 071 560 8321 |
ENDS
Issued by: Cricket South Africa – Corporate Communications
ABOUT CRICKET SOUTH AFRICA
Cricket South Africa (CSA), an affiliate of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), is the national governing body for the sport of cricket in South Africa and administers all aspects of South African cricket, men and women, both in the professional and amateur spheres.