Claremont set up final clash

Pretoria - Claremont have set up a ``semi-final'' clash with Free State University today in a bid to salvage their national club title aspirations.

It has needed the intervention of Gary Kirsten, however, to help the Cape Town side to reach a stage where Section 1 was last night poised on an uncomfortable sharp knife edge as net run rate may yet decide the section winner today.

While Rand Afrikaans University made sure of winning Section 2 with a victory of 46 runs over University of Port Elizabeth at L C de Villiers Oval, the winners of Section 1 could come from Claremont, Free State University or local hopeful Pretoria University.

As Claremont thrashed Stellenbosch University by 10 wickets with Kirsten scoring 97 off 112 balls, Free State put together another impressive performance to beat an out-classed East Rand side CBC Old Boys. And to make things more interesting Pretoria University easily beat West End CC to up their run rate.

What it boils down to is that a Claremont victory along with Tuks beating Stellenbosch University will mean a the winner of Section 1 being decided on net run rate. And that means a scramble for runs in two of today's matches.

Dirkie de Vos and Bennie Stander steered Tuks to an eight wicket victory at Harlequins over West End CC when the city students picked off the 148 needed for victory in only 14.3 overs to boost their run rate to more than 10 runs an over.

Which, as their manager/coach Colin Dettmer says, is ``just want we need to stay in contention''. Earlier Andre Serfontein had managed three for 17 in a nine overs of controlled swing and seam to have the Kimberley side struggling apart from Michael Alexander who scored 89 out of a total of 146.

Kirsten and Lloyd Ferreira continued from where they left off on Monday when they earned a second consecutive 10 wickets win. This one was against more far tougher opposition provided by Boland neighbour's Maties who scraped together 186 with Ryan Maron taking five wickets.

Andre Volsteedt led Free State University to a comfortable seven wickets victory against tournament minnows CBC Old Boys with Henk Botha collecting four for 16 in eight overs.

RAU were rescued by a 91 run partnership for the fifth wicket to reach a defendable target of 218 against UPE with Mark Benfield scoring 91 and Nic Pothas 60 to haul the Gauteng side back from the Brink as Murray Creed picked up three quick wickets.

Zingari and Old Selbornians earned victories which basically boosts their log positions but does nothing to affect the Section 2 log as RAU are already confirmed Section 2 winners.