EP's veterans still have what it takes

Two of the senior citizens in the Eastern Province side - Dave Callaghan and Meyrick Pringle - proved they have plenty of life left in them as they led their side to a 62-run win over Gauteng in the third and decisive leg of the Standard Bank Cup semifinal on Friday night.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, Eastern Province scored what could only be described as a moderate 187 for eight in their allotted 45 overs, but it proved more than enough as they then skittled Gauteng for 125 in just 38.2 overs.

Callaghan is quite obviously fond of playing on the highveld. His career record is peppered with match-winning performances on the Reef, where he has recorded both his highest score and his best bowling analysis.

As was the case in the second-leg match here a week ago, the nuggety veteran was the cornerstone around which Eastern Province fashioned what was no more than a competitive score. The visitors appeared to have erred in sending Callaghan in as late as third drop and they might have rued that decision had they lost when it became apparent that he had the measure of the Gauteng bowlers.

Like last week, when he scored his maiden domestic one-day century in Eastern Province's's 24-run win here, he played with a fluidity that comes only from confidence in one's ability. Eastern Province had been up against it at 62 for three, but the 35-year-old allrounder added 22 with a watchful Mark Benfield for the fourth wicket and was then joined by his captain, Mark Rushmere, in a valuable 52-run alliance.

It was during that partnership that the pair added some much-needed impetus to the EP innings - they failed to score a single boundary between the 24th and 34th overs - Callaghan naturally seizing the initiative with an 18-run haul off a David Terbrugge over with a straight six and three boundaries.

Between the 35th and 40th overs, Eastern Province scored 41 runs thanks largely to Callaghan, who went to the 24th half-century in a distinguished limited-overs career with a sweetly-timed six off Clive Eksteen over square leg.

Callaghan was eventually out, with two balls remaining in the innings, for 65, scored off 85 balls and with five boundaries to add to his two sixes, and Gauteng would have been pleased with an effort during which all the bowlers got among the wickets, West Indian Kenny Benjamin leading the way.

The home side, however, had surely not banked on another fine performance from Eastern Province's other veteran, 33-year-old Pringle. He is no longer frighteningly fast, but he is a wily campaigner and a steady line and good length, make him a difficult bowler to get away.

Gauteng needed their experienced top three batsmen - Adam Bacher, Andrew Hall and Ken Rutherford - to fire, but Hall and Rutherford were instead shot down in the space of seven deliveries from Pringle and at three for two, and then 34 for three, the home side's challenge was extinguished before it had a chance to spark.

Bacher did his bit, scoring a brave but futile 59 before even he was eventually forced to chance his arm as the situation became desperate. Not surprisingly, it was Callaghan who got rid of Bacher, Pringle (again no surprise) pouching a top edge on the mid-wicket fence.

Despite his Herculean effort with the bat, Callaghan was not yet finished and he ended the evening with his career best bowling analysis of 9-1-31-4. Pringle's aggressive seven-over spell at the top of the innings earned him the return of two for 12.

It was a sad exit from the game for another veteran, Gauteng's New Zealand-born import Ken Rutherford. He made something of an ignominious exit from the game, his half-hearted prod at a Pringle delivery offering a catch to Justin Kemp at second slip before he had scored.

Eastern Province now meet Boland in Paarl in the final next Wednesday.