Date-stamped : 18 Aug97 - 06:26 S Africa deny England women By Cathy Harris A MAGNIFICENT maiden century by Charlotte Edwards was not enough to prevent England from losing by two wickets to South Africa in a thrilling finale to the second game in the five-match one-day cricket series at Taunton yesterday. In a nail-biting finish, Anina Burger hit the winning runs off the last ball. Earlier, an opening partnership of 105 by Linda Olivier and Denise Reid and a quick 48 by Helen Davies laid the foundations for the tourists to keep pace with the ask- ing rate of fractionally more than five an over. Edwards, 17, playing in her second one-day internation- al, dis- played maturity and technique beyond her years, smashing 15 boundaries off 115 balls before presenting an easy stumping chance to Daleen Terblanche as she charged down the pitch to Alicia Bezuidenhout. Sue Metcalfe and wicketkeeper Jane Cassar made the most of a com- bination of short-pitched deliveries, full tosses and naive field placings as they featured in a breezy fourth- wicket partnership of 75 off only 66 balls. Davies was left to rue spilling a simple return catch off her own bowling be- fore Cas- sar had scored. England 253-5 (50 overs: C Edwards 102, J Cassar 50not, S Met- calfe 44); South Africa 254-8 (50 overs: L Olivier 60, D Reid 56, H Davies 48). South Africa won by 2 wickets. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)