KwaZulu-Natal v Gauteng (Standard Bank League)

Natal set Gauteng 184 after winning the toss and batting first, but it was an easy ask for the visitors and they cruised home in 42 overs for the loss of just four wickets.

An unusually slow Kingsmead pitch and a brilliant spell of spin bowling by Clive Eksteen were the main reasons for Natal's batting woes, and shoddy fielding which saw three catches and a run out missed meant Natal never had a chance of defending their meagre score.

Captain Dale Benkenstein top-scored for Natal with a responsible innings of 49 off 70 balls, sensibly picking up singles while the innings collapsed around him.

Opener Doug Watson battled to 24 as the Natal innings never really got going on a pitch where the ball did not come on as much as they would have liked, and although Andrew Hudson batted fluently, his dismissal for 28 enabled Gauteng to gain a measure of control they never relinquished.

Left-arm spinner Eksteen produced the performance of the match in claiming the wickets of Watson, Errol Stewart (3) and Mark Bruyns (0) while just 32 runs came from his nine overs, and although Jon Kent (14) and Wade Wingfield (24) gave Natal a flicker of hope in partnership with Benkenstein, they were never going to get the 200 they needed.

Zingari's Anthony Botha, chosen as much for his usefulness with the bat and brilliance in the field as his left-arm spin, proved his worth by scoring a career-best 23 not out at number nine, extending the total to 183 for nine and at least giving the Natalians something to bowl at.

All the Gauteng bowlers were tidy and, apart from the wonderful Eksteen, Andrew Hall (two for 34), Justin Engelke (two for 37) and Dean Laing (two for 33) were the team's other wicket-takers.

To have any chance of victory, the Natal bowlers needed to strike early and the fielders had to provide support by grabbing every chance that came their way. But Andre' Seymore made full use of some wayward bowling by Gary Gilder and raced to 18 while his more acclaimed opening partner, Adam Bacher, scratched around with no degree of timing.

Keith Storey got rid of the dangerous Seymore with a slower ball, and all Natal needed was another wicket to create some doubts amongst the Gauteng players. But in the space of 16 balls, the Natal team's limited-overs wicketkeeper, Keith Forde, missed a run out chance and Storey, their unsung hero, dropped a sitter at fine leg. The beneficiary on both occasions was Bacher and there was another let-off for him on 35 when Forde dropped him as well.

It was clear that it was not to be Natal's night, and even though Bacher (38), Ken Rutherford (17) and Laing (8) were all dismissed before the total had passed 130, Zander de Bruyn made a fine impression as he took Gauteng home in elegant fashion.

The tall 23-year-old finished with 54 not out from 84 balls, and with Nic Pothas hammering six boundaries in 38 not out off 41 balls, Natal were vanquished with ease.

From Natal's point of view, the most positive aspect of a disappointing night was the contribution of their two young all-rounders, Wingfield and Kent. Having produced spirited displays with the bat, they both bowled well, their combined 16 overs going for 67 runs. Left-arm spinner Botha was tidy enough (two for 43), as was the ever-reliable Storey, but Gilder was off-song.

With North-West beating Eastern Province last night, Natal have dropped back to sixth in the league and will need to produce far better all-round showings in their last three matches if they are to be sure of qualifying for the Standard Bank Cup.