Dolphins go down to Storm in weather affected T20 Cup clash

The Hollywoodbets Dolphins suffered an eight-run defeat to WSB Eastern Storm via the DLS Method in their YesPlay Pro20 Cup encounter at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Friday.

Chasing a challenging target after the Storm posted 162/2 in their 20 overs, the Dolphins battled hard in their reply but ultimately fell short.

Hanu Viljoen provided the standout contribution with the bat, scoring 46 off 32 deliveries. His innings included two fours and three sixes as he looked to keep the Dolphins in the contest.

Ntando Zuma also made a valuable contribution at the top of the order, scoring 28 off 27 balls, while Gomolemo Phiri remained unbeaten on 14. Bryce Parsons added 15 off 12 deliveries, including a six but the Dolphins were unable to build enough momentum to get themselves into a strong winning position.

Earlier, the Eastern Storm had been powered by a strong unbeaten 87 from Ronan Hermann, who faced 61 deliveries and struck nine fours and two sixes. Kabelo Sekhukhune provided support with 33 as the hosts finished on 162/2.

The Dolphins' bowlers found it difficult to make regular breakthroughs, with Jason Smith (1/20) and Bryce Parsons (1/13) the only wicket-takers. Ottniel Baartman was the most economical of the frontline bowlers, conceding 23 runs in his four overs.

Despite contributions from Viljoen and Zuma with the bat, the Dolphins were unable to get ahead of the game when the lightning arrived, with Eastern Storm taking the honours by eight runs via the DLS Method.