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Lions cruise to eight-wicket victory

The Highveld Lions cruised to a comfortable eight-wicket victory over the Mercedes Warriors in their Standard Bank Pro20 match at the Wanderers on Friday.

The Highveld Lions cruised to a comfortable eight-wicket victory over the Mercedes Warriors in their Standard Bank Pro20 match at the Wanderers on Friday.

Set an extremely undaunting target of 99 in 20 overs, the Lions felt no need to dawdle and they raced to the winning line with 43 balls to spare.

The Warriors, after winning the toss and choosing to bat first, were under enormous pressure after they lost wickets in each of the first three overs. Opening bowlers Friedel de Wet and Yadene Singh each struck twice for the Lions, but it was Eugene Moleon who earned the rave reviews and the Master Blaster award after he posted joint best ever competition figures of four for nine to send the visitors crashing to 98 all out.

Makhaya Ntini, showing no ill effects of his hamstring injury, made sure it was not too easy for Lions openers Stephen Cook (35) and Adam Bacher (34).

But the in-form opening pair had plenty of fun against the other Warriors bowlers. Bacher battered a six and three consecutive fours off Tyron Henderson's second over to lift the run-rate and the pair took the total past 50 in the sixth over.

Even though Lyall Meyer removed them both in successive deliveries, Neil McKenzie and Vaughn van Jaarsveld were able to add the remaining 27 runs to clinch victory.

The Lions also grabbed the bonus point in demolishing the finalists of the last two seasons.

Earlier, the Warriors were under the whip from the outset as they struggled to 98 all out.

A fabulous new-ball burst by De Wet (two for 31) and Singh (two for 13) meant the Lions were well on top from the outset, wickets in each of the first three overs inflicting a mortal wound on the Warriors. Moleon then cashed in with four wickets to make sure the blood kept flowing.

The pressure was on from the second ball of the match which Mark Bruyns skied to square-leg and by the time a fiery De Wet forced Arno Jacobs to glove his first ball to wicketkeeper Matthew Harris, the Warriors were under a ton of bricks on 18 for three.

Justin Kreusch hooked a beautiful six off De Wet and struck three fours in his 30 before he flicked Moleon straight to McKenzie at wide mid-on.

It was turning out to be the sort of day when everything goes right for the Lions captain because just three balls earlier, happy to keep himself at slip even though the seven overs of fielding restrictions were up, he held on to a smart catch above his head to dismiss Laden Gamiet (5) off Moleon.

Athenkosi Dyili scored a bright 23 and Meyer 14 not out and the Warriors rallied from 62 for eight. But Dyili was run out in a terrible mix-up with Meyer over a second run and Makhaya Ntini only lasted four balls.

In the hurly-burly of 20-over cricket, the Lions stayed cool throughout. Moleon was the star performer as he bowled himself into the record books by helping himself to amazing figures of four for nine. He now shares the record for the best figures in the competition with Western Cape left-armer Charl Willoughby.

The other highlight of the innings was a stupendous catch by Van Jaarsveld to dismiss Michael Smith for two. Smith whipped Singh off his hip but Van Jaarsveld, fielding at short mid-wicket, dived and stuck out a hand for a fantastic reflex catch.

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