Ken Borland

The Central Gauteng Lions, led by their rampant batting line-up, roared to a hat-trick of 50-over titles on Thursday night as they beat Western Province by 62 runs in the One-Day Cup final at the Wanderers.

With the top four all scoring half-centuries, the Lions raced to 358 for five in their 48 overs after being sent in to bat, the start of the final being delayed due to morning rain.

Paceman Lutho Sipamla then took five wickets as Western Province were bowled out for 296, but they would have been most frustrated by losing three wickets to the part-time off-spin of Reeza Hendricks, who finished with career-best figures of three for 18 in three overs.

Those three wickets put an end to whatever hopes were remaining for Western Province after a strong start. Hendricks came on to bowl with the visitors on 217 for three after 33 overs, needing 142 more runs off 90 balls.

Eddie Moore, who had shown his white-ball value with a run-a-ball 82, targeting the short boundary towards the grass embankment, moved into switch-hit position way too early, Hendricks fired a quicker, shorter delivery outside leg-stump and the cramped reverse-pull went straight to short third man.

Western Province’s obsession with the short boundary continued when, two balls later, Daniel Smith did the same thing. The youngster scored 24 off 29 balls, overdoing his attempts to sweep, both conventionally and reverse, when there were better scoring opportunities straight down the ground.

Earlier, Tony de Zorzi was once again rampant for Western Province at the top of the order, causing the Lions some anxiety with a great effort of 88 off 69 balls.

But Sipamla also took two wickets in an over, the 25th, when he had De Zorzi caught at long-on and then bowled an excellent first delivery to Zubayr Hamza, having him caught behind for a duck.

George Linde kept the visitors in with a slim shout as he belted 42 off 32 balls, before Malusi Siboto dismissed him and last man Nandre Burger off successive deliveries.

The Lions innings was constructed in excellent fashion with openers Josh Richards and Ryan Rickelton putting on 142 in 22 overs.

Richards began the onslaught by taking on the new ball and hammering nine fours and two sixes, but the in-form Rickelton was quickly underway too.

The left-handed wicketkeeper/batsman took over the aggressor’s mantle from Richards and scored freely in a fiery 75 off 63 balls, which included 14 fours, before he was bowled by left-arm spinner Linde.

Richards ploughed on though, adding another 71 in little more than 10 overs with Reeza Hendricks for the second wicket, before being superbly caught one-handed by Beuran Hendricks, diving full-length at wide mid-on, off Nandre Burger, for 94.

Reeza Hendricks maintained the Lions’ dominance though with a stroke-filled 69 off 64 balls, while Mitchell van Buuren turned the knife with a phenomenal 62 off just 36 deliveries.

Evan Jones provided the finishing touches to a record 50-over score for the Lions with his 30 off 16 balls.

Even on a brilliant batting pitch, the Lions had done enough to bat themselves out of reach of Western Province.

Deon Fourie has been around South African rugby for a while, making his senior debut for Western Province in 2005, and he also played in France for seven years with Lyon and Grenoble, but the 35-year-old Stormers hero has always had a burning desire to be chosen for the Springboks.

Following his sensational displays in leading the Stormers to the United Rugby Championship title, he was selected to the Springbok squad for the first time, alongside seven other uncapped players.

On Thursday, the utility forward had completed his first week of training with the Springboks and his face, battered as it has been this season from all his tremendous efforts at the breakdown, was beaming.

“The intensity is way higher up than at provincial level, and, at the age of 35, it takes me longer to get up and running and I’m feeling it a bit,” Fourie smiled at their Pretoria hotel.

“Some guys have waited 22 years for their dream to come true, but for me it’s been 35 years. So it’s just great to be here and to realise my dream,” he said.

Fourie’s Stormers team-mate Evan Roos, also immense in the URC triumph, is 22 years old and perhaps who the elder statesman was referring to.

“This is a boyhood dream come true,” Roos said. “I watched most of these guys growing up, so it feels a bit surreal to be in the same squad as them now.

“But I’m excited about working hard on my game and making sure the important little things get better,” Roos said.

While new faces certainly bring an injection of energy and fresh ideas into a squad, it is a universal truth in rugby that experience is vital at international level.

And Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber said that, coupled with a burning desire to restore their pride, will make Wales dangerous opponents in South Africa’s first three Tests of the year, starting on July 2 at Loftus Versfeld.

“We have an average of 26 caps per player, while Wales has 36 so they have experienced players who have been there before,” Nienaber said. “Their clubs also didn’t make the playoffs in the URC, so they have had a nice month to prepare.

“I’m not sure if they are pushing the restart button from the Six Nations, but I know from 2018 when we were desperate that you do desperate things. We changed our defensive system and the way we kick.

