Johannesburg - With his Highveld Lions side romping to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory in the final of the Momentum One Day Cup against the Cobras in Cape Town on Sunday, Geoffrey Toyana has further enhanced his reputation as one of the most successful coaches in South African domestic cricket over the last two seasons.
Under Toyana's leadership since he took over in 2012, last season the Lions won the Sunfoil Series, the first time they had prevailed in the domestic first-class competition since the 1999/2000 season.
It brings his trophy tally at the Lions to four, adding to the T20 title and shared trophy in the one-day competition the Lions claimed in his first season in charge.
Now with their latest success in the 50-over competition, Toyana is being hailed as one of the key engineers of their trophy-claiming exploits.
Another factor in the success of the Lions in the competition, was the performance of former Proteas opener Alviro Petersen. The 35-year-old was the runaway top-scorer as he piled on 726 runs at an average of 80 and a strike-rate of 100.
A standout feature of his performances was the five centuries he scored and a 55 in the final. Interestingly, Peterson was dismissed just before the Lions reached their victory target in the final, meaning the right-hander notched up his first 50 of the campaign.
Knights bowler Malusi Siboto was the leading wicket-taker in the competition. The 27-year-old took 19 wickets at an average of 23 at an economy rate of 5 runs per over. - African News Agency (ANA)