The Unlimited Titans were able to spring into action – as befits the month of September – from the word go as they dominated the opening day of the inaugural Global Softech Sixes Franchise Challenge with three consecutive victories at SuperSport Park yesterday.

Their opening match, the 10.50am encounter with the Warriors, proved a good tune-up as they restricted the Eastern Cape franchise to 87 for two in their five overs, left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe and medium-pacers Theunis de Bruyn and Farhaan Behardien all producing tidy overs.

De Bruyn is also a clean-hitting, powerful batsman and he slammed four sixes off nine balls in scoring 33 not out as he and fellow opener Henry Davids (32 retired off 7 balls, 4×6) broke the back of the chase as the Titans laid down an early warning to the other franchises, winning with a full over to spare.

In their second match, against the Highveld Lions, David Wiese showed that he is one of the most effective hitters in the country as he hammered four sixes off five balls, scoring 25 not out to take the Titans to 99 for one.

Behardien, another man who has no doubt been earmarked for the national team to be chosen tomorrow, scored 27 not out off 10 balls, while De Bruyn again showed what a talented batsman he is by scoring 34 off 10 balls before having to retire.

Spin is again proving to be an effective weapon for the Titans and Van der Merwe conceded just eight runs, six of them from one hit by Chris Morris, in the second over before off-spinner Davids took two for seven in the third to fatally undermine the Lions’ chase.

There was a slight threat in the final over when De Bruyn had to be taken out of the attack after bowling two high full tosses, hit for six and four respectively, but wicketkeeper Mangaliso Mosehle, with 28 runs to play with, conceded 19 runs off the last four balls and removed the dangerous Morris, who belted seven sixes in his 53 off 17 deliveries.

Wiese bowled a magnificent opening over, conceding just four runs (the most economical of the day) and dismissing Cameron Delport for a duck to give the Titans early control in the final game of the day, against the Dolphins.

But Morne van Wyk, who was only dismissed once yesterday in scoring 113 runs off 30 balls, hit four sixes in his 31 retired and Khaya Zondo made 35 retired off nine balls to take the Dolphins to a competitive 97 for one.

But Davids (35) and De Bruyn (33) each plundered five sixes before retiring with the bulk of the chase done, Wiese scoring 22 not out off five balls to steer the Titans home with four deliveries to spare.

The Titans now need to win just one of their two matches today to book their place in the Franchise Challenge final.

Scores in brief

Cape Cobras 72-5 (Richard Levi 20, Justin Ontong 20*; Malusi Siboto 1-8, Shadley van Schalkwyk 2-9). Knights 67-3 (Dillon du Preez 21, Werner Coetsee 22*; Stiaan van Zyl 1-7). Cape Cobras won by 5 runs.

Warriors 87-2 (Colin Ingram 36*, Jon-Jon Smuts 24). Titans 90-1 (Henry Davids 32*, Theunis de Bruyn 33*, Farhaan Behardien 23). Titans won by 5 wickets.

Highveld Lions 83-4 (Shaylen Pillay 55*; Khaya Zondo 3-10). Dolphins 72-5 (Morne van Wyk 28, Khaya Zondo 24*; Chris Morris 1-8, Pumelela Matshikwe 2-10). Highveld Lions won by 11 runs.

Cape Cobras 84-2 (Richard Levi 32*, Justin Ontong 25*; Ryan Bailey 2-12). Warriors 89-0 (Colin Ingram 34*, Christiaan Jonker 22*, Ryan Bailey 30*). Warriors won by 6 wickets.

Titans 99-1 (Theunis de Bruyn 34*, Farhaan Behardien 27*, David Wiese 25*; Dwaine Pretorius 1-10). Highveld Lions 91-5 (Chris Morris 53; Henry Davids 2-7). Titans won by 8 runs.

Dolphins 120-3 (Morne van Wyk 54*, Cameron Delport 35*, Keshav Maharaj 20; Werner Coetsee 2-20). Knights 95-1 (Reeza Hendricks 36*, Dillon du Preez 20, Werner Coetsee 32*). Dolphins won by 25 runs.

Cape Cobras 113-3 (Stiaan van Zyl 31*, Richard Levi 35*, Dane Vilas 34*). Highveld Lions 109-1 (Chris Morris 34*, Shaylen Pillay 33*, Brian Barnard 20*). Cape Cobras won by 4 runs.

Dolphins 97-1 (Morne van Wyk 31*, Robbie Frylinck 21*, Khaya Zondo 35*; David Wiese 1-4). Titans 101-1 (Henry Davids 35*, Theunis de Bruyn 33*, David Wiese 22*). Titans won by 5 wickets.

Today’s fixtures: 10h00 Warriors v Knights; 10h50 Dolphins v Cobras; 11h40 Knights v Titans; 12h30 Warriors v Lions; 13h20 Titans v Cobras; 14h10 Warriors v Dolphins; 15h00 Knights v Lions; 16h10 Franchise Sixes final.

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 log-leading Cape Cobras bounced back from a heavy defeat last weekend as they dominated the opening day of their Sunfoil Series match against the Dolphins at Newlands on Thursday.

