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Paarl - Robin Peterson (100), Francois Plaatjies (4/27) and Charl Langeveldt (4/45) were the toast of the triumphant Cape Cobras on Saturday when they produced matchwinning performances in their side's 72-run rout of the Titans in the SuperSport Series encounter at Paarl.
This was the third successive victory for the table-topping Cobras inside three days in the four-day domestic competition and at this rate they look like genuine championship contenders with only four rounds of matches left this season.
In the post-lunch session, the Cobras were dismissed for 420 all out in their first innings which gave them a massive 180 run-lead after the Titans folded for 240 in their first visit to the crease.
The Titans crashed to 108 all out in their second innings, leaving their hosts victors by an innings and 72 runs, and 17.52 log points richer.
The Titans picked up 4.8 points for their rank poor effort.
Earlier in the day, Peterson succeeded where Alastair Gray (89) and his skipper Justin Kemp (93) failed after they both perished ahead of the magical three-figure mark. His ton included nine fours and three sixes and was scored off 196 balls. Together with Kemp he produced a seventh wicket stand which realised 90 runs in a little more than 32 overs.
Meduim paceman Farhaan Behardien (2/38) was one of three Titans bowlers to chalk up two wickets but he was easily the most economical of the trio as he conceded less than two runs per over in his 20-overs stint.
In the 14 overs, ahead of the tea break, the Titans made heavy weather of chasing down the 180-run deficit and lost two wickets (34/2) in the process after the Cobras' new-ball pair Charl Langeveldt and Vernon Philander each captured a stick.
On their return in the final session the Titans' slide continued unabated and they lost wickets every three overs or so, with Francois Plaatjies initiating the free-fall by snaring Gulam Bodi's wicket (41/3).
Langeveldt and Plaatjies made massive inroads into the Titans second innings as the session wore on although Jacques Rudolph (31) offered a measure of resistance. He was the only batsman in the visitors' line-up to score more than 15 runs in the second innings.
All-rounder Kemp, whose contributions of 93 and 4/49 in the Titans' first innings, had a huge collective impact on the outcome and was deservedly named 'Man-of-the-Match'.
