Northerns head League log

As news filtered through that Natal, Northerns main rivals, had lost to Eastern Province at Kingsmead, with the Dolphin tail being blown out of the water by a deadly Mornantau Hayward hattrick, Northerns pulled together a victory by nine runs over a courageous bottom of the log Boland.

Unfortunately Greg Smith was carted off to hospital with a broken jaw while accolades went to Grant Morgan with three catches and two stumpings and Rudolf Steyn for a half century off fewer balls.

Yet Northerns also made it difficult for themselves with one of their less impressive fielding displays of the season as they battled to restrict Boland to 231 for nine after the Titans managed 240 for four on a pitch worth at least 250 or more.

Had it not been for the Rudolf Steyn and Martin van Jaarsveld partnership of 110 for the third wicket, which lifted the run rate at a crucial stage of the innings, Northerns might have battled to reach their eventual total.

But Boland, after an initial hiccup of losing their first two wickets with only three runs on the board, found two batsmen who were prepared to get their heads down and work for runs as well as rotate the strike. After Kenny Jackson departed for 33 it was left to young Evert Ferreira and Sarel Wolmarans to take Boland to the brink of what loomed to be a major upset before Ferreira fell to off-spinner Dirkie de Vos and the resistance slowly disintegrated through careful planning and clever captaincy tactics.

And pressure eventually got to Wolmarans whose 74 off 78 balls was as persuasive a batting act of defiance (and worth a man of the match award) as any against the odds.

Steyn and Van Jaarsveld regularly rotated the strike with their partnership giving the innings the momentum it needed to build a challenging total. From the moment he joined Van Jaarsveld the former test opener looked busy and cleverly worked the ball into the gaps. It is not easy to take over from such a classy act as Roy Pienaar who was in devastating form with seven fours in what was his 39th domestic limited-overs half century. But an over-ambitious, if lazy, drive at a Charl Willoughby delivery saw the elegant strokeplayer drag the ball into his stumps.

Yet at 87 for two Northerns seemed well set to put a target in excess of 250 on the board but the Boland attack bowl a tight line and with the support of tight ground fielding restricted Northerns run rate for several overs. Once Steyn found his touch, however, he found the gaps and the sluggish run rate suddenly accelerated.

Steyn's innings of 66 of 57 balls also seemed to lift Van Jaarsveld's scoring tempo and the tall upright Northerns batsman took the fight to Boland attack with strokes all around the wicket, including two square cuts which left the fieldsmen standing.

The pair added 110 runs off 98 balls and It was Van Jaarsveld's ability to bat through the innings which lifted the Northerns run rate past the five an over mark.

With Smith, the Northerns left-arm fast bowler, out of action with his jaw broken in two places when he was hit by a ball driven back at him Boland captain Kenny Jackson, Davis did a fair enough patch-up job with the bowling attack.

Smith, who is to have an operation today was bending forward in his follow through to try and take a caught and bowled chance when the ball caught him on the right side of his face. It was a cruel blow for someone who has had his fair share of misfortune this season and will rule him out of contention for the South African A side to play the West Indies in Pietermaritzburg later this month.