“They have had a lot of negative publicity, a desperate team is always dangerous and it is always a tough battle against Wales. Coach Wayne Pivac said their mission was to win a Test in South Africa for the first time.

“So we will prepare for what we think will come our way, but we will have to adapt on the field, do it on the run. We’re going to have to be unbelievably solutions-driven,” Nienaber said.

South Africa’s tour to Ireland next month will see the Proteas Women’s team herald the arrival of a new face in international cricket in Western Province all-rounder Delmi Tucker.

Tucker is the only new cap in the 15-strong squad that will play three T20s and three ODIs in Dublin. There are four other changes to the squad that reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in New Zealand in March, with wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta, all-rounder Marizanne Kapp, opening batter Lizelle Lee and seamer Masabata Klaas all unavailable for medical reasons. Veteran batter Mignon du Preez retired after the World Cup and also needed to be replaced.

The introduction of Tucker to the Proteas team is clearly exciting for convenor of selectors Clinton du Preez.

“Delmi Tucker has been rewarded off the back of a very successful domestic season and has really made positive strides with significant contributions, and we are looking forward to seeing her transition into the international arena,” Du Preez said.

Tucker, who was educated at Hoërskool Menlo Park, the same school as captain Sune Luus, averaged 40 with the bat to help guide Western Province to second place in the Women’s Provincial One-Day Top 6 during the 2021/22 domestic season, including three half-centuries. She averaged 64.50 as WP were crowned the Women’s Provincial T20 champions. With the ball, off-spinner Tucker picked up 14 wickets in 10 games in the 50-over competition.

Apart from the 24-year-old Tucker, the other players brought into the squad are spinner Raisibe Ntozakhe, all-rounder Nadine de Klerk and batters Andrie Steyn and Anneke Bosch.

Regular captain Dane van Niekerk is continuing her rehabilitation from a fractured ankle and has returned to individual training.

“The selection approach has been very clear and is set out to balance both the preparations towards the T20 Commonwealth Games and the T20 World Cup. With the latter a few months away, coupled with the ODI games that commences the ICC Women’s Championships ranking points, a blend of players who can excel and add value to both formats were selected and to allow for rotation,” Du Preez added.

Proteas squad: Anneke Bosch (NW), Tazmin Brits (NW), Trisha Chetty (KZN Coastal), Nadine de Klerk (WP), Lara Goodall (WP), Shabnim Ismail (KZN Coastal), Ayabonga Khaka (CGL), Sune Luus (Northerns), Nonkululeko Mlaba (KZN Coastal), Raisibe Ntozakhe (CGL), Tumi Sekhukhune (CGL), Andrie Steyn (WP), Chloe Tryon (KZN Coastal), Delmi Tucker (WP), Laura Wolvaardt (WP).

Western Province captain Nama Xaba is one of the most exciting young loose forwards in the country, but for now he is focused on trying to lead his team out of the Currie Cup doldrums and gobbling up every opportunity he gets for the high-flying Stormers side in the United Rugby Championship.

The 24-year-old Xaba is a turnover specialist of note, but his place in the Stormers team is blocked by the evergreen Deon Fourie, who has been in phenomenal form this year. But the respect with which the Durban-born player is held in Cape Town is shown by him being appointed captain of the Currie Cup team, which is struggling to stay in semi-final contention with just nine points from eight matches.

“It’s been a baptism of fire for me but a great honour to captain Western Province,” Xaba said. “It hasn’t gone too well on the field, but we have a young side and we will take a lot of learnings out of it.

“We know what exciting players we have in the union and we’re just waiting for everything to click, we’re trying to get our competitiveness back, we feel like we can touch it, it’s so close.

“There are a few players swinging between the URC and the Currie Cup, like myself, Ben-Jason Dixon and Juan de Jongh. In a way I’m fortunate that I know I’m not in John Dobson’s direct URC plans and I won’t be starting every week.

“But I just try and use whatever opportunity I get in the URC to the best of my ability. It’s tricky when players come down to the Currie Cup side, but obviously their experience is very helpful,” Xaba said.

The Western Province Rugby Union was in disarray a couple of years ago, but the superb success of the Stormers – fourth in the URC log – has improved the mood considerably. Xaba said the team management have been able to drive a focus on what is happening inside the squad and on the field, but not allowing all the administrative controversy and chaos to distract them.

“The management have brought a lot of change in attitude and we should give them credit. What’s happening in the newspapers is not being allowed to creep into the team space.

“The coaches have done really well because it is our job security on the line. We have focused just on what we need to do, which has freed up the players and we are training well. They’ve done well to shield us.

“Winning is also a big thing. There are a lot of external pressures if you don’t win, because people think those off-field issues are creeping in. But it takes a lot of pressure off when you have the Stormers being so successful in the URC,” Xaba said.