da poker： Natal enjoyed the benefits of winning a very good toss as theirpacemen reduced Eastern Province to 239 for nine on the first day oftheir SuperSport Series match at Kingsmead on Friday
Ken Borland11-Dec-1999Natal enjoyed the benefits of winning a very good toss as theirpacemen reduced Eastern Province to 239 for nine on the first day oftheir SuperSport Series match at Kingsmead on Friday.And but for a very lethargic middle session and the perpetual problemof bad light cutting 15.1 overs off the day’s play despite the use offloodlights, the Natal innings could have been well under way.Natal won the toss and predictably sent Eastern Province in to bat inovercast conditions, which were exploited by their pacemen to theextent that the visitors went into lunch on 78 for four.But the home side rather let things slide between lunch and tea,failing to push home their advantage as EP rallied to 166 forfive. James Bryant, their leading batsman this season, and MurrayCreed were at the forefront, each scoring half-centuries in largelyuntroubled fashion.Bryant, technically perfect and an efficient despatcher of theoff-side half-volley, top-scored with 62, to go with his fourcenturies in the competition already this season, while Creed (61) andShafiek Abrahams (40) also came up with vital knocks for the visitors.Ross Veenstra (three for 39) and Jon Kent (three for 58) were the mainwicket-takers for Natal on a day when, by their own high standards,the home side were poor in the field. The worst lapse came fromVeenstra shortly after lunch when he failed to hold on to a top-edgedhook from Bryant off fellow new-ball bowler Gary Gilder. Bryant had 35at the time, with Eastern Province on 82 for four, and dismissing the23-year-old Maritzburg College Old Boy then could have opened the wayfor Natal to have bowled out the visitors very cheaply.Veenstra kept his head up, though, and had the impressive Abrahamscaught behind as EP lost four wickets for 73 runs in the finalsession. On a day when Natal produced plenty of poor deliveries, 28boundaries being scored, Veenstra was the one bowler skipper DaleBenkenstein was able to rely on to keep things tight throughout,conceding just 39 runs in his 19 overs.Kent showed just how effective he can be with the ball when he putshis mind to it, sending Dave Callaghan (2), the dangerous Creed andWayne Murray (6) packing, having previously never taken more than onewicket in a first-class innings.In the light of Lance Klusener’s heroics in Port Elizabeth, it washardly a memorable day’s cricket at Kingsmead on Friday, but Natalwill want to wrap up the EP innings quickly on Saturday morning andthen produce a big batting effort to put themselves in line for a winthat could return them to the top of the Super Eights log.