Bloemfontein - The Warriors spin trio squeezed the life out of the Titans and consigned them to the Ram Slam T20 Challenge wooden spoon as the Warriors triumphed by 20 runs in the final game of Sunday’s triple-header at Chevrolet Park.
The Titans were cruising at the halfway point of their chase of 149, with openers Henry Davids (48) and Heino Kuhn (31) putting on 72 without loss.
However, the next six overs brought four wickets for 27 runs as Simon Harmer (1-24 in four overs), Jon-Jon Smuts (1-20 in four) and Yaseen Vallie (2-5 in two) turned the screws, and the Titans failed to hit a single boundary in the second half of their innings as they went on to finish on 128 for seven.
While the spinners had contributed at a crucial point of the game, Rusty Theron looked back to his best as he bowled fast and took 2 for 14 in his four overs.
Smuts (19 off 13 balls) had provided a brisk start to the Warriors innings after they had won the toss and elected to bat, but their total of 148 for seven was largely thanks to a 52-run stand for the fifth wicket between Colin Ingram (40) and Christiaan Jonker.
Jonker crunched three sixes in his 29-ball 49 before he was knocked over by Marchant de Lange, who finished with 4 for 31 on his return to the Titans side.
The result lifted the Warriors off the foot of the table and condemned the Titans to last place, and they could end up as high as fourth if they beat the Cobras in Paarl in their final game on Wednesday.