Northerns v Namibia – CSA Provincial One-Day Competition, 2012/13 (Inland Pool) – Match Update – Northerns clinch 3-run victory
An intense all-round performance from Graeme van Buuren saw the Northerns securing a 3-run win over Namibia in their list A match during the ongoing CSA Provincial One-Day Competition, played on November 25 at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.
Owing to wet patches on the field, the match was delayed, and shortened to 40 overs per side once it commenced. Namibia won the toss and elected to field first, but Louis van der Westhuizen (8-1-47-2) was the only one who managed to make any sizeable dents in the opposition’s batting order, while Bernard Scholtz, Brandon Viret, and and Louis Klazinga all chipped in with one wicket each.
The Northerns’ top order – comprising Lerato Kgoatle (23), Pieter Malan (11), Shershan Naidoo (25), and Christiaan Schoeman (13) – were all average, and by the 19th over, the team was at 81 for 4. However, Graeme van Buuren chipped in with a top-score of 48, and was joined by skipper Cobus Pienaar (26) for a 70-run stand for the 5th wicket.
Their partnership got the team total up to 151, after which the skipper was trapped lbw by van der Westhuizen. Van Buuren followed soon afterwards, caught and bowled by Bernard Scholtz – however, wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen (30*) and Eden Links (16*) kept the team’s innings moving forward, and their unbeaten 44-run partnership for the 7th wicket got their team total up to 203 by the end of 40 overs, with 6 wickets down.
In response, Namibia all but managed a successful chase, but were cut off, frustratingly 3 runs short of the target. All six of the Northerns’ bowlers managed to pick up at least one wicket each, while van Buuren (8-1-62-3) and Eden Links (8-0-36-2) played prominent roles.
Craig Williams (60) top-scored for Namibia, but his lone efforts mostly went unsupported by the rest, with van der Westhuizen (38) and Bernard Scholtz (30) being the only other batsmen who managed to put up a fight. Namibia looked well within range of the target, but a final over strike from van Buuren, who dismissed both B Scholtz and Viret in the final over, resulted in Namibia being cut off at 200, with the Northerns going on to clinch a narrow 3-run win.