Ken Borland

They were cheering all the way from Cape Town to Dhaka, from Haryana to Bengal to Kolkata, as the Knight Riders snatched a thrilling five-wicket victory over the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League final at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk on Sunday.

 http://www.supersport.com/cricket/indian-premier-league/news/120527/KKR_finally_IPL_champs_with_thriller

Chennai, the two-time defending champions, looked well beaten despite defending 191 as Manvinder Bisla of Haryana, and Jacques Kallis, Cape Town’s finest, added 136 for the second wicket in 13.4 overs.

But with Bisla outfoxed by Albie Morkel for a scintillating 89 off 48 balls, announcing himself as a great talent, and Kallis, laid low by cramps, falling for 69 in the penultimate over, Kolkata needed 16 off seven balls as the Super Kings staged a fantastic fightback.

But Bangladeshi star Shakib al-Hasan, who may well be the new best all-rounder in the world once Kallis retires, scored seven runs off the last ball of the over as Ben Hilfenhaus bowled a no-ball for height and Dhaka’s hero then innovated with a scoop for four off the extra delivery.

Manoj Tiwary, one of the new generation of Indian batting stars, then struck two fours in the final over to clinch victory with two balls to spare and spark massive celebrations in his home state of Bengal.

Chasing such a daunting target, Kolkata seemed to have suffered a mortal blow in the first over when captain Gautam Gambhir missed with a rash swish across the line and was bowled by Hilfenhaus for just two.

But Bisla showed he was equipped to play a match-winning innings on the big stage. Brought in to replace seasoned New Zealand international Brendon McCullum, because Brett Lee had to return to boost the bowling attack after Lakshmipathy Balaji failed to recover from a hamstring injury, he showed enormous self-belief against the Goliaths of the IPL and an international-strength attack.

It was David’s night as everything Bisla tried came off, the 27-year-old hammering eight fours and five sixes. He was helped immeasurably by having the experienced Kallis at his side, the South African showing great skill in placing the ball in the gaps and giving Bisla the strike.

And once Bisla cut a slower-ball bouncer from Morkel to backward point in the 15th over, with 52 runs still needed, Kallis knew he had to step up and take over the aggressor’s role.

Playing superb strokes all over the park, Kallis went to town against the bowling of Dwayne Bravo in particular as he kept the Knight Riders in the game.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla swung straight to deep midwicket to give Bravo the consolation of a wicket, while Yusuf Pathan sliced a slog-sweep off off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to fall for just a single.

Hilfenhaus was very happy when he ended Kallis’s 49-ball innings by having him caught by the cover-sweeper in the 19th over, but that soon turned to heartache.

And then Bravo, left to defend nine runs in the final over, did not seem to know whether to bowl short or full and was punished as a result.

Tiwary punched successive boundaries through the leg-side and the IPL trophy was in the box for Kolkata, giving movie star owner Shah Rukh Khan some reward at last.

Hilfenhaus had bowled brilliantly up front to put the Knight Riders under early pressure and finished with225 in his four overs, while Morkel bowled an outstanding spell of two overs, 1-12, in the closing stages to drag Chennai back into the contest.

But the other Super Kings bowlers failed to back up the new-ball pair, with Bravo (3.4-0-49-1) and spinners Shadab Jakati (4-0-38-0) and Ashwin (4-0-41-1) failing to adapt to a flat pitch.

SCINTILATING RAINA

Suresh Raina had earlier blasted the Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers all over the park as he led the Chennai Super Kings to a commanding 190 for three.

On an easy-paced pitch, all the Chennai batsmen looked comfortable with Murali Vijay (42), Mike Hussey (54) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (14* off 9 balls) all contributing in an exceptional display by the top-order.

Raina’s scintillating 73 off 38 balls merely increased the pressure on the Kolkata bowlers after openers Vijay and Hussey had plundered 86 runs in 10 overs.

Hussey, normally the accumulator, did not sit back on this grand occasion, galloping to his 50 off 38 balls, with four fours and two sixes and some wonderfully clever strokeplay and manipulation of the field.

With Vijay conducting a similarly brutal assault on the bowling, picking up four fours and a six off 32 balls, the runs kept flowing for Chennai as the first wicket put on 87 off just 64 balls.

