For Cape Town, the first half of the match was an uncomfortable replay of their disasterous 2004/05 Final against UCT. Once again the bowlers conceded a large total after losing the toss, consigning the team to the daunting task of a big asking rate - never a fun prospect while batting second under lights. Although an early wicket was not forthcoming, they again began well in the field, with some tight bowlng first-up restricting the students to just six runs from the first five overs.
Five fours from the next five overs put the innings back on track though, Kuda Samunderu cracking some clinical front-foot boundaries in a run-a-ball innings that had the students cruising at 65 for one after 14 overs by the time that Cape Town's spinners were introduced in tandem. Donovan Holman then quickly made an impact on proceedings, ending his second over by inducing two catches in the space of three balls to reduce UWC to 69 for three and put Cape Town right back in the frame.
With two new batsmen at the crease, the off spin pairing were able to dominate proceedings for the next nine overs, picking up another wicket while conceding just 19 runs. By then, however, Ramoo had settled at the crease, and once joined by Kevin Bennett the pair set about reclaiming the initiative for the students. With Bennett immediately fluent and rattling up 34 off 31 balls, their next nine overs together produced 62 runs with a six and six fours. Though a direct hit run out ended Bennett's contribution at this point, the momentum that he and Ramoo had created was never slowed thereafter.
With nine overs remaining Ramoo then went into overdrive, reaching his fifty off 64 balls before launching a devastating assault on the seamers. His next twelve balls faced were thus dispatched for a six and five fours as he rocketed from 54* to 90* from them, finding the gaps in the field at will to reduce Cape Town's fielders to hapless ball retrievers from the boundary ropes. As a result, the students imperiously swept from 150 for five to 232 for five between the 37th to 43rd overs.
When Marc de Beer finally broke the 86-run sixth wicket partnership that had taken less than eight overs to compile, the only remaining task for Ramoo was to aim for a century. Stranded at the non-striker's end on 98* with just two balls remaining it looked as though he would fall just short, but given the strike for the final delivery of the innings he got it away to wide long off for two to reach a well-deserved hundred off just 83 balls, containing a six and eleven fours.
In their previous 2004/05 Final Cape Town's reply had been stillborn, as within the first 13 balls of their innings they lost their first three batsmen to swinging deliveries and thereafter were unable to mount a serious challenge. Thankfully this was not the case again, and a thrilling contest developed as a result. With the students' new ball bowlers not finding the swing that has so often been the bane of teams batting under lights at Sahara Park Newlands, Dylan de Beer set off at around a-run-a-ball from the outset. With both openers looking solid the fifty came up in the eleventh over, and the challenge was on. Three overs later De Beer reached his own half-century off just 51 balls with a six and six fours, but fell soon after to end an 82-run first wicket partnership from only 16 overs.
Cape Town meandered somewhat between the 17th and 23rd overs thereafter, scoring 29 runs from these seven overs and losing three wickets, but once Dominic Telo was joined by his captain Damian Thornton they set about getting the run chase back on track. Thornton in particular had an electrifying start, cracking his first two balls faced for four and then six. With Thornton surviving a misstumping almost immediately thereafter, the pair then proceeded merrily at a-run-a-ball, Thornton's third four registering their fifty partnership from just 52 balls.
With ten overs remaining their stand thus stood at 72 from 72 balls, leaving Cape Town in the driving seat at 183 for three - just 66 needed from 60 balls with seven wickets still in hand. Although Thornton then fell in the next over, Cape Town were still favourites as long as Telo remained at the crease, and after being dropped the ball before he duly went to his fifty from his 53rd ball faced. With the equation down to 32 needed from 27 balls with six wickets in hand, Cape Town should have cruised it - but it was not that kind of season for them.
Dean Oosterwyk then dismissed key man Telo next ball in unlikely fashion, caught at deep third man off a slash, and with Esmund van Wyk replacing him for the next over from that end and immediately picking up another wicket as well, Cape Town's run chase started to wobble. UWC's seamers had gifted Cape Town a generous 17 wides and no-balls up to then, but when it came down to the crunch in the final three overs they were as tight as the proverbial drum - and Cape Town could only manage scrambled ones and twos as a result.
It thus all came down to the final over, from which ten runs were required. Just five came from the first four balls, and then a run out followed while attempting to steal a single from a legside wide. That left four needed from the last two balls. A scrambled leg-bye from the penultimate delivery left three wanted from the final ball, but a swing and a miss saw the ball cannon into the off stump instead.
Match photos