Lions’ fighting spirit secures four-day red-ball title

Lions head coach Russell Domingo says his team’s thrilling come-from-behind championship win in the 4-Day Domestic Series final is one of the most memorable of his career. 

Domingo, who has coached the Proteas and Bangladesh, praised his team’s fighting spirit as they claimed a 99-run win against Western Province after five pulsating days of play at the Wanderers. 

“I’ve been fortunate as a coach to be involved in some amazing wins; Test matches in New Zealand with Bangladesh [2022], or in Australia with SA [2016], but this was really cool,” said Domingo. “We’d lost the toss, were on our knees, down and out, and WP have a good side ... it’s definitely one of the most memorable wins I have been a part of.”

From 35/5 on the first morning, few would have predicted victory for the home team. But two magnificent innings from player of the match Delano Potgieter, including a career-best 155 not out, gutsy contributions from the Lions’ lower order as well as five-wicket hauls for Tshepo Moreki in WP’s first innings and Bjorn Fortuin in their second, saw the Lions achieve one of the most stunning turnarounds in recent memory. 

“It was a proper roller-coaster,” said Lions skipper Dominic Hendricks. “We just dug super deep and kept fighting. Our backs were against the wall for 80% of this game. I’m just really chuffed for the boys. It wasn’t just this game, but throughout the campaign, at numerous points we’ve had guys putting their hands up.” 

Coming into the final day on Sunday, both sides would have felt victory was within their grasp. Western Province needed 210 runs, with skipper Kyle Verreynne at the crease alongside Tony de Zorzi, while the Lions needed seven wickets. But tight bowling from Moreki and Codi Yusuf allowed the home side to maintain control throughout the first session. 

Their reward came when Verreynne was adjudged lbw by umpire Stephen Harris, in another contentious decision among many in a match. Then Fortuin got to work, and he too had a couple of lbw decisions from Harris go his way, including the crucial dismissal of De Zorzi for 55. 

The Lions would have felt they were on top at that stage, but in keeping with the rest of the match WP fought back. Notably, young Daniel Smith followed his first innings 60 with 52 in the second, before he too was given out lbw. 

Fortuin finished with 5/69, giving the Lions both control and a wicket-taking option in the second innings. He topped the chart as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with 35. However, nearly as important as his wickets in this match, were the runs he scored in the second innings. 

“That partnership with Delano and Bjorn, was one of the key turning points,” said Hendriks. It was worth 86 runs, with Potgieter’s 118-run ninth-wicket partnership with Yusuf, the next major turning point. “You could see the energy go out of them at that stage,” Hendricks added.

Potgieter, playing in just his fourth match in the competition this season, said the trust he showed in his lower-order partners resulted from more than just training with them.

“I’ve played against them the last two years when I was in North West and bowling to them, it was tough to get them out. They put trust in me, so I showed trust in them. I can’t be more proud of them.”

Their contributions were large, and as Potgieter explained, included Moreki’s second innings 57 as nightwatchman. 

The Lions picked up R1.5m for their victory, but long after the money has been spent, it is the memories of a great game — one that Temba Bavuma said was close to a Test match, given the intensity — that will linger.

“I was telling the guys that one day, when they think about it, the fact that they were [effectively] 70/7 [in the second innings], they will wonder, ‘How did we do that’?” said Domingo.