Vijay fell in the 11th over to a beautifully-judged, diving catch on the square-leg boundary by Shakib, giving medium-pacer Rajat Bhatia his only wicket.

But that brought Raina to the crease and that’s when life really became busy for the stats men.

The chunky left-hander smashed five sixes, four of them over midwicket, and three fours as he added 73 for the second wicket with Hussey off just 41 deliveries and made his highest score in this year’s IPL.

Kallis bowled Hussey in the 18th over, but the inspired Raina batted on until the last ball, which he slog-swept off the bottom of the bat, Brett Lee having to dash in sharply from cow-corner to get the ball in his hands.

The wicket was just reward for left-arm spinner Shakib, who conceded just eight runs in the final over.

Shakib and Bhatia both bowled just three overs, conceding 25 and 23 runs respectively, while the other wicket-taker, Kallis, was also reasonably tidy, conceding 34 runs in his four overs.

But key bowlers Sunil Narine and Lee were less successful with ball in hand, conceding 37 and 42 runs respectively in their four overs.

In true Borland fashion, a 75km jaunt in search of the reputed home of the Black Coucal turned into a massive two-hour journey on dirt roads!

The info I had suggested Mkuze Falls was a short distance west of the N2 highway, but the truth is the place is damn remote! You actually have to take the road to Ithala and Louwsburg, which is not tar, despite what the maps tell you, and then turn south towards Nongoma on another dirt road, before about 5km of tar brings you to the Mkuze Falls turnoff.

No wonder they have an airstrip and a helipad at the fancy game lodge there – most of their clients will just fly in!

Anyway, it was fun enjoying some new territory and the scenery was great heading into the hills and bushveld of Zululand, making a change from the coastal floodplain I’m more familiar with.

The highlight of the drive there was another Lizard Buzzard, and this one flew across the road, prominently displaying his big white rump.

We talked our way into the lodge, saying we wanted to collect brochures …. the Blue Steed (my VW Polo) looked rather out of place at the ornate front door, covered in dust and spewing forth two almost dustier, dirtier Borlands. (It had been a long day, we’d been to Muzi Pans in the morning). Obviously my shirt also had a hole in it …

But Lauren suggested rich men sometimes dressed down, so we should be okay …

The Mkuze Falls Lodge certainly has a wonderful setting, high on a hill overlooking the falls and river.

On the way out, I mounted the dam wall where we had a drink and a bite to eat. The habitat certainly looked ideal for Black Coucal, but there have to be places that are easier to reach to find him!

On the way back to Bonamanzi, we saw Redbilled Oxpecker on the cattle and two large snakes on the road – the Olive Grass Snake and the Southern African Python.

Sightings list

White Helmetshrike

Blackcollared Barbet

Emeraldspotted Wood Dove

Southern Greyheaded Sparrow

Pintailed Whydah

Blackeyed Bulbul

Crested Francolin

Lizard Buzzard

Laughing Dove

Impala

Blue Wildebeest

Tawnyflanked Prinia

Rattling Cisticola

Pale Flycatcher

Warthog

Goldenbreasted Bunting

Redbilled Oxpecker

Speckled Mousebird

Olive Grass Snake

Southern African Python

The friendly little Bearded Robin at our campsite.

One of my greatest delights is discovering a new and terrific campsite and Bonamanzi falls into that category perfectly!

We had been in St Lucia – where we saw Red Squirrel, White-Eared Barbet, Blackeyed Bulbul and Glossy Starling – for Deon & Caroline’s lovely wedding at Seasands, so it was just a short trip up to the False Bay side of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park along the N2 and then about 5km on a dirt road until you reach Bonamanzi.

After stopping to check-in at the well-organised reception, it was off to our campsite on the very good sand roads and through enticing Tongaland Sand Forest – the southernmost occurence of this habitat.

I was blown away by our campsite – each one is private, secluded in the forest and has its own toilet/shower and little kitchen area. Sitting at night under the incredible stars just listening to the sounds of the forest was awesome – you really felt that there wasn’t another person around!

There’s also a swimming pool to use on those hot Zululand days – although it was pretty green during our visit.

Because I was using Bonamanzi as a base to explore places like Muzi Pans and Mkuze Falls, we did not do much birding there, but I did have a lovely walk.

