Eastern Storm batter Dewan Marais scored a ton but it was in vain as the Eastern Cape Iinyathi registered a second consecutive win in the Division 2 CSA One Day Cup, notching up an impressive 59-run triumph at Buffalo Park in East London on Wednesday.
Iinyathi had started the tournament with two defeats, but the Storm and Mpumalanga Rhinos’ victories elevated the Eastern Cape side to fourth place behind the Knights, Storm and Limpopo Impalas.
Their next game is in East London against the Garden Route Badgers on Sunday.
The Storm were chasing a target of 307 but fell short at 247.
Marais was the Lone Ranger in the Storm’s innings with his maiden century in List A.
The 21-year-old finished with 110 off 93 balls, including eight fours and four sixes.
The other major contributions for the Storm were from Jurie Snyman (59), captain Grant Thomson, who got in some lusty blows (19), and Kabelo Sekhukhune (21).
But they were not enough, as the middle and lower order did not kick in.
Thando Ntini, Hardus Coetzer, Kgaudi Molefe, Chad Classen and Nico Van Zyl were among the wicket-takers for Iinyathi.
Van Zyl was the pick, taking four for 17.
Nathan Roux’s decision to bat first earlier in the day was spot on.
The top and middle order combined well. They piled on some important runs up front, something that the East London side had struggled to pull off at times this season.
Five batters made 30-plus scores to help Iinyathi post 306 for five.
Mncedisi Malika was the top scorer with an unbeaten 86 not out runs off just 61 balls. He ended seven runs short of equalling his best List A score of 93.
Lihle Sizani, who scored 90 against the Rhinos this past weekend, was again in the runs column with 58.
Jason Niemand added 52; Christiaan du Toit made 49 off 22 balls, while Michael Copeland notched up 33.
It was a third-wicket partnership between Sizani and Niemand that restored the innings for Iinyathi after the home side lost Roux in the fourth over for 12 runs.
Niemand and Sizani shared 105 runs for the second wicket.
They complemented each other, finding the gaps, rotating the strike and punishing any delivery that arrived astray.
They looked ready to kick on to an even bigger stand, but the run-out of Niemand put paid to that.
Despite the Storm dismantling the dangerous partnership, Sizani continued on his merry way, scoring his fourth career half-century.
But he was cleaned up by Ernest Kemm just after reaching the milestone, leaving Iinyathi on 144 for three.
Copeland joined Malika at the crease, and the two added 44 before Copeland was stumped off the bowling of Tumelo Sekhukhune.
With 10 overs remaining and Iinyathi on 188 for four, Easterns ran headfirst into a storm whipped up by Du Toit and Malika.
The duo took the attack to the Easterns’ death bowlers and helped Iinyathi cross the 270 mark for the second game in a row.
Du Toit was the more aggressive of the two, with a strike rate of 222, while making a quick-fire 49 runs off 22 deliveries.
Du Toit fell to Amaan Khan in the 48th over with Iinyathi having passed 277.
Malika ensured that the home side edged past 300.
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