Boland batted first and were restricted to 247/8 in their 50 overs, with Ayabulela Gqamane top-scoring with 69. Captain Clyde Fortuin contributed 54, while Imran Manack remained unbeaten on 50. Opening batter Grant Roelofsen chipped in with a valuable 41 runs upfront.

Boland fought back well with the bat after finding themselves in trouble at 23/4 after 11.2 overs, with Blayde Capell, Gavin Kaplan, Aviwe Mgijima, and Lehan Botha all dismissed for single figures.

The Dolphins skipper Prenelan Subrayen was the pick of the bowlers, returning figures of 2/35 in his 10 overs. Proteas left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj was equally impressive, finishing with 2/36 in his full quota of overs. At the same time, the seamers Tristan Luus and Andile Simelane also made key contributions, each claiming two wickets.

Jon-Jon Smuts. Photo: Dolphins

In reply, the hard-hitting Jon-Jon Smuts anchored the chase with a superb 91 off 111 balls, while Khaya Zondo added 45. The Dolphins reached their target with five balls to spare, thanks to a crucial unbeaten 35 from wicketkeeper Hanu Viljoen, while Bryce Parsons chipped in with 30.

Spinner Siya Mahima was Boland’s standout bowler in the final, delivering a masterful spell of 3/25 in ten overs. Manack was also exceptional in his containing role, finishing with 1/43 from his ten overs.

Smuts, the tournament’s leading run-scorer and man of the match, credited the team’s collective effort for their success, as the Dolphins secured six consecutive victories following a slow start to the campaign.

Hanu Viljoen. Photo: Dolphins

“I thought we started the game really well, and then Boland fought back brilliantly to post a very competitive score,” said Smuts, who amassed 473 runs at an average of 52.55 in the competition. “We knew it was going to be tough – their spinners have been really effective on this surface, and we expected a grind.

“We managed to take it to the last over and got over the line, so I think it was a fantastic team performance throughout the competition.”

With the limited-overs tournaments wrapped up, attention now shifts back to the 4-Day Series to conclude the season.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg