Warriors hold off Dolphins attack for conciliation win in CSA 4-Day Series

The Warriors found a last burst of energy in their CSA 4-Day Series campaign, defeating the Dolphins by 37 runs in Gqeberha to secure their first win of the tournament, and deny the visitors a final appearance, which will now be an all-Gauteng affair later this week.

Although it was their final match, the Warriors, who remain at the bottom of the table despite the win, outplayed the Dolphins. The defeat, however, was a blow for the Dolphins championship ambitions, their chances of facing the Lions in the final dashed with this crucial loss.

Several notable knocks by Khaya Zondo (118 off 174 balls), Jason Smith (54 off 103 balls), and a brilliant tail-end effort by Eathan Bosch (80 off 96 balls) were not enough to push their team over the line.

Senuran Muthusamy made batting a difficult task on the final day with his spell of 5/95 from 35 overs. The left-arm orthodox spinner was the pick of the Warriors' attack, bowling double the overs of everyone else on Sunday.

The Dolphins were on 163/4 at lunch, with Khaya Zondo again putting up a solid stance after his team lost their top order on the previous afternoon. They needed 218 to win at lunch. Zondo's partnership with Jason Smith looked promising before Jason Raubenheimer took his only wicket of the day, removing Smith for 54.

Zondo continued to play well after the fall of Smith, getting the Dolphins to 240/6 at drinks before reaching his century. He brought up his ton in style with a boundary and capped it off with a bow in the direction of his team’s locker room. The partnership between Zondo and Eathan Bosch also reached 50 at the time of Zondo’s century.

Zondo was eventually caught in his crease and given out lbw by Andile Mogakane, leaving the Dolphins' hopes resting on Bosch. The 26-year-old fought back and tried to swing momentum into his team's favour, smashing a six and nine fours in the process.

However, he did not receive support from the other end. Prenelan Subrayen tried his best with 26 off 54 balls, but Siya Plaatjie was determined to wrap up the tail.

Muthusamy claimed his fifth wicket of the match, dismissing Tristan Luus for a duck, before Plaatjie removed Okuhle Cele for a duck as well, putting the Dolphins out of their misery after being outplayed by the last-placed Warriors.

The second-placed Titans, meanwhile, drew their match against Boland, taking a point away from their game. The Pretoria-based outfit will face the Lions for the championship from Thursday.