KwaZulu-Natal v Free State (SuperSport Series)

Boeta Dippenaar struck a century of real pedigree on the first day of Free State's Supersport Series match against KwaZulu-Natal at a steaming Kingsmead yesterday.

However, the Dolphins, led by the indomitable Lance Klusener and a gutsy performance from Keith Storey, struck back well in the last session to earn their fair share of the day's honours.

Free State went into tea on a handsome 166/4 with Dippenaar and Nicky Boje in control and a total well in excess of 300 threatening. But the home side not only got rid of both men but took an additional brace of wickets to restrict Free State to 276/8 in the allotted 104 overs. Fittingly, the bonus points were evenly divided three apiece.

But it was the 21-year-old from Bloemfontein's most famous cricket academy, Grey College, who put on the star show yesterday. Coming to the wicket after Gary Gilder trapped Gerhardus Liebenberg leg before 14 minutes into the day, the almost classically correct Dippenaar showed tremendous powers of concentration and shot selection to bat for most of the day. In the end his 105 took just over six and a half hours and he struck 13 fours, many of them beautifully timed cover drives.

The youngster clearly enjoys it at Kingsmead. The last time his team played here in 1996/7 he returned scores of 81 (out of 160) and 93 to almost single-handedly earn Free State a draw in a match in which they were largely outgunned.

Yesterday, Dippenaar recorded his second century of the season and his fifth in first-class cricket. In the process he provided the necessary backbone for an innings in which a number of batsmen got started but only Boje went through to get a typically sprightly half-century as he dominated a partnership of 74 for the fifth wicket.

``I remember that match (in '96/'97) very well, and I'm obviously very happy to have got a century this time,'' said Dippenaar afterwards. ``However, I'm very disappointed that I didn't bat through to the end of the day. I worked very hard to get that far.''

He also said the pitch was an excellent one for batting. Almost too excellent, from the Dolphins' point of view after Dale Benkenstein had won the toss and put Free State in to bat. Said coach Graham Ford: ``We knew it was going to be a good strip, but we thought there were would be a little bit of juice in it early on. As it turned out there was hardly any deviation throughout the day.''

It was a hard grind in the sun for the KZN bowlers for whom Klusener and Storey were outstanding. The South African all-rounder really bust a gut for the three national selectors at the ground, capturing 2/61 in a marathon 29 overs and bowling with sustained pace, control and hostility. He can do little more to convince them of his readiness for test duty.

Storey revealed similar qualities of endurance and in addition fielded with tigerish commitment. He was finally rewarded with the wicket of Dippenaar shortly before the close as the tired youngster pushed a rising delivery straight to Jonty Rhodes at point.

Day 3 Report

A flawless batting surface, a north-westerly wind and the sun beating down for three days have conspired to defeat the best efforts of the bowlers so far in the Supersport Series match between KwaZulu-Natal and Free State at Kingsmead.

Having done remarkably well to dismiss the visitors for 296 in just over a day, the Dolphins spent the rest of the weekend remorselessly building up a huge total. When Dale Benkenstein finally declared his team's innings closed midway through the last session yesterday, KwaZulu-Natal had compiled 554/5 in a touch over 10 and a half hours batting. The total was a record against Free State, edging out the 553 scored in 1954/5.

This gave the home team a substantial first innings lead of 258 which Free State's Gerhardus Liebenberg and Kosie Venter reduced by 43 in the 24 overs left to them before the close.

Coach Graham Ford knows how difficult it will be today to conjure up a positive result. ``There is a chance that the wind may change. A southerly wind will bring moisture which may help us. Whatever happens it's going to be very hard work for us. We need a bit of luck and, perhaps, a few mistakes from the Free State batsmen.''

The No 7 pitch on the square has always been a belter, but over the last three days it's been the kind of strip that batsmen would happily roll up and carry away with them. The pace has been easy, the bounce moderate and even and there's been no lateral movement at all.

Just about everyone in the Dolphins' top order benefited to some degree. On Saturday it was Doug Watson and Mark Bruyns while yesterday it was primarily the turn of skipper Dale Benkenstein and Jon Kent who both hit unbeaten centuries.

It was a particularly happy day for both men with Benkenstein making his return to first-class action after breaking a finger against Gauteng in November, while for Kent it was an even more auspicious occasion: his first century for KwaZulu-Natal and his first first-class ton.

He and Benkenstein came together shortly before lunch after the home side had lost wickets at important moments just when they were looking to cut loose. First it was Hudson - who had looked in sublime form, striking nine fours in his 45 - who was leg before playing across a straight one. Then Watson who had compiled another of his marathon centuries, drove Nicky Boje low to Venter at cover. Watson's 155 had taken a little over seven hours and had been the backbone of his team's prodigious reply.

Finally, Jonty Rhodes, after cracking a typically effervescent 41 in just over an hour, including five fours and a hooked six, tried the same shot again and ballooned the ball straight up in the air.

Benkenstein and Kent played themselves in carefully before lunch but soon stepped up the rate in the afternoon against Boje and Venter. Whilst it would be unfair to call their centuries ``soft'', it must be admitted that neither man will have an easier time of it in the middle. Both faced a largely toothless spin attack on a plumb wicket against very defensive fields that created no pressure at all.

