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David Bedingham scored an unbeaten century to help Six Gun Grill Western Province crush the GBets Rocks by five wickets in a CSA One Day Cup match at Six Gun Grill Newlands in Cape Town on Sunday.
Bedingham’s 80-ball ball innings included nine boundaries and six maximums, the best of which was launched over backward point to bring up his ton from only 76 deliveries to help WP reach 260 for five with still a massive 17.1 overs remaining after the Rocks had been restricted to 255 for nine.
With Kyle Verreynne winning the toss and asking Pieter Malan’s side to bat first, the visitors were held to a par total under sunny skies overlooked by Table Mountain thanks to career-best figures of 4-54 from 10 overs by allrounder Abdullah Bayoumy.
After Dane Paterson (10-2-32-2) and Mihlali Mpongwana (5-1-20-1) had removed Clyde Fortuin (3) and Janneman Malan (20), Keegan Petersen and Pieter Malan (43) steadied the ship with a wonderful stand of 98 from 104 deliveries for the third wicket.
Malan senior struck five boundaries in his 48-ball innings and did not use the life given to him by Paterson from the bowling of Nandre Burger (8-1-38-0) when on 41. However, Petersen did, who was dropped by Mpongwana off the bowling of Kyle Simmonds (10-0-53-1) on 21.
Petersen struck seven fours and three sixes in his 112-ball knock but fell six runs short of a century, being caught at long-off by Mthiwekhaya Nabe off Bayoumy’s bowling. Bayoumy also dismissed Pieter Malan, trapping the captain in front, Christiaan Jonker (2) and Hardus Viljoen, who struck two fours and a six in a quick-fire 19 from 13 balls.
Province dropped five catches in all and also conceded 13 wides.
In reply, Province were in the mood to clinch their sixth victory of the season and charged to their target of 256 in just 32.5 overs. Tony de Zorzi (12) and Jonathan Bird (31) got the hosts off to a run-a-ball start of 25 before De Zorzi was caught by Siya Mahima off the bowling of Viljoen (9-0-51-2).
Despite the loss of De Zorzi’s wicket, Bird, who cracked five boundaries in 28 deliveries, and Bedingham, added 51 runs for the second wicket from only 40 balls before Akhona Mnyaka took a fine catch in the covers to see the end of Bird.
Bedingham though continued on his merry way and along with captain Verreynne (36), smashed 81 runs for the third wicket from only 67 deliveries. Bedingham was handed a life on 21 by Shaun von Berg, who dropped the right-handed batsman at long-off from the bowling of Mahima.
Verreynne struck four fours and a six from his 28 deliveries before Janneman Malan snatched a hard-driven shot from Verreynne in the covers off Mnyaka (6-0-45-1).
Valentine Kitme (27) continued the aggressive stance, striking four boundaries and a six from his 25 balls before a cheeky shot was nabbed at backward point by Mnyaka off the bowling of Mahima (8.5-0-71-2). Bayoumy (5) fell cheaply but Bedingham and Simmonds (21 not out) saw to it that the players hit the showers early as Simmonds clubbed three fours and a six to win the match from only 10 deliveries.
Bedingham’s calm composure of rotating the strike when needed or bludgeoning the ball to and over the fence was a masterclass of batting. The Rocks were not helped in defending their par total when conceding 14 wides
Province head into next weekend’s final at Newlands unbeaten against the North West Dragons and will surely be favourites to lift the trophy they missed out on last season against the DP World Lions.
**As published on Supersport.com
