Dolphins go top after high-scoring Knights draw

Career-best efforts from Vaughn van Jaarsveld and Senuran Muthusamy highlighted the final day of the Sunfoil Series clash between the Hollywoodbets Dolphins and VKB Knights as their clash ended in an inevitable draw in Kimberley on Sunday. There were also maiden career wickets for wicketkeeper Rudi Second, one of 10 bowlers used, as the visitors replied with 538/7 declared to the hosts 487/7 declared in a clash that was effectively a three-day encounter after day one was abandoned due to rain and a wet outfield. The end result was enough for the Dolphins to leapfrog the Multiply Titans at the top of the table with three rounds remaining. On what turned out to be a flat track at the Diamond Oval, Van Jaarsveld recorded his first career double ton and the second of the season when he struck a blistering 203 (237 balls, 27 fours, 3 sixes). His previous best score was 160 for the Dolphins against the Titans in 2012/13 and it was his 16th three-figure score overall. The left-hander also shared in an all-time team record partnership of 355 for the second wicket – a season-high for all wickets – with Muthusamy, who made 181 (348 balls, 20 fours, 2 sixes), his sixth career ton. The 22-year-old was playing in just his seventh game at this level, but did have a previous best first-class score of 145. Their efforts were nonetheless well short of the overall record second wicket stand in South African domestic cricket, which is 480 between Dean Elgar and Rilee Rossouw for the Eagles versus Titans in 2009/10. Calvin Savage, meanwhile, made an unbeaten 58 (66 balls, 4 fours, 5 sixes). Both Van Jaarsveld and Muthusamy were dismissed by part-timer Theunis de Bruyn (2/35), while Second claimed his first career wickets by taking 4/25 with his right-arm off-break, the best return amongst the bowlers. David Miller also bowled four overs for 19. The Dolphins walked away with 8.07 points, to move ahead of the Titans (70.76), while the Knights stayed third with 66.98 points with all six teams still in contention for the title.