United shock Boksburg in Premier League
United made amends for their crushing seven-wicket Premier League debut loss against CBC Old Boys in the season's first week, by defeating Boksburg by five wickets at PG Park on Sunday, October 13.
The Brakpan-based United showed big match temperament qualities and bowled Boksburg out in 32.1 overs, limiting them to 191 runs. They then proceeded to successfully topple the target in 39.5 overs to win against the odds.
United captain Justin Gamble won the pre-match coin toss and put the opposition into bat.
Gamble’s gamble of sending the home team to bat first in their own background seemed to have initially backfired, with Boksburg’s two top orders John Haywood and Fritz Sommer putting up a total of 76 runs between them to set a similar tone to their team’s impressive total of 248 against Thembisa in the opening week.
But it wasn’t to be.
Gamble, who’s a spin bowler, brought himself on for an over, and broke the Boksburg openers’ partnership, to abruptly halt the home team’s score from rapidly ticking over in the hands Haywood and Sommer.
Louis Grobbler was next with the bat for Boksburg, but his stay on the field was short-lived when he was bowled out with three runs behind his name.
Len Meyer steadied the Boksburg ship with 35 runs but the home side struggled to build on their promising start to the match.
Skipper Marius Labuschagne added 19 more runs before Freddie Whitehorn exited with an embarrassing duck.
The bottom order finished with 51 between them to complete a lacklustre show with the bat for Boksburg.
United opening batsman Branden Grutter hit 42, and opening partner Brendan Frost added eight to make it 50 runs between them.
Unlike their opposition, United built on the foundation laid by their openers with Dion Moore who came in third with the bat, adding 16 more runs before top batsman of the day, Juan-Pierre Meade, reached the half-century mark with 51 – putting the young side in the ascendency.
The match was theirs for the taking, and United’s middle-order batsmen obliged with Gamble, adding eight and Aidan Justus adding 36 more points before Reinhardt Weidemann’s 14 runs helped guide United to their first Premier League victory of the season.
United also received a bonus point for reaching the 191 target within 80 per cent of the overs available to them.
“We rated Boksburg highly, because of their vast experience,” said United team manager Des Gamble.
Next for United is a home game against Tembisa, while Boksburg is away for a game in Benoni.
Both matches will be played on Sunday, October 20.
Other results:
* First League: Boksburg lost to Kempton B
* CBC defeated Sunward by four wickets
* Second League: Boksburg defeated Actonville by 130 runs
* Third League: Boksburg B defeated Nigel by three runs
* Promotion League: Boksburg defeated Kempton by 124 runs; Daveyton defeated CBC by five wickets
* Premier League: CBC defeated Kempton by four wickets.
