KwaZulu-Natal v Free State (SuperSport Series)

A batting display of monumental proportions gave Natal control of their SuperSport Series match against Free State at Kingsmead on Sunday, Doug Watson, Jon Kent and Dale Benkenstein scoring centuries as the home team made 554 for five declared in reply to the Free State first innings of 296.

Starting their second innings 258 behind, Free State batted through 24 overs without losing a wicket Sunday afternoon, and, with the pitch still a batsman's paradise, Natal will have to produce something special if they are to bowl the visitors out Monday, the fourth and last day.

During a day that saw the Natal batsmen plunder 33 fours and four sixes, the home team took their overnight score of 253 for two to their highest ever total against Free State.

Watson, beginning the new year on the best possible note, went to 155. Never one to give his wicket away, he came out of his shell in his most attacking first-class innings of note and his brilliant effort laid the foundation for Natal's dominance. Looking for runs with more urgency than usual, Watson found the boundary 13 times and went over it twice, grinding down an inexperienced, ineffective attack in 435 minutes at the crease.

Andrew Hudson was always going to enjoy himself on such a docile pitch and the former international struck a classy 45 before Yorkshireman Matthew Hoggard trapped him leg-before, and Jonty Rhodes looked in top form as he scored 41 from just 54 balls.

Watson, splendidly caught in the covers by the ever-competitive Kosie Venter, and Rhodes, skying a pull, were out in successive overs (338 for five), but any thoughts Free State had of getting back into the match were blasted away by captain Benkenstein and the youthful Kent.

Totally dominant, they both went to centuries in an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 216 in three hours. Kent's 109 not out was his maiden first-class century and his power (he struck 14 fours and two sixes) and assured footwork suggest the SA U19 star will now be a fixture in the Natal team and can expect to challenge for higher honours soon.

Benkenstein raced to his century, off just 138 balls, with a series of dazzling strokes, including an arrogant six over extra cover and powerful hits to leg. He declared at the end of the over in which he reached three figures, knowing that not many teams can field in the hot Kingsmead sun for 10-and-a-half hours and then produce the goods at the crease.

None of the Free State bowlers will remember this match with much affection, but Hoggard looked a competent paceman and he emerged with reasonable figures of one for 65 from 30 overs. The visiting team's spinners, Nicky Boje and Venter, took a wicket each but never threatened.

Having given his bowlers 24 overs at the Free State batsmen, Benkenstein will not be happy that Venter (15) and Gerhardus Liebenberg (24) were able to get the score to 43 without loss before the close. Natal cannot afford any drawn matches if they are to somehow finish second on the SuperSport Series log and qualify for the final, so each bowler is going to have to dig deep if they are to end the batsmen's dominance and make Natal's fine weekend work count in the end.

Natal are playing Gauteng on Wednesday in a Standard Bank League day/night match at Kingsmead and tickets are currently on sale at Computicket. The prices range from R6 for children to R20 for adult ground admission and R36 for top seats.

Day 4 Report

Another top-class Boeta Dippenaar century denied Natal at Kingsmead on Monday, Free State ending on 255 for five in their second innings when play was called off at 4.20pm on the final day.

With a lead of 258 on the first innings, Natal were looking for 10 wickets yesterday to keep their slim SuperSport Series hopes alive, and they got off to a great start as Free State went into lunch looking a bit shaky on 109 for four.

But Dippenaar, who saved Free State the last time they were at Kingsmead with scores of 81 and 93, followed up his 105 in the first innings with 102 not out and the frustrated Natalians suggested to their 21-year-old stumbling block that he should move to Durban and play more of his cricket at Kingsmead.

Match-saving innings normally consist of plenty of hard work and Dippenaar, with the best of techniques and tremendous powers of concentration, put in a 100% effort yesterday. Coming to the crease after just 18 minutes of play, he blunted a keen Natal attack and guided a largely inexperienced batting line-up to calm waters.

Gerhardus Liebenberg, the team's captain and most travelled batsman in the absence of Hansie Cronje, was the first to go after Free State resumed Monday morning on 43 without loss. The scourge of Natal teams in the past, the pace of Lance Klusener caught him square on the back foot and Free State were 49 for one after 28 balls. His fellow opener, Kosie Venter (21), fell just three balls later, a totally unnecessary sweep lobbing to slip as off-spinner Robbie Macqueen got one to turn from outside leg stump.

Dippenaar, who had come in number three but has all the qualities of a top-class opener, had already begun to profit on the occasional loose delivery from Macqueen and a third-wicket partnership of 26 with Morne van Wyk ensued before Van Wyk (7) was given out caught bat/pad off Keith Storey. He was adamant he had not touched the ball, which looped all the way to cover point, but even if the mode of dismissal was wrong, he would have been lbw anyway.

Jonathan Beukes (4) was then caught as he padded up to Macqueen, the ball rebounding on to his glove and then to silly point.

Free State were 91 for four and in serious danger but Nicky Boje, who made a delightful half-century in the first innings, took the attack to the Natal bowlers and the crucial 91-run partnership he shared with Dippenaar took Free State just about to tea without further loss. Boje struck 10 beautiful boundaries in his 56, but Storey, the unsung workhorse of the Natal team, had him caught behind off an attempted pull.

Johan van der Wath, with a first-class average of 14, showed defiance of the top order as he clung on to his wicket after tea, and as hard as Klusener, Gary Gilder and Storey tried with the second new ball, their efforts were largely nullified by the docile pitch.

Dippenaar went to his second century of the match half-an-hour before the close, having faced 210 balls and hit 12 fours in his 298 minutes at the crease. He was the obvious candidate for man of the match and his efforts in this game should see the calls go out for higher honours.

The Natal bowlers were full of heart, Klusener leading the way with what captain Dale Benkenstein described as ``a magnificent effort''. He bowled 23 overs, after 35 in the first innings, for just 41 runs in unhelpful conditions. The best figures (two for 34 in 22 overs) belonged to Storey, however, and were well-deserved as he performed like a trojan throughout the match, never giving anything less than 100%.

Natal do have a lack of match-winning spinners at the moment, but, with the pitch never really breaking up, Macqueen can be satisfied with his two wickets for 116 in 37 overs.

Benkenstein said after the game that he didn't believe there was much more his team could have done. ``I thought we played really well, we ensured that there could only be one winner. But with the very hot weather the pitch never did anything, and if we were going to win we needed to open both ends with the second new ball. But Boeta never lost his nerve and he gives nothing away.''

Keith Forde, Anthony Botha, Shaun Adam and Wade Wingfield have been added to the Natal cricket squad for Wednesday's Standard Bank League day/night match against Gauteng at Kingsmead.

With Jonty Rhodes and Lance Klusener going to Centurion to join the South African squad ahead of Friday's fifth Test against the West Indies, Natal will have a 13-man line-up to choose from on the day of their match.

Natal squad: Doug Watson, Keith Forde, Mark Bruyns, Andrew Hudson, Dale Benkenstein, Errol Stewart, Jon Kent, Wade Wingfield, Anthony Botha, Keith Storey, Gary Gilder, Robbie MacQueen, Shaun Adam.