Having sent the Dolphins in to bat, the Cobras dismissed them for just 174 and had closed to within 44 runs with six wickets in hand as they reached stumps on 130 for four.

The Cobras had been embarrassed last week at Newlands as they slumped to an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of the Highveld Lions, but a full house of four bowling bonus points has seen them build on their 11.68-point lead at the top of the table.

Left-arm paceman Beuran Hendricks led a top-class bowling effort by the Cobras as he took five for 47, a career-best effort in the four-day competition.

A defiant 92 by opener Divan van Wyk was all that stood between the Dolphins and a total disaster at a cloudy Newlands.

Fast bowler Kyle Abbott, rapidly becoming a candidate for higher honours, kept the Dolphins in the contest as he claimed the important wickets of Alastair Gray (36) and Justin Ontong (28), finishing the day tied with Cobras seamer Johann Louw as the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 30 scalps.

Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj had a well-set Stiaan van Zyl (29) caught at short-midwicket the ball before Ontong’s dismissal for a double strike by the Dolphins, but Qaasim Adams (14*) and Dane Vilas (4*) batted out the rest of the day for the Cobras.

The second-placed Warriors had allowed the Knights off the hook in their match in Bloemfontein, after reducing the hosts to 135 for seven.

The most impressive of centuries by Rilee Rossouw, who reached three figures off just 107 deliveries despite the chaos around him, and the clean-hitting of the in-form tailender Dillon du Preez, who followed up his century last weekend against the Titans with an unbeaten 88 including 13 fours and two sixes, lifted the Knights to 268 all out.

Paceman Gurshwin Rabie was the pick of the Warriors attack, ripping through the middle-order and finishing with four for 63 in 19 overs.

Off-spinner Simon Harmer removed the lower-order to take three for 67.

Du Preez was then given the new ball as reward for his heroic efforts down the order and he trapped Michael Price (0) in front of the stumps with his second delivery.

Captain Davey Jacobs was caught behind off left-arm seamer Romano Terblanche for 18 as the Warriors slipped to 36 for two, but the experienced duo of Arno Jacobs (33*) and Ashwell Prince (24*) had lifted the Eastern Cape side into a better position on 79 for two by stumps.

In Johannesburg, the Titans seemed to have looked upwards at the overcast sky rather than downwards at the pitch when they won the toss and sent the Lions in to bat, the home side cruising to 124 for one at lunch as Dominic Hendricks (74) and Temba Bavuma (62) added 112 for the second wicket.

But the Titans bowlers tightened up considerably when they came out for the afternoon session and claimed five wickets for 82 runs.

When Cliffe Deacon joined fellow veteran Zander de Bruyn at the crease, the Lions had slumped to 223 for six, but the left-hander scored a valuable 20 to help switch the momentum.

When De Bruyn was eventually trapped leg-before by spinner Shaun von Berg for a fighting 65, the Lions had climbed to 303 all out, Imran Tahir (14*) sharing in a rollicking last-wicket stand of 41 in 6.2 overs.

David Wiese was the most successful of the Titans bowlers with three for 47 in 15 overs, while the probing seam bowling of Ethy Mbhalati and Rowan Richards earned them two wickets apiece, although the left-arm quick left the field with injury during the important seventh-wicket stand between De Bruyn and Deacon.

The Titans openers then survived the hostile new-ball spell of Chris Morris as they reached 23 without loss. Jacques Rudolph, the returning international, was dropped by Bavuma in the gully on four in the penultimate over of the day, bowled by the rather more wayward Hardus Viljoen.

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Retief Goosen will have an axe to grind with whatever establishment he is boarding at this week having picked up a bout of food poisoning, but the two-time US Open champion didn’t allow it to stop him from firing a top-class round of 66 on the opening day of the Joburg Open at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club on Thursday.

Lately it’s been a dodgy back that has troubled Goosen, but that was fine on Thursday. His stomach – not so good.

“My back was okay, but I had a bit of stomach trouble. I went to the toilet six times before the round and another three times on the course. Maybe I should have had some Goose wine to settle it,” Goosen, whose other profession is wine-making, said.

Goosen’s round was set up by a fantastic front nine on the West Course in which he picked up five birdies.

“I had a good start with three straight birdies, the first nine was great but the back nine was a bit scrappy. I drove the ball okay on the back nine, but I didn’t really hit any good shots into the green. Seventeen was maybe another birdie chance,” Goosen mused.

Although he began the tournament on the easier of the two courses, Goosen said the West Course could still be tricky and he said the wind made it difficult to get his compass bearings right for some shots.

“The West Course is a bit shorter, but it still plays long and it’s still tricky. There are some very long par-fours and there’s a lot of moisture in the air, so the ball’s not flying that extra 10% you’d expect at altitude. I hit a few shots 10 or 15 yards short.

“There are some really good holes, 18 is tough, if you push the ball a little right off the tee, you can block yourself out. The wind was also never into you or straight down, it was coming through the trees, across the course the whole time, which makes it difficult to get the right ball-flight,” Goosen said.

The 42-year-old made pars on all but two of the holes on the back nine – bogeying the par-three 13th but then birdieing the par-five 15th hole.

“I played solid, maybe I could have had more birdies on the front nine, but you can push too hard on the West Course,” Goosen said.