The uncharacteristic poor form of the Fidelity Titans Ladies in the Hollywoodbets Pro50 Series found no reprieve when their opening tie of 2025 against Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers was rained out in Centurion, while the DP World Lions raced to a DLS-affected win over the visiting Free State Women in Johannesburg, on Saturday, 15 February, 2025.
Summer rains in Gauteng affected both of Saturday’s fixtures but the Titans, with just a single win in five matches, came out with intent at SuperSport Park, openers Robyn Searle (45*) and Tebogo Macheke (21) not seeming to be under pressure despite the overhead conditions.
Keeper/batter all-rounder Macheke took to her task with a license to play and Searle seemed to find her range early, but Annerie Derksen (0/18) and opening partner Khayakazi Mathe (1/22) tightened their lines in response, forcing a more guarded approach from the home batters, who picked out fielders with each positive shot for a number of overs, and the run-rate dipping below 3 to the over.
Macheke seemed to have broken the shackles in Mathe’s final over of the first powerplay, hitting a flat six and a boundary before taking to the skies once too often in the final delivery, allowing Asakhe Nyovane at mid-off a tight catch for the Badgers’ first wicket, a well-deserved wicket breaking the openers’ 40-run partnership.
The arrival of no.3 Anneke Bosch (22) introduced a change of pace from the Badgers, and after Jané Winster’s (0/27) very tight grouping of right arm offbreak spin, cautiously played out by Searle, came the arrival of the match’s first rain break at the end of the 10th over.
The umpires managed to squeeze in another 8 overs of play between rain interruptions, in which the home batters compiled 98/2 in 19.2 overs, and Nicolien Janse van Rensburg (1/31) took the wicket of Bosch caught Winster, but that was unfortunately all the play possible on the day, with the teams sharing points for the washed out no-result.
The Lions made the best of their chances against the Knights, winless in the season, when Izel Cilliers won the toss at DP World Wanderers and put the visitors in to bat first, with immediate results as U19 star Fay Cowling (1/21) took Verunissa Reddy’s wicket for a duck in her opening over, and SA bowling icon Ayabonga Khaka (1/18) replied with the wicket of opener Yolandi Potgieter (9) in the first powerplay.
The next five Bloemfontein batters lead by Miané Smit (27) and Luyanda Nzuza (27) each managed worthy contributions but failed to put together a threatening partnership between them, Kgomotso Rapoo (1/12) and Raisibe Ntozakhe (2/19) pinning the visitors back with regular wickets, Free State posting 134/6 in their reduced 34 overs.
The home team’s chase was brutal by comparison, Nonkhululeko Thabethe (43*) carrying her bat and Tazmin Brits (51 with 6 fours and a six) blasted a 93-run opening partnership in 120 balls to lay the foundation for the win, Madison Landsman partnering Thabethe to score the winning runs in 22 overs for a big 32-run (DLS method).
Evodia Yekile (1/32) was the only wicket-taker for the Knights, but Luyanda Nzuza (0/13) and Yolandi Potgieter (0/13) impressed with their economic bowling in the eight overs bowled between them.
With their weekend win, the Lions take over second place on the Hollywoodbets Pro50 Series log from WSB Western Province Women with four wins in six matches on 20 points, while log leaders Hollywoodbets – not in action this weekend – maintain their lead with 29 points from their six matches.
2024/25 Hollywoodbets Pro50 Series Fixtures and Results
5 Oct ‘24: Dolphins beat Titans by 2 wickets (Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium)
5 Oct ‘24: Knights lost to Lions by 116 runs (Mangaung Oval)
12 Oct ‘24: Western Province beat Knights by 64 runs (WSB Newlands)
12 Oct ‘24: Badgers lost to Dolphins by 3 wickets (Recreation Ground)
19 Oct ‘24: Lions beat Badgers by 116 runs (DP World Wanderers)
19 Oct ‘24: Titans lost to Western Province by 6 wickets (SuperSport Park)
2 Nov ‘24: Knights lost to Dolphins by 3 wickets (Mangaung Oval)
2 Nov ’24: Titans beat Lions by 56 runs (SuperSport Park)
16 Nov ‘24: Dolphins beat Badgers by 6 wickets (Chatsworth Oval)
16 Nov’ 24: Lions beat Western Province by 88 runs (DP World Wanderers)
23 Nov ‘24: Knights lost to Western Province by 5 wickets (Mangaung Oval)
23 Nov ‘24: Titans lost to Dolphins by 23 runs (SuperSport Park)
30 Nov ’24: Western Province beat Titans by 5 wickets (WSB Newlands Cricket Ground)
30 Nov ‘24: Badgers beat the Knights by 37 runs (Recreation Ground)
14 Dec ‘24: Dolphins beat the Lions by 115 runs (Hollywoodbets Kingsmead)
14 Dec ‘24: Badgers beat Western Province by 3 wickets (Recreation Ground)
15 Feb ‘25: Lions Beat the Knights by 32 runs (DLS) (DP World Wanderers)
15 Feb ‘25: Titans v Badgers – Match Abandoned (SuperSport Park)
22 Feb ’25, 10h00: Western Province v Lions (WSB Newlands Cricket Ground)
22 Feb ’25, 09h30: Dolphins v Knights (Hollywoodbets Kingsmead)
22 Feb ’25, 10h00: Badgers v Titans (Recreation Ground)
1 Mar ’25, 09h30: Dolphins v Western Province (Hollywoodbets Kingsmead)
1 Mar ’25, 10h00: Knights v Titans (Mangaung Oval)
1 Mar ’25, 10h00: Badgers v Lions (Recreation Ground)
8 Mar ’25, 10h00: Western Province v Badgers (WSB Newlands Cricket Ground)
8 Mar ’25, 10h00: Lions v Dolphins (DP World Wanderers)
8 Mar ’25, 10h00: Titans v Knights (SuperSport Park)
22 Mar ’25, 10h00: Western Province v Dolphins (WSB Newlands Cricket Ground)
22 Mar ’25, 10h00: Knights v Badgers (Mangaung Oval)
22 Mar ’25, 10h00: Lions v Titans (DP World Wanderers)
Main Photo Caption: DP World Lions opening bat Nonkhululeko Thabethe carried her bat to the win for her team to emphatically win their rain-reduced home match against the Free State Women as the Hollywoodbets Pro50 Series action, paused since December 2024, resumed in Johannesburg on Saturday, 15 February, 2025. All Photos: Cricket SA Domestic Leagues on Twitter
Photo 2 Caption: After being put in to bat, the Free State Women lost regular wickets, managing to compile 134/6 in their 34 overs.
Photo 3 Caption: SA U19 bowling star Fay Cowling was impressive for her 1/21 in three overs, taking the wicket of Free State opener Verunissa Reddy for a duck in her first over.
Photo 4 Caption: In their washed-out tie, hosts Fidelity Titans Women were put in to bat first, and skipper Robyn Searle played a classy innings of 45* before the rain ended play.
Photo 5 Caption: The Six Guns Grill Garden Route Badgers’ wickets were shared one apiece by opener Khayakazi Mathe, and Nicolien Janse van Rensburg.
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