KING Pioneers produced a superb performance to upset Alice with a comprehensive three-wicket victory in a nailbiting Border Cricket Promotional League encounter at the Breidbach Oval at the weekend.
The visitors won the toss and elected to bat first in their 50-overs game, putting a target of 212 on the board in 42 overs.
Alice captain Enkosi Nonyukela led by example, scoring 91 runs off 96 balls which included 11 fours.
Teammate Emihle Mgoqi also stood out with the bat, scoring a quick 24 off 25 balls with three fours and one six, before he was dismissed.
Pioneers all-rounder and medium pace bowler, Elrico Hill, was a thorn in the flesh for the visitors and his hat-trick is evident of this after taking 3/15, in five overs bowled, with one maiden.
In their reply, the home side made 214/7 in 49.4 overs to secure victory.
Pioneers got off to a good start in their reply, losing their first wicket of opening batsman Vuya Mtini for 33 after he was bowled by Dick Nakhane for 15.
There was a mini-scare when Pioneers lost two quick wickets following a 21-run partnership between Hill and Onele Gqomfo, who only contributed two runs, while Tasleem Safter failed to trouble the scorers.
Both wickets fell with the score on 54.
Hill and Darryl Fourie, who came in at five, put on a partnership of 20 before a mix-up saw Hill run out for a well-played 41 off 55 balls, which included four fours and a six, with the score on 74/4 after 18 overs.
Oyisa Dyani joined Fourie at the wicket and they combined for a well-paced partnership of 56 runs before Dyani was well-caught at long-off for 19 runs off 43 balls, making it 130/5.
It soon became 137/6, when Fourie was also caught at long-on off the bowling of Nonyukela for a well-played 46 off 52 balls.
Shandre Butler and Byron Esterhuizen came to the crease and put on a partnership that yielded 63 runs, with the former captain and veteran ending on 41 not out off 39 balls which included one four and four sixes.
Their much-needed contribution saw Pioneers winning the match by three wickets, just what they were hoping for to give them the perfect boost for their next away encounter against Gonubie in East London this weekend.
