There were loud cheers at Buffalo Park as the Eastern Cape Iinyathi finally got the monkey off their back on Sunday.
After trying for a victory all season, the Buffaloes eventually managed one when they beat the Eastern Storm by 257 runs in their CSA Division 2 four-day game.
The home side chalked up 514 in their first innings — their highest score this season — on the first two days, all thanks to a century from Marco Marais and a maiden ton for Mncedisi Malika.
There were also two 70s from Matthew Fourie and Jade de Klerk.
De Klerk then took yet another five-wicket haul as Iinyathi restricted the Storm to 300 in their first dig.
Though they had some hiccups in their second innings, with Storm bowler Tumelo Simelane running rampant and picking up 8/55, Iinyathi managed to add 140 to their 214 lead.
Chasing a target of 355 with 2½ sessions left on the final day, the Storm chase got off to a bad start.
They lost Jason van Dyk for a first ball duck, also the first delivery of the innings. Van Dyk edged Nico van Zyl and was caught in the gully by Chad Classen.
In the sixth over, Van Zyl had Chris Britz (6) also caught at gully by Classen.
Lanky fast bowler Van Zyl was not done as he edged another opener, Thulani Tembela (15), behind but this time to the waiting gloves of wicketkeeper Malika.
Klassen came to the party with the ball in the 16th over and trapped Shaylen Pillay leg before wicket for just seven runs.
At noon, with four wickets down already, the writing was on the wall for the men from Benoni.
The message was clear from the Storm dressing room and that was to fight for a draw.
Kabelo Sekhukhune blocked almost every delivery and at one stage had faced 37 balls for just one run.
At the other end, his partners did not get the defence for survival script.
He lost Grant Thomson and Dewan Marais in the same over, the 32nd.
Fourie first bowled Thomson for nine runs then two balls later, he trapped Marais lbw for a two-ball duck.
The Storm tail and middle order struggled to pick up Fourie’s length as he was nipping the Kookaburra all over.
He accounted for the dismissal of Divan Posthumus, also trapped in front.
De Klerk finished the job, removing Kyle Landsberg for just a run and claiming the wicket of the “wall” Sekhukhune, who faced 133 balls for his 18 runs.
Van Zyl clean-bowled Simelane to help Iinyathi dismiss the Storm for 97.
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