It was a classic case of experience and guile triumphing over youth with Constantia bowlers Alan Dawson and Dean Payne turning the match on its head.
A crucial dot ball by Dawson in the second-last over suddenly put the pressure on the Maties, who needed eight runs off the final over, to be bowled by Payne, hardly a bowler to score freely off.
Payne kept a tight line and, helped by some panic hitting on the part of the Matie batsmen, picked up three wickets in four balls. Stellenbosch fell three runs short of their victory target.
Earlier Constantia scored 201 for six. Simon Ferguson led a charge with 63 off 68 balls.
For Stellenbosch Brian Baguley (73) and John Mackey (66) put on 112 for the second wicket and with some 14 overs to go, Maties looked to have it sealed.
But the Constantia bowlers had other ideas.