Johannesburