UCT saved their best performance for last when they beat UJ by three wickets at Senwes Park on Friday, in their final match of the tournament.
After winning the toss, UCT sent UJ in to bat first and claimed their first wicket off just the second ball of the opening over. Jacob Miltz and Glen Adams proceeded built a strong partnership for UJ, with Adams scoring an impressive 70 runs off 46 balls.
UCT had every opportunity to get wickets, but somehow managed to miss the stumps at every attempt and UJ made sure to take advantage. UCT weren’t looking composed, as UJ capitalised on every additional run they could make. However, Jacob Miltz was sent back to the change room on 49 runs, just one short of his half-century. The less-than-impressive fielding performance meant that UCT had to chase down a 163-run target.
In their run-chase, UCT lost two wickets early on, but opening batsman Robert Koenig took every ball in his stride to keep the scoreboard ticking over. UCT were ahead of UJ by four runs at the 10-over mark.
The loss of Robert Koenig dismantled the side and shortly after his dismissal, Joshua Coetzee and Brandon Tattam were sent walking with UCT at 105/5. The power play sparked UCT to life with Paterson taking it upon himself to hit boundaries, turning up the run-rate and taking UCT to 135 before he too was dismissed.
The final over was all-or-nothing for UCT who needed six runs from six balls, and it was Benning who smacked the winning four to claim a three-wicket win for the Cape Town side.
FNB Player of the Match: Siyabulela Ntuntwana (UCT)
MTN Pulse Bowler of the Match: Glen Adams (UJ)
Steers Best Batsman: Brandon Tattam (UCT)
Teams
UJ: Joshua Richards, Cameron Shekleton, Jacob Miltz, Glen Adams, Juan Landsberg, Marco van Biljon, Chad Classen, Connor de Boer, Clayton Malgas, Andrew Rasemene, Tumelo Tlhokwe
UCT: Robert Koenig, Mphokuhle Dube, Khwezi Luthuli, Brandon Tattam, Joshua Coetzee, Donald Paterson, Craig Meier, Jack Reinbach, Matthew Benning, Bonga Yelani, Siyabulela Ntuntwana
By Bronwen Bain
