Cape Town won an important toss on an almost unbearably hot day in Durbanville, and elected to bat first. Matters initially did not go as planned though, especially for opening bat Francois Vermaak. By the time that he had reached 20, he had already seen his opening partner Damian Thornton end his season - and possibly also his club cricket career - with a snapped Achilles tendon, been complicit in the run out of his team's premier batsman and been dropped twice himself! He managed to put it all behind him though, and knuckled down to play an immensely impressive innings, batting for over two hours continuously under a helmet in temperatures that were closer to 40 degrees Celcius than thirty.

After its poor start, the subsequent development of the visitors' innings was indebted to a 92-run stand compiled in 20 overs between Vermaak and Kirk Wernars for what was effectively their third wicket. Interspersing a steady stream of singles with the occasional boundary across a very thick and slow outfield, the 50-run stand was posted from 84 balls shortly before Vermaak cut loose in earnest - clubbing 19 from a single over to sail passed his fifth half-century in as many completed matches. Durbanville veteran seamer Linian da Silva finally broke the stand soon thereafter though, by ending Wernars's composed knock through a catch sliced to point, and would add Vermaak's scalp a while later as well, for a well-crafted 93 made from 122 balls with seven fours and a pair of sixes.

With the nippy Morné Heyneke also chipping in with two wickets, Cape Town's innings began to lose headway rapidly as no-one in the middle order could produce an innings of substance - and at 166 for seven in the 41st over they were in danger of wasting the platform that Vermaak and Wernars had given them. However Craig Shepherd, who usually occupies the opening batsman berth but had been slipped way down the order to number ten, provided a late rescue effort - cracking two sixes and a four in an undefeated 28 made from just 17 balls faced. The visitors were thus able to pass the pyschological 200-run mark from their 45 overs, and given the slow outfield and stifling heat it promised to be a competitive total.

The home side's reply got off to an effective start though, Christiaan Mocke surviving a host of initial plays and misses outside the off stump to ultimately produce a fluent enough knock of 31 from 50 balls. The first two powerplays thus produced 57 for two, representing a fairly decent start for Durbanville. However, Geoff Dods then produced a telling spell of parsimonious medium-paced bowling through the middle overs of the innings, also picking up two scalps while throttling the scoring rate by conceding just 27 from his nine overs sent down on the trot. His efforts were all the more commendable for being achieved during a phase in which Gideon Langer and Deon Thiart were busy stringing together the home side's most effective partnership of the game, the pair consolidating from 61 for three by adding 38 together.

Although more expensive, Shane Martin's gentle seamers also provided good support, breaking this fourth-wicket stand and then picking up a further wicket in his following over. A fine catch on the long on boundary by Wayne Hendricks and the return of Wernars to the attack increased the building pressure on Durbanville, and with none of the subsequent batsmen able to establish themselves at the crease while the required rate climbed steadily passed seven an over and beyond, it soon became evident that the home side's destiny lay squarely in the hands of the well-set Langer. However, he was visibly wilting in the oppressive heat, so when he perished not too long thereafter for 46 from 72 balls, missing a big swing across the line to give Wernars his third wicket, the match's outcome had effectively been decided at 135 for eight with just eight overs remaining. In conducting the last rites Wernars rounded off a fine all-round personal performance by finishing with his Cape Town First XI career-best bowling figures, such that when the final wicket fell in the following over the visitors had clinched a comprehensive win with almost five overs to spare.

 Match photo's