Western Province thrashed the Titans by seven wickets to secure a bonus point victory in the T20 Challenge at Superport Park in Centurion on Sunday.
Set a target of 144 to win, the Western Cape-based team carried the momentum from their bowling innings as they brushed off an early shake-off to cruise to their win with 4.2 overs to spare.
Edward Moore (87 off 47 balls) led the way with his match winning half ton. His partnership of 101 off 50 balls with Mihlali Mpongwana (25 off 17 balls) rescued the innings for Province after they lost two quick wickets of Vantine Kitime (23) and Daniel Smith for a duck.
Corbin Bosch (2-23) double strike seemed to have the home side back in the contest, but the fall of the wickets only seemed to have been successful in triggering the left-hander into full attack mode.
The partnership was complemented well by Mpongwana, who with Moore not only relied on boundaries but rotated strike well and kept the pressure on to see their side in what was a comfortable victory, the first victory of the tournament.
Earlier, the on-form Rivaldo Moonsamy (11) and Keegan Petersen (0) carried a lot of threat, having already scored half centuries in the tournament, but they didn’t last long enough to have an impact early in the match as all-rounder Mpongwana (2-14) was on the mark and struck twice to leave the Titans reeling early on 12 for 2.
Donovan Ferreira (35 off 27 balls), after showcasing his destructive power in the first two fixtures, was handed a twist as he had to come on early and build up an innings for his team after the fall of two more wickets.
First, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who came to the contest on 121 runs for the season, seemed to be building a potentially dangerous partnership with Dewald Brevis (33 off 25 balls).
George Linde (2-23) pitched up, and Brevis accepted the invitation but hit it straight back to Linde, who, in his attempt to collect the catch, deflected the ball to the stumps of the non-striker and caught Pretorius out of his crease backing up, and he was run out for 23.
The home side were three down without a lot on the board, and Brevis, trying to transfer the pressure back to Province, handed them their second wicket in two balls, caught at long off for 11 by Wesley Bedja.
Ferreira and Sibonelo Makhanya (21) did well for their partnership of 56, but clinical fielding and bowling efforts from the visitors ensured that the Titans never had any momentum and restricted them to 143-8 from their 20 overs.
Bedja also had a good outing with figures of 2-22.
Elsewhere, the North West Dragons made it three in three after they beat Boland by three runs at the JB Marks Oval to take over the lead as the only unbeaten side of the tournament.
While the Lions carried on their winning momentum with a nine run victory, their second win in a row over the Dolphins, who suffered their third loss in a row.
The Knights beat the Warriors 16 runs away from home, and they secure their first win of the season, which gives them a lift in the table.
In another match the Lions beat the Dolphins by nine runs at the DP World Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg yesterday.