Tkcricket.com: The battle to avoid relegation heated up several more degrees on Saturday, as the bottom four slugged it out in two crucial matches.
Sparta beat HBS by 4 wickets. It wasn’t just the fact of the win which should send a shiver down the spines of Sparta’s rivals but its manner: their bowlers recovered well after conceding 89 runs in the first eight overs, Lehan Botha launching an extraordinary onslaught which gave him a 32-ball 76, and the batters then raced to their target in 28.2 overs.
Botha’s half-century came in just 17 deliveries, and his innings included nine fours and five sixes, all but ten of his runs coming in boundaries.
He eventually fell to Juandre Scheepers, who added the scalps of Tayo Walbrugh and Wes Barresi in the space of four more deliveries, and although Elmar Boendermaker contributed a patient 47 and Reese Mason made 40 as he batted with the tail, HBS were dismissed for 203.
Scheepers finished with four for 38, and there were two wickets apiece for Khalid Ahmadi and Umar Baker.
Sam Ferguson gave the reply a flying start with a 24-ball 39, but the key partnership was that for the fourth wicket between Lukas Boorer (87 from 73 deliveries) and Ahmadi (39 from 20), who added 95 in nine overs.
Botha struck back to remove both in the space of four deliveries, but by that point only 16 more were needed and Sparta made sure of the victory.