Maties notched their first Varsity Cricket win when they handed Cape rivals UWC a 45-run defeat.
After losing to both UP-Tuks and UJ on the opening day Maties needed to bounce back, and they did just that by posting a competitive 181/6 and then restricting UWC to 136/7.
Maties won the toss and elected to bat first but Jean Bredenkamp nicked off for a duck to Lizaad Williams in the first over. His opening partner Jean Marais went on to make a quickfire 26 before being run out, leaving them 44/2 after six overs.
Leon le Roux took over the role of aggressor as David Bedingham played himself in, and the UWC bowlers were able to keep things relatively tight until the batsmen hit out against UWC captain Dawood Christians, taking the offspinner for 19 runs in the tenth over to make it 76/2 at the halfway stage of the innings.
However, Imraan Hendricks struck with the first ball after the drinks break, clean bowling Le Roux for 31 and it was not long before Bedingham followed him as Hendricks claimed his second victim.
Dewald Botha and Isma-eel Gafieldien set about building a platform from which they could launch in the closing overs, and the onslaught started in Hendricks’ final over, with some lusty blows from Gafielden spoiling his figures a bit as he ended with 2/21 in his four overs.
Botha perished for 25 looking to put the foot down, as did Niel Botha who was run out for 16 off just 10 balls, but Gafieldien stuck it out to the end, finishing on 37* as Maties registered 171/6.
UWC put on a solid opening stand of 45 before Eddie Schutte struck by getting Geroge Banda caught for 18 in the seventh over.
Niel and Dewald Botha bowled with great discipline to keep UWC to 57/1 at the halfway mark, needing 115 runs to win off the last 10 overs.
Niel Botha struck the next major blow, removing Lesiba Ngoepe and the set Ashley Cupido in the same over to leave UWC on 69/3 soon after the drinks break.
Hendricks came to the crease and promptly set about the Maties bowlers, but he fell on 21 when he was caught by Bredenkamp off the bowling of Nicholas Scholtz.
Jason Smith put a few balls over the ropes as UWC scrambled to get close to the formidable Maties total, but their hopes were ended when they lost three wickets in three balls.
Niel Botha removed Smith and Dean Mazhawidza with his last two balls to end with figures of 4/22 and Schutte bowled David Selepe with the first ball of the next over to reduce UWC to 121/7 as Maties finished off a convincing win.
The scores:
Maties: 181/6 (I Gafieldien 37*, L Le Roux 31; I Hendricks 2/21, L Williams 1/22)
UWC: 136/7 (J Smith 31, I Hendricks 21; N Botha 4/22, E Schutte 2/21)
Teams:
Maties: David Bedingham, Dewald Botha (captain), Niel Botha, Jean Bredenkamp, Justin Dill, Reinhardt Fortuin, Isma-eel Gafieldien, Leon le Roux, Jean Marais, Nicholas Scholtz, Edward Schutte.
UWC: Dawood Christians (captain), David Selepe, Dean Mazhawidza, Jason Smith, Lizaad Williams, Imraan Hendricks, Jody Lawrence, Ashley Cupido, George Banda, Lesiba Ngoepe, Jean Heunis.
