Date-stamped : 14 Mar94 - 10:27
Benson and Hedges night  series  final.
Natal  vs  Orange  Free State.
Played at Kingsmead, Durban, 11 March 1994.
Orange Free State won by 7 wickets.
Man of  the  match:  Bradley Player.

Natal won the toss and batted first.

The final proved to  be  very  one-sided  as  Orange  Free  State
comprehensively  beat  Natal with almost 22 overs to spare. About
the only thing which went right for Natal was  winning  the  toss
as,  Andrew  Hudson  apart,  they  succumbed fairly tamely to the
bowling of Bradley Player and Allan  Donald.  Player  has  bowled
well  the  whole  season and set two records in the match. His 24
wickets for the season is a new B+H night series record  and  his
figures  of 5 for 27 are also a Free State record. Donald was hit
on the lip by a ball just before the match  started  and  had  to
rush off to hospital to get stitches put into his lip. Because of
his mishap he couldn't open the bowling and only came on to  bowl
after about 26 overs had been bowled. In retrospect, coming on to
bowl so late in the innings suited Free State because it meant he
could  bowl all his overs in one long spell and hence settle into
the good rhythm which is so important to him.

Chasing just 104 for victory, Free State were never really in any
trouble.  Hansie  Cronje's first 3 scoring strokes were 4,6,4 and
Kosie Venter had a delightful knock of 37 off 32  balls.  All-in-
all, Free State were good value for their victory as they were by
far the better team on the night. Natal have  got  a  good  young
team but their lack of experience showed and they couldn't handle
the pressure which Free State exerted.

<END> Contributed by Frank.Sokolic (SOKOLIC@*.und.ac.ZA)