Bjorn Fortuin kept the Lions in the hunt as he scored his second century of the CSA Four-Day competition against the North West Dragons at the JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom on Saturday.
The Lions reached stumps on 374/7 with a deficit of 51 runs from the Dragons’ first innings total of 425 (declared), and Fortuin was unbeaten on 111.
Skipper Fortuin backed up his 95-ball 116 against the Titans, which rescued them from a precarious position after being reduced to 54/5 with a lead of only 68 and helped push them to a winning total of 309 as they beat the Titans by 153 runs.
Fortuin with Conor Esterhuizen (83) added 192 runs for the seventh wicket partnership and got the visitors back into the match after losing four quick wickets earlier in the day.
The defending champions came in to day three having lost two wickets with only 77 runs on the board. The pairing of Wiaan Mulder and Joshua Richards had a monumental task ahead of them as the Lions still required a further 348 runs at the start of the day to keep the contest alive.
The overnight pair were on the mark and added to their partnership, and they would have given the Dragons a lot to think about with their 109 stand. Wihan Lubbe, desperate for a breakthrough, threw the ball to Migael Pretorius, and the experienced campaigner got the timely breakthrough, dismissing the set Richards for a hard-fought 75 off 137 balls.
Mulder was trapped leg-before-wicket soon after, also falling victim to Pretorius. Khaya Fakude (0) and Delano Potgieter (4) didn’t last long, with the home side charging back into the contest, picking up four wickets for nine runs.
Elsewhere, the Warriors will have a mountain to climb on the fourth and final day of their clash at the Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town.
The visitors were dismissed for 266 earlier on day three, and they still trailed the home side by 198 runs. The Eastern Cape-based outfit managed to reduce Province to 111/7, but even that couldn’t give them full control of the match.
George Linde (57) continued his good form with the bat as Province declared their innings on 162/8, setting the Warriors a target of 361 runs to win. Andile Mokgakane (0) and Jason Raubenheimer (0) failed to navigate the five nervy overs before stumps were called as the Warriors were reduced to 10/2 at the end of the day’s play.
The visitors will need 351 runs to win when the fourth and final day gets underway.