EXCLUSIVE | Lions coach Domingo pleased with almost perfect start to the season after nine-wicket victory over Titans

Lions coach Russell Domingo is pleased with the almost “perfect start” that the Lions have had in the new 2025/26 season following their nine-wicket victory over the Titans at SuperSport Park in Centurion.

The Lions got the better of the Titans in the first Jukskei derby of the season, with new recruit, fast bowler Siya Plaatjie leading from the front on debut with a second innings five-wicket haul.

The Titans fought back hard, taking the game into Day four; however, the Lions had a strong grip on the game, with opening batters Dominic Hendricks and Joshua Richards combining for 133 runs in the fourth innings to seal the nine-wicket victory.

Domingo told Independent Newspapers that the game was competitive and that Plaatjie played a key hand in setting up the victory.

“It was a very competitive game. It’s always a competitive game against the Titans, always a tough encounter. We were under pressure there for a large part of the first things,” Domingo said. 

“They got 370, and at one stage we were about 200 for six. But fortunately, Delano (Potgieter), Cody (Yusuf) and Bjorn (Fortuin) put together some fantastic partnerships.

“Then in the second innings, we saw a really special spell by the new signing, Siya Plaatjie. He said it was really cool to see in his debut game for the Lions. 

“I’m really pleased for him because he's worked really hard over these last couple of months. And he's reaped rewards for bringing some fantastic hard work.”

With the victory against the Titans, the Lions now have two victories in three CSA Four-Day Series games, with one game being a draw against the Dolphins.

Domingo is pleased with the start that they have had as they defend the title that they shared with the Titans last season.

“I think it's as close to a perfect start for us as we could have hoped for. Durban was a really good performance considering we were missing a few players and Keshav was a big threat there,” said Domingo.  

“The way we managed to get a draw there and put them under pressure in the second innings was really good. Then two really good wins against Westing Province and the Titans. 

“A good tight end side puts us in a good position with a host of home games to come because we've played all three away games and now we've got a couple of home games to come.

“There's one more next week (against North West Dragons) and then one in December. So, hopefully we can get one or two more results back at home where we've been really good over the last couple of years.”

Full Match Scorecard

Titans: 368 all out (J van Schalkwyk 72; Lutho Sipamla 2/49)
Lions: 386 (all out Delano Potgieter 99; Junior Dala 3/93)
Titans 158 all out (Lhuan-dre Pretorius 37; Siya Plaatjie 5/64)
Lions: 141 all out (Dominic Hendricks 65 not out; J van Schalkwyk 1/21)