The Hollywoodbets Dolphins brought down the curtain on their cricket season when they beat Western Province by one wicket in their final CSA One-Day Cup match at Kingsmead in Durban on Sunday.
The result of the match was immaterial in terms of the competition with both teams way off qualifying for the playoffs, but the Dolphins at least secured the second win of a campaign that was particularly disappointing for last season’s champions.
What the match lacked in quality – particularly in the batting with a couple of glowing exceptions – it more than made up for in excitement as the small but vociferous crowd were kept entertained right to the end.
One Dolphins’ supporter acknowledged that he had been excited “but not in a good way” as his team stumbled, recovered and stumbled again before just about getting over the line.
If the Province innings had been given the kiss of life by skipper Kyle Verreynne who struck his fifth List A hundred after his team had slumped to 25 for three, the Dolphins received a similar gift from Bryce Parsons who struck his first List A ton, 105 in 121 balls, to help the Dolphins reach 179-5 in the 34th over.
With a run-rate of more than five and a half “in the bank” and a required run-rate of 3.5 for victory with 14 overs in hand, it seemed that Tshepang Dithole and Parsons just needed to play solid, conservative cricket to skate home.
Instead there was mayhem. First Dithole, who had shared a fifth-wicket partnership of 77 with Parsons, was run out after he called for the tightest of singles.
Sent back, he failed to beat Mbulelo Dube’s throw from short fine leg. It was Dube’s last significant act, as he injured his left leg shortly afterwards and had to be carried off on a stretcher.
Then, shortly after reaching a superb hundred that included 15 fours, many of them fluently driven, Parsons top-edged a sweep off legspinner Josh Breed.
Oliver Whitehead, racing in from deep square leg, duly pulled off a stunning diving catch.
With their anchor gone, the Dolphins faltered. Gomelemo Phiri and Hanu Viljoen both departed but the unlikely pair of Imran Tahir and Tristan Luus edged the Dolphins closer.
Tahir began boldly, driving and ramping fours, but Luus was dismissed by Breed, caught at point, with four still needed.
Suddenly common sense took over and a series of singles took the Dolphins to parity before Majola, after playing and missing a number of times, finally belted Breed’s fourth ball of the penultimate over back past the bowler for four.
It was a thrilling end to an innings that had begun poorly.
Semal Pillay, making his List A debut for the Dolphins, was trapped leg before by Juan James for a three-ball duck while Jon-Jon Smuts, who had bowled so well earlier, was caught at point for four.
Marques Ackerman joined Parsons but, just as he was getting going, attempted a ramp that went straight up in the air.
He departed for 13, banging his bat in frustration. Romashan Pillay (27) helped Parsons to rebuild with a 63-run partnership for the fourth wicket but then, in true Dolphins’ style, he gave his wicket away, driving spinner Sinalo Gobeni straight to mid-off.
From then on the game was up for grabs, and it could just as easily have gone to Province as to the Dolphins.
For Province, Dane Paterson and James grabbed a couple of wickets each but Breed was the visitors’ best bowler, claiming 3-33 in his 6.5 overs.
SPECTACULAR TON
Earlier, the Dolphins enjoyed an excellent first powerplay, claiming three Province wickets for just 25 runs after putting their opponents into bat.
This was largely due to some superb bowling from veteran left-arm spinner Smuts who claimed the scalps of opener Gobeni and Joshua van Heerden, both bowled.
Smuts showed excellent control and varied the pace of his deliveries cleverly. His first spell of eight overs cost only 21 runs and his complete figures were an impressive 10-2-25-2.
From the depths of 25-3 in the 10th over, Province needed to rebuild and Verreynne and skipper Daniel Smith (39) batted steadily to add 85 in 107 balls for the fourth wicket.
The partnership ended when Smith was well caught by Romashen Pillay on the long-on boundary off the bowling of left-arm spinner Parsons.
The spinner then claimed a second wicket off the next ball, trapping James leg before first ball.
It was a double blow for Province, who were still scoring at less than four to the over, so it was important to up the tempo and Verreynne and Whitehead did just that, adding 99 in 111 balls for the sixth wicket.
Whitehead reached his half-century, his second in List A cricket, but then drove Tristan Luus to long-on.
Verreynne reached his hundred in spectacular fashion, driving paceman Majola over mid-off for four and then, next ball, sweeping him for six to reach three figures.
100 up for Kyle Verreynne!!#WesternProvince #WPCricket #BoysInBlue💙 #WSBWP🧡 #WSBNewlands #1DayCup pic.twitter.com/bRG1lofeMZ
— Western Province Men (@WP_Blitz) March 22, 2026
He eventually perished bravely, well caught by Romashen Pillay on the deep square leg boundary off Majola who claimed the last three wickets to fall, finishing with 3-47.
Imran Tahir, in probably his last game for the Dolphins, conceded 41 runs in his 10 overs but the veteran spinner had a further hand to play with the bat to bow out with a smile.
Hollywoodbets Dolphins: Semal Pillay, Jon Jon Smuts, Bryce Parsons, Marques Ackerman (capt), Romashen Pillay, Tshepang Dithole, Hanu Viljoen (wk), Gomolemo Phiri, Tristan Luus, Imran Tahir, Bayanda Majola.
WSB Western Province: Jiveshan Pillay, Sinalo Gobeni, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Joshua van Heerden, Daniel Smith (capt), Juan James, Mihlali Mpongwana, Oliver Whitehead, Josh Breed, Dane Paterson, Mbulelo Dube.