Ashwell Prince (Gallo Images)

Port Elizabeth - The Warriors, on the back of half-centuries from Ashwell Prince and Jacques Kallis, captured their first Standard Bank Pro20 title after they demolished the Highveld Lions by 82 runs in the final at St George’s in Port Elizabeth on Friday.

Prince scored 69 while Kallis weighed in with 55 as the Eastern Cape franchise posted 186 for two, the highest total of the Pro20 season.

In reply, the Lions never threatened the Warriors as they slumped to 104 all out with 13 balls of their innings remaining.

The victory gave the Warriors their second domestic trophy of the season after they won the MTN40 in January.

Prince and Kallis’ first-wicket stand produced 129 runs off 96 balls as the home side took full advantage of winning the toss and electing to bat on an easy-paced wicket.

The left-handed Prince raced to his first Pro20 fifty off 43 deliveries before he was eventually bowled by seamer Shane Burger with his knock of 54 balls including nine fours and two sixes.

Kallis was no less impressive and his first scoring stroke was a boundary through cover point.

In keeping with the theme Kallis brought up his fifty, off 45 deliveries, by flicking a Burger delivery to the square-leg boundary for four before he skied a ball from seamer Robbie Frylinck to Neil McKenzie at point.

Prince departed in the 17th over, with Kallis following in the 19th over, but if the visitors thought that they had earned a respite they were to be disappointed.

Colin Ingram, the Pro20’s leading run-scorer this season, thrashed his way to 23 not out off 12 balls but it was Proteas wicketkeeper Mark Boucher who provided the late fireworks.

In a remarkable display of clean hitting Boucher helped himself to 27 not out off just eight balls as he hammered four sixes off the last over of the innings, bowled by medium-pacer Zander de Bruyn.

Boucher struck the first three balls for six, all on the leg side, before sending the final ball of the innings sailing over cow corner and out of the ground.

Frylinck turned in an impressive bowling performance as he returned figures of one for 14 off four overs.

The Lions’ innings was derailed by the spin of Johan Botha and Nicky Boje.

Off-spinner Botha captured two for 17 while left-armer Boje finished with two for 15 as the pair sent down a combined eight overs for just 32 runs.

The top score in the Lions’ innings was just 15 with Richard Cameron, Frylinck and Vaughn van Jaarsveld all reaching the figure.

Teams

Warriors:
Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, Colin Ingram, Mark Boucher (wk), Davy Jacobs (captain) , Craig Thyssen, Johan Botha, Nicky Boje, Wayne Parnell, Rusty Theron, Makhaya Ntini

Highveld Lions:
Neil McKenzie, Jonathan Vandiar, Zander de Bruyn, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Alviro Petersen, Thami Tsolekile (captain, wk), Robert Frylinck, Richard Cameron, Shane Burger, Aaron Phangiso, Ethan O’Reilly