Date-stamped : 09 Nov96 - 14:13 Match Report Transvaal v Border By Peter Robinson Showing admirable calm under fire, Adam Bacher steered Transvaal to an edgy and anxious five-wicket victory over Border in a Stan- dard Bank League match at the Wanderers last night. The 23-year-old Bacher, who already has two limited-overs centu- ries under his belt this summer, made 75 last night to guide his side out of an awkward start as they chased a Border total of 172. With West Indian import Vasbert Drakes showing impressive pace and movement on a lively pitch, Transvaal slipped to 36/3 inside 10 overs and then 64/4 before Bacher and Nic Pothas put together a match-winnings 77-run stand for the fifth wicket. Bacher and Pothas took their side through the tricky middle overs by simply pushing the singles and then turned the match Transvaal`s way in the 30th and 31st overs when they took 21 off Brad White and Drakes. Bacher was eventually caught at the wicket off Ian Howell, two runs after Steve Palframan had spilled a relatively straightfor- ward chance off Drakes. If anything, Bacher was relatively sub- dued last night, but his innings, played in difficult cir- cumstances, was the product of mature and intelligent batting. He is clearly a player with a big future. There was still some work to do after Bacher`s departure at 141/5, but Pothas, who finished unbeaten on 40 showing the same form who served Transvaal so well at the end of last season, and Zander de Bruyn (16 not out) saw their team home. Like Transvaal, Border, who won the toss, never quite came to terms with the pitch. The visitors were not helped, either, by a disastrous start as Trevor Webster nipped out openers Steve Pal- framan and Brad White in the second over of the innings. Ten for two quickly became 12/3 as Richard Snell held a top edge down at third man to dismiss Frans Cronje off Wayne Kidwell. In desperate trouble at this point, Border were revived by the veteran Peter Kirsten and their captain, Pieter Strydom. Together the pair added 66 for the third wicket in quick enough time to ensure that Border were 69/3 at the end of the 15 overs. Strydom, in particular, refused to be intimidated by the venue, the opposition or the position. He greeted Dean Laing`s introduction to the attack by carving the all-rounder for six over extra cover and with Transvaal conceding no less than 20 wides during the innings, Border began to look towards a respectable total. The key wicket, though, was always going to be that of Kirsten and it went to Clive Eksteen when the former Test player had reached 25. Somehow Kirsten contrived to play all around a straight ball and the rhythm of the innings was broken. Strydom went on to make 43 before he was trapped leg before hit- ting across the line against Eksteen and Piet Botha, a former Transvaaler, chipped in with 31, but there was little else in the innings. Webster, bowling with no little zip, was the pick of the attack while Eksteen`s control was immaculate, but the extras will have given the Transvaal coaching staff no little cause for concern. Source :: The Star Contributed by Ros.Brodie (tcb@iafrica.com)