At one stage I was a little alarmed by a game guard suddenly pointing his rifle down the road, so I decided to be very quiet and not spook him as I approached him through the forest at right-angles. He had no idea I was there and seemed a little trigger-happy!

With our camp being right in the forest, we had Yellowbellied Bulbul and their quaint nasal calls, Forest Weaver and their lovely swinging-gate calls, and a cute Bearded Robin all around us.

Best of all, we could hear Vervet Monkey nearby, but they never bothered us!

Driving out the second day, we had a great sighting of a Lizard Buzzard sitting on a telephone pole, his little black throat stripe showing beautifully. He’s not one you see too often, it was probably only my fourth or fifth sighting.

Sightings list

Impala

Nyala

Red Duiker

Crowned Hornbill

Yellowbellied Bulbul

Forktailed Drongo

Greenbacked Camaroptera

Cardinal Woodpecker

Blackbacked Puffback

Bearded Robin

Southern Black Tit

Natal Robin

Warthog

Collared Sunbird

African Goshawk

Moreau’s Tropical House Gecko

Squaretailed Drongo

African Hoopoe

Vervet Monkey

Lizard Buzzard

Hadeda Ibis

Forest Weaver

Defending champion Lee Westwood held off the rest of the field to win the Sun City Challenge by two strokes at the Gary Player Country Club on Sunday.

Westwood began the final day with a seven-shot lead after the course-record 62 he fired in the third round, but the Briton did not have the same sharpness to his game on Sunday. The rest of the field could not capitalise, however, with second-placed Robert Karlsson’s 68 being the best score of the fourth round, and Westwood could afford to bogey the last two holes for a win that was more convincing then the scoreline suggests.

Westwood’s final-round 73 saw him finish on 15-under-par 273 for the tournament, earning the world number three the winner’s cheque of $1.25 million in the 12-man invitational event.

The Englishman went through the front nine in two-under-par with birdies at the par-four sixth and par-five ninth holes, Westwood reaching the turn with a five-stroke lead.

He told a news conference afterwards that the old maxim of hitting fairways and greens had been his focus. “I tried to break it up into fairways and greens and I was two-under after the front nine. Graeme McDowell got within four of me and Robert Karlsson made a few putts coming in, but I played conservatively.

“Sometimes I aimed 25/30 feet wide of the flags and I wasn’t concerned about the odd bogey because I felt the course was playing quite tough,” Westwood said after his round. McDowell went to four-under-par for his round with a birdie at the par-five 10th, but his hopes took a dive with a double-bogey at the par-four 15th when his approach to the green went way down a bank. His first chip only went halfway back up the bank and his second chip was flying over the green when it hit the flag and rebounded 25 feet from the hole. Karlsson’s 68 was a steady round, but he struggled to develop the momentum necessary to challenge Westwood, while American Jason Dufner shot a 69 and was just four shots behind the leader when he reached the 15th tee. But he paid the price for putting his drive in the thick African bush, his second shot catching a flyer and finishing well right of the green, leading to a double-bogey.

Dufner finished with a 69 to claim third place on 11-under alongside McDowell.

South Korea’s Kyung-Tae Kim shot his fourth successive 70 to complete an impressive first visit to South Africa in fifth place on eight-under-par. South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel finished sixth on six-under.

Westwood is the sixth golfer to defend his title at Sun City, following in the footsteps of Seve Ballesteros (1984), David Frost (1990), Nick Price (1998), Ernie Els (2000) and Jim Furyk (2006).

The 38-year-old admitted he felt more comfortable at the Gary Player Country Club than on most courses.

“It’s a place I’ve always played well and it’s a great tournament to win – you’ve only got to look at the names on the trophy and on the walk to the ninth green to see that.

“It’s set up like a major championship course, you have to be real accurate off the tee and, if your distance-control is good, you can set up lots of birdies,” Westwood said.

No one has won three Sun City Challenge titles in a row, and Westwood said “obviously I’m coming back then next year” when told about the potential landmark.

The former world number one now goes on to the Dubai World Championship where he has finished first and third in the last two years. “There’s nothing like winning to give you confidence and I’d like to keep that momentum going. I’ve played well on that course too,” Westwood warned.