After losing by five wickets in their opening game, Tuks got their revenge when they beat Maties by seven wickets in the first semi-final at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom on Saturday morning.
Maties won the toss and sent Fritz de Beer and Vezokuhle Mntungwa in to bat first. After a stead start by the opening pair, Mntungwa fell short in the fifth over, caught by Neil Brand off the bowling of Kundai Matigimu. Timothy Whitehead took to the crease and led the way for Maties, scoring 35 runs off 24 balls while captain Fritz de Beer went for 28 off 33 balls.
Matigimu continued in his search for wickets, taking three while Ruben Trumpelmann and Sean Gilson grabbed two apiece. Maties managed to see out their twenty overs, but with the Tuks bowlers pinning them back and taking wickets at regular intervals, the Maroon Machine ended their innings on a low score of 125/9.
Timothy Whitehead got Maties off to a dream start on the bowling front, taking the massive wicket of Jiveshen Pillay in the first over as he left the pitch without scoring any runs. The arrival of Aron Visser was the confidence-booster that Tuks needed, as he continued to find boundaries before he was dismissed scoring 24 runs off 16 balls.
Ruan de Swardt and Neil Brand built a strong partnership for the Pretoria boys, with Brand getting his half-century before he was caught out by Daniel da Costa on 52 off 35 balls. Tuks required twelve runs with six overs to spare and Donovan Ferreira took it upon himself to win the game, scoring two sixes in a row to book their spot in the final for an impressive fifth year running.
FNB Player of the Match: Neil Brand (Tuks)
MTN Pulse Bowler of the Match: Kundai Matigimu (Tuks)
Steers Best Batsman: Neil Brand (Tuks)
Teams
Maties: Fritz de Beer, Vezokuhle Mntungwa, David Rushmere, Isma-eel Gaffieldien, Louis du Preez, Daniel da Costa, Luke Holland, Timothy Whitehead, Benjamin Ward, Khanya Dilima, Nicholas Scholtz
Tuks: Neil Brand, Jiveshen Pillay, Aron Visser, Ruan de Swardt, Donovan Ferreira, Sean Gilson, Modiri Litheko, Nkosinathi Msiza, Rubin Hermann, Kundai Matigimu, Ruben Trumpelmann
By Bronwen Bain
