Ken Borland

It was a scintillating Saturday for left wing Seabelo Senatla at Loftus Versfeld as he scored a magnificent try and set up a brilliant second one as Western Province beat the Blue Bulls 23-18 in an entertaining Absa Currie Cup match.

Western Province bided their time, defending superbly as the Bulls dominated territory for long periods, and when they struck it was potent and clinical.

While the Bulls’ attack was mostly narrow, their forwards driving and mauling the ball up ad infinitum, Western Province kept their width and weren’t afraid to use it.

And the Bulls erred enough times while on attack to provide the visitors with counter-attacking opportunities. One of those was on the hour mark when wing Sampie Mastriet coughed up possession and Western Province fullback Cheslin Kolbe ran the turnover ball across the field and linked up with Senatla, who was holding position out wide on the 22m line.

Senatla had space, which is a recipe for disaster when defending against the Sevens star, and he embarked on a dazzling 80m run that saw him ignominiously burn William Small-Smith on the outside, before dancing infield and then bursting through Jesse Kriel’s tackle to score a try that will be remembered for many a day.

That brilliant try came just three minutes after Western Province had scored their first try, which was also a superb effort and possibly even more thrilling for the coaching staff because it came off a set-piece move.

From a lineout, flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis looped with eighthman Nizaam Carr and inside centre Jaco Taute then gave a super inside ball to Senatla, who came flying up from the left wing. The 21-year-old showed his wonderful feet as he danced through the gap and then fed the ball out wide to Kobus van Wyk, who had done well to keep his width, and finished with great pace himself.

Although Senatla was helped off the field soon afterwards after twisting his ankle, the injury is apparently not a major one and certainly not season-ending.

Catrakilis converted both tries and suddenly Western Province were 20-10 up when just five minutes earlier it had looked to be the Bulls’ day as they led 10-6 after a penalty by replacement flyhalf Tian Schoeman rewarded an excellent scrum by the home side.

“To play like that and to lose can make your mind go,” Bulls coach Frans Ludeke lamented after the match. “Credit to the players for a huge improvement and there were a lot of positives from that game. But we just lost momentum in the second half at crucial times, we didn’t exit well enough and there were soft moments.”

“I’m really very happy to beat a desperate Bulls side which showed a big improvement tonight, at altitude. It’s their first loss at Loftus Versfeld this year and if they’d played like that before they would have had many more points on the log. We made mistakes but it takes a tight team to pull through here,” Western Province coach Allister Coetzee said.

“Our defence is a non-negotiable, but we’ve also got the players to turn defence into attack. The outside backs were really switched on to that tonight and the half-backs also play a big role in that. We have strength, speed, guile and power in our backline and it’s a good combination.

“There’s a good balance to our play, it doesn’t depend on where we are on the field of play either, and we’re devastating at the moment from broken play,” the former Springbok assistant coach said.

The opening points of the match only came after 34 minutes of intriguing ball-in-hand action and massive defence by both sides.

A good kick by Kurt Coleman, on while Catrakilis was in the blood bin, forced the Bulls to concede a lineout just outside their 22 and the Western Province rolling maul earned the substitute flyhalf a penalty shot at goal.

Bulls flyhalf Joshua Stander  missed an easy penalty just a minute later and, after playing their best rugby of the campaign in the first half, dominating territory but hardly kicking, and pounding the advantage line, the home side would have been disappointed to have gone into the break scoreless.

Catrakilis landed a second penalty for Western Province five minutes into the second half – it came after a period of Bulls-like driving and mauling by the visitors – but it took just three more minutes for the hosts to score their first points, through a great try by storming flank Jacques du Plessis.

The Bulls were defending a lineout 30 metres from their line after a poor clearance by Kriel, but when Western Province threw over the top and eighthman Jono Ross won the ball, they again refused to just kick possession away. Instead Ross ran and found mobile lock Grant Hattingh, who burst clear into space. Mastriet then dashed down the right wing before the ball went back inside and Du Plessis charged over for an impressive try.

Stander converted and then his replacement Schoeman kicked a penalty to put the Bulls 10-6 up.

“We wanted to keep the pace and tempo of the game up, get numbers to the ball, and it was just our final passes that let us down,” Ludeke said. “We were really attacking the gainline and slowly but surely getting somewhere, but then we would give them broken field play and that’s where their tries came from. We need to look after the ball better, but I thought we had the better of them in the scrums and our lineouts were good.”

But then Senatla showed his extraordinary finishing talents to put Western Province firmly in control.

The Bulls held on to the ball well for the next 10 minutes to earn another penalty for Schoeman, but Dean Greyling’s high tackle on Kolbe gave Coleman the opportunity to restore a 10-point lead (23-13) just four minutes later.

