Log leaders Victoria Cricket Club faced second-placed St Augustine in a Western Province Cricket Association First Division 1B top-of-the-table clash, at Chukker Road, on Saturday, February 10.
Coming off an all-round decent season and a win against Bonteheuwel, at the Metropolitan Oval, last week, Vics could have been considered favourites going into their southern suburbs derby against long-time rivals, Saints.
However, head coach Saadiek Davids, in his first season with the club, was cautiously optimistic going into Saturday’s encounter. After being relegated at the end of last season, the Kenwyn-based side certainly had their work cut out to claim their current top spot and a shot at promotion.
“The wicket was dry and we knew batting second would be a challenge, the goal was to bowl tight areas in the first 15 overs of the game which would put Saints’ top order under pressure and pick up wickets early in the game,” Davids said.
On Saturday, the visitors won the toss and elected to bat first, with opener Jarryd Crowe contributing an impressive 58 off 107 ball in his side’s eventual score of 158. In reply, the hosts reached 159 for 4 after 33.4 overs. Saints struggled to fine their rhythm as they were 60/4 after 23 overs.
After 14 games and four games left to play, Davids and co remain focused on the end goal.
“Being relegated last year was a tough pill to swallow, but we knew that we needed to be honest with ourselves and have tough conversations to move forward in the right direction,” he said.
“Our pre-season prep was brilliant, and the work ethic of all our player’s was phenomenal. Our goal was clear in terms of what we want to achieve as a club and currently, we are right on track,” said Davids, who had similar success with United CC in the same league, the previous season.
For Saints, veteran Grant Jansen was handy with the ball, restricting their hosts to 1 for 12 in 8 overs, Jonathon Chamberlain took 1 for 17 in 2 overs, and Luthando Mnyanda, one for 33 in 7 overs.
