Had such replay facility been available at SuperSport Centurion last night the umpiring errors which marred the Standard Bank Cup final would have been averted.
In the end, however, Gauteng won their backyard scrap with Northerns for Ken Rutherford to lift the big trophy and set the seal on a summer where little had gone right. And while it was a pulsating final it was marred by a couple of crucial umpiring errors which went against Northerns.
Mark Davis, the Titans captain, mentioned as much, a rejoinder which the Guateng fans didn't enjoy. Even so Northerns were always 40 runs short of what could have been a winning score with Gauteng scoring the 193 runs needed with seven wickets down and 10 balls remaining.
And when the dressing room post-mortems are held the decision which sent Mike Rindel back to the pavilion with Nic Pothas claiming a catch off Andrew Hall's bowling when he had reached 70 will be seen as a turning point. It was his 23rd half-century and until his departure, Northerns were on course for the 230/240 total for which Davis had been hoping.
Not that Northerns capitulated without a battle with class fielding and Davis bowling an inspired spell to check Gauteng's run-charge when it appeared they would jog home with ease.
An 86 run partnership between Daryll Cullinan and Derek Crookes did much to seal the victory although the man of the match award went to Keith Ingram for his four wickets.
One young man who emerged as a surprise package was Keith Ingram, Rutherford unknown ace surprise whose pace and swing earned him four wickets. As it is Rutherford's ploy of using the spinners Crookes and Clive Eksteen in a containing role worked well in stages.
Rather it was Ingram, using his height to advantage and extracting lift and bounce from the pitch who caused most problems. Dennis Smith, used a second time as Rindel's opening partner, fell early in the third over, steering an outside edge straight at Cullinan, one of the two slips.
Roy Pienaar, pulling at a lifter merely top-edged a catch to Neil McKenzie and at 19 for two all the plans for Northerns to mount a big score came adrift. The Titans needed the experience of the Rindel/Pienaar to build a solid foundation.
It was Martin van Jaarsveld, however, who again established his middle-order credentials. A mixture of confident strokeplay and an organised defence enabled the tall stylish bastman to give Rindel the support he needed through a testing period.
They tackled the job in hand to build a quality century partnership before Rindel fell victim to a decision which was one of the topics of conversation during the supper break. Just as was the case with Steve Elworthy's lbw decision to Eksteen which appeared to have pitched outside the off.
It sparked the lower-middle and lower order collapse which was not helped by Rudi Steyn's reverse sweep with Pothas pouched quiccker than a magician plucking a rabbit from a hat.
But Northerns didn't help their causr at all by losing six wickets for 28 runs in a matter of 8.4 overs. Ingram made it more difficult with an outstanding second spell taking two for 21 five overs.
Gauteng's international openers of Rutherford and Adam Bacher whipped up 50 at five runs an over, picking off quick boundaries to launch the start they needed when it almost fell apart.
Bacher helped himself to two sixes before he top-edged a catch off Rudi Bryson. Rutherford went five balls later and when Andrew Hall and McKenzie departed, Gauteng were a shaky 55 for four after 14 overs. But that's where it ended as Cullinan and Crookes became involved in the crucial partnership of their innings with 85 in a masterly display of limited-overs batting.
Source: Trevor Chesterfield
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Date-stamped : 05 Mar1998 - 10:55