The Bulls hammered away at close quarters in the final minutes and belatedly got quick ball out wide to Mastriet, who powered through two tackles from 20 metres out to score.

Schoeman missed the touchline conversion and the Bulls were unable to breach the phenomenal Western Province defence again before the final hooter sounded.

“We need the same effort but with more accuracy,” Ludeke concluded.

For Coetzee, Western Province’s fourth successive win not only stretches their lead at the top of the log to three points but could also be a watershed moment in their Currie Cup campaign.

“There’s a complete integration in our play and we need to keep going, be driven by our own standards and run our own race. Winning makes that easier and I must compliment the leadership for getting four points under these conditions: against a very desperate Bulls side at altitude,” Coetzee said.

Theunis de Bruyn, the Assupol Tuks captain, set the opening day of the Red Bull Campus Cricket Finals in London alight as his magnificent unbeaten century carried his team to the most emphatic of victories on the first day of the competition yesterday.

De Bruyn plundered a 49-ball century as Tuks, who had won the toss, slammed 205 for four in the T20 match against the University of Liberal Arts, the Bangladesh representatives in the Varsity World Cup.

The Tuks openers, Aiden Markram (22) and Gerry Pike (34), provided the stable foundation for De Bruyn to launch in the closing overs.

The 21-year-old finished on a phenomenal 137 not out off just 60 balls, with 12 fours and eight sixes, as he took 51 runs off the last three overs, including 24 off the final over bowled by medium-pacer Abdullah Imran.

Far from being wild hitting like a cur feeding frenzy, it was a clinical, ruthless display of batting by De Bruyn.

The Tuks bowlers then dished out a similarly efficient display as they restricted the University of Liberal Arts to 91 for seven, clinching a 114-run victory.

New-ball bowler Corbin Bosch (3-0-16-2) and lanky off-spinner Ruben Claassen (4-0-22-2) were the most successful bowlers, but everyone contributed. There were also wickets for seamer Johan Wessels and left-arm spinner David Mogotlane, but none of the eight bowlers used conceded more than six-an-over.

Tuks play England’s Leeds Bradford MCC today, before finishing their round-robin against Jamaica Inter-Collegiate Sports Association on Wednesday.

The West Indians won a low-scoring encounter against Leeds Bradford yesterday, so the hosts are bound to come out firing against Tuks today.

The magnificent centuries of Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith, in his 100th Test, put South Africa in obvious control as they reached 403 for two at stumps on the third day of the first Test against England at the Oval in London on Saturday.

133rd over – Stuart Broad floats up a long, wide half-volley to Jacques Kallis and the maestro hammers it through the covers for four to take South Africa to 400.

129th over – Another sumptious punch off the back foot for four through cover-point by Amla, this time off Tim Bresnan, and South Africa are now in the lead.

128th over – Part-time off-spinner Kevin Pietersen is on and his second delivery is short and wide and Kallis cuts it through the covers for four.

126th over – Kallis gets on top of the bounce nicely and steers Jimmy Anderson through gully for four.

121st over – What a pinpoint throw from Andrew Strauss! Sadly it is into his own sunglasses which flipped off his head as he dashed in from midwicket to try and prevent a quick single by Kallis off Graeme Swann. Strauss was leaning backwards when he threw and managed to spear the ball straight into his glasses which were descending in front of him! They are totally demolished and the England captain dashes off to the changeroom at the end of the over to get another pair. He returns empty-handed however! Sponsors will have to help out …

115th over – Swann is spitting mad as he bowls a full toss to Amla, which is dispatched through the covers for four. It is his 39th over though … must be getting tired …

114th over – Neatly played by Kallis as he steers Ravi Bopara through backward point for four.

112th over – Four more for Amla with a majestic cover-drive for four off Bopara … even deep cover can’t stop the boundary.

106th over – Scintillating batting by Kallis as he ends the Bresnan over with two impressive boundaries. He leans back and pulls emphatically to the midwicket fence and then strokes an imperious drive through extra cover.

105th over – Over-pitched from Swann and Amla drives the off-spinner beautifully through the covers for four to go to 150 for the fourth time in his Test career. Amla has been the crease for just over seven hours and faced 294 balls, stroking 19 fours. A really fine innings, especially considering the pressure when he came to the crease.

98th over – Kallis heaves a sweep over midwicket for four off Swann.

Afternoon session

Hashim Amla was left to carry on the good work as South Africa went to tea on 277 for two on the third day of the first Test against England at the Oval in London on Saturday.

92nd over – Tim Bresnan strays down leg again and Amla sends the ball skipping down to the fine leg boundary for four.

88th over – WICKET – Graeme Smith’s tremendous innings comes to an end in fairly freakish fashion. The left-hander looks to play Bresnan into the leg side with his usual closed bat-face, but this time the ball comes off the bat and into his front leg, from where it ricochets back into the stumps! Smith bowled for 131 off 273 balls, with 20 fours. Jacques Kallis gets going with a boundary as Bresnan strays leg-side and the batsman works the ball to the fine leg boundary.

85th over – Amla is a bit early on the drive off Jimmy Anderson and the ball flies straight back down the wicket, but the bowler can’t get a hand to it and away it runs to the boundary, bringing up the 250 partnership off 493 balls.

84th over – Smith thick-edges Stuart Broad through gully, but he was well in control of the shot and gets four runs. He runs the next ball down to the third man boundary as well, past the despairing dive of Graeme Swann at third slip. Broad now goes straighter and Smith works him off his hip to fine leg for a third successive boundary!

83rd over – Amla has been driving and driving the second new ball without any reward, but now he gets one out the screws off Anderson, sending the ball racing through the covers for four.

82nd over – Stuart Broad is back with the second new ball, but strays down leg and Amla glances him fine for four.

74th over – England, in their desperation, have now wasted a review after Bresnan’s appeal against Smith for lbw was turned down. The paceman straightened a delivery into the left-hander, but HotSpot picks up a tiny scratch of bat on the ball. It also pitched outside leg stump and would probably have gone over the stumps!

72nd over – Amla edges a steer off Anderson past third slip for four to go to 99 and two balls later he steers the ball with far more control to third man for a single and his 15th test century. There’s no denying his sheer class either, this hundred coming in 282 minutes, off 199 balls and showcasing his great temperament and skill. Anderson’s next delivery, to Smith, is leg-side and flicked away for four by the South African captain.

69th over – Wonderful skill from Amla as he collects two boundaries in the Swann over – wristily flicking a ball from middle-and-off through midwicket, and then getting a sweep from outside off stump ridiculously fine for his 12th four.

67th over – Anderson starts after lunch with a 7:2 offside field, but his last delivery gets a bit of reverse in-shape, on to the pads and Amla flicks the ball through backward square for four.

Morning session

Graeme Smith brought up his century just before lunch which South Africa took on 187 for one on the third day of the first Test against England at the Oval in London on Saturday.

65th over – Successive boundaries off Tim Bresnan take Smith to his 25th Test century just two balls before lunch. The left-hander steers the ball through gully and then cracks a crunching cut shot behind point for his 16th boundary. Smith becomes the seventh batsman to score a century in his 100th Test, after Colin Cowdrey, Javed Miandad, Gordon Greenidge, Alec Stewart, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Ricky Ponting, and he needed four-and-a-half hours and 201 balls to reach the landmark. His 2nd fifty took just 41 balls! One of the all-time greats, there’s no denying!

64th over – Smith comes down the pitch to a well-flighted delivery from Graeme Swann, makes it a full toss and whips the ball through wide mid-on for four.

57th over – Ravi Bopara replaces Swann and again finds an edge, but this time Smith’s drive flies through gully for four.

56th over – Four more for Smith! Stuart Broad again drifts too straight from around the wicket and Smith whips him, straight out of the middle of the bat, through square-leg.

55th over – 21 runs from Swann’s last two overs as Smith collects two more boundaries. First he comes down the wicket again, driving crisply wide of mid-on for four; Swann then fires in a delivery on leg-stump and Smith tickles it fine for his 10th four, four of them in the last three overs!

54th over – Smith lashes the first ball after the drinks break through the covers with a classic cover-drive for four. Bowler Broad helped by bowling around the wicket and angling the ball into the left-hander, and by over-pitching, but that was a magnificent stroke by the South African captain.

53rd over – Swann has rather tied Smith up this morning, but the South African captain now breaks the shackles. He comes down the pitch to the first ball of the over and flicks the off-spinner through square-leg for three runs, bringing up his fifty. Coming off 160 balls, in 208 minutes, it’s the slowest of his 33 Test half-centuries. Two balls later, Smith reaches far down the pitch and sweeps very well, past backward square-leg for his seventh boundary.

52nd over – A wonderful cover-drive for four by Hashim Amla off Broad, perfectly-placed, hardly a fielder moved!

44th over – England are targeting Smith outside off stump today but this time it’s a touch short from Jimmy Anderson and the left-hander steers the ball expertly through gully for four, bringing up the hundred partnership off 246 deliveries.

43rd over – Full and on middle stump from Swann and Smith covers the turn and clips the ball firmly through midwicket for four.

42nd over – Amla gets the first boundary of the day with a superbly elegant back-foot drive through the covers off Anderson.

41st over – Amla completes a wonderfully composed half-century, in 152 minutes off 110 balls, as he drives off-spinner Swann to mid-on and steals a single.