Still, the runs had to be made and they were dished up in very fine style. Benkenstein we know about and it was certainly wonderful to see that he had recovered all his old form after such a long time out of the game. Kent, for me, was a revelation. He plays very straight, uses his feet well to the spinners and strikes the ball as well as anybody I've seen.

Obviously the jury is still out on his ability to play under pressure and against hostile pace, but he showed yesterday, in the most ruthlessly elegant way, that he can play. He struck 14 fours and two sixes in his innings, while Benkenstein hit 10 fours and one six.

Neither man gave a sniff of a chance, and their 183-minute sixth-wicket partnership had realised 216 - just 17 short of the Natal record of 233 between Tich Smith and Peter Williams against Northern Transvaal in 1979/80 - when the skipper put Free State out of their misery.

For the visitors, only their Yorkshire import, Matthew Hoggard, really impressed, particularly in the morning session when he bowled with real pace and no little fire. His return of 1/65 in 30 overs was a sterling effort.

Although there was no more than a few hundred at the ground yesterday, a clutch of them - a visiting cricket team from Neath in Wales - made enough noise for the rest of the crowd put together. They were rewarded with smiles from the dressing-room, photo-shoots with Rhodes and Shaun Pollock, and everyone's gratitude for a bit of ``ambience'' at an otherwise sleepy Kingsmead.

Day 4 Report

For the second time in three seasons, Boeta Dippenaar stood between KwaZulu-Natal and victory at Kingsmead. Not content with a first-innings century, the youngster from Grey College in Bloemfontein added a second hundred yesterday to deny the Dolphins yet again and ensure a comfortable draw for his team in their Supersport Series match.

The home team's six bonus points (to three for Free State) will not do them much good in the race for the Supersport Series trophy which has now slipped well beyond their grasp. Still second from bottom, the Dolphins are a massive 53 points behind leaders Border who yesterday assured themselves of a home final in the competition after defeating Gauteng.

By the time play was called off 17 overs from the scheduled close, Dippenaar was left with an unbeaten 102 in just under five and a half hours, including12 boundaries.

Altogether, the 21-year-old was on the field for nearly 23 hours in this match, a little over three hours shy of the contest's total length. Little wonder he was named man of the match. (Jon Kent was named Recruit of the Match after his debut first-class century for the Dolphins.)

Talking afterwards, Dippenaar jokingly remarked that a number of the Dolphins had enquired whether he was thinking of moving down to the coast. ``But, I don't think so, not yet,'' he said.

The home team's fielders have certainly seen more than enough of him in their last two matches here. In 1996/7, Dippenaar scored 81 and 93 to deny Natal and he did exactly the same at the weekend with his scores of 105 and 102, the first time he has achieved the feat and the second time a Free Stater has done it this decade after Hansie Cronje's double against - who else? - Natal in Bloemfontein in 1993/4.

He may not have learnt the art of dominating an attack yet, but he is classically correct, has the kind of shot selection that West Indian coach Malcolm Marshall would kill for in his own players, and has a cool head and excellent powers of concentration.

As Benkenstein said after the game: ``Boeta was the reason we didn't win. It's as simple as that.''

That, and a pitch that the hot sun and a constant north-easterly turned into a batsman's paradise.

Free State started the day on 43/0, needing 258 to make the Dolphins bat again. KwaZulu-Natal's early hopes were raised in the morning session when they captured the first four Free State wickets for 109 runs.

As it turned out, the wickets they took were not as important as the wicket they didn't take: that of Dippenaar who was steadfast in his resolution after Gerhardus Liebenberg, Kosie Venter, Morne van Wyk and Jonathan Beukes came and went.

The Dolphins were a little fortunate to get two of those wickets. Liebenberg, although beaten and squared up by Lance Klusener, might have complained that the ball was a little high up on the pad. As for Van Wyk, he was plumb leg before to Keith Storey, but umpire Danny Becker claimed the batsman had first edged the ball and so gave the bewildered Van Wyk out caught at point where the ball finally found its way.

However in the hot, afternoon session Dippenaar and his partner Nicky Boje seemed to close the door on the Dolphins' victory hopes with a fifth-wicket partnership of 91 in just over two hours. Neither man looked in any trouble with Boje playing with great freedom, striking 10 boundaries in his half-century.

Shortly before tea, Benkenstein took the second new ball and Storey finally made a breakthrough when Boje edged an attempted pull that bounced on him. As it turned out there were no further successes as the Dolphins tried in vain to shift Dippenaar and his doughty partner Johan Van der Wath who finished with 27.

The Dolphins may not have won the match, but, as Benkenstein pointed out, they played pretty well. There were three centuries from Doug Watson, Benkenstein and Kent, and wholehearted efforts with the ball from Lance Klusener (4/105 in 58 overs) and Keith Storey (3/75 in 47 overs). It's hard to ask for more on a surface where if the opposition plays reasonably well, they become almost impossible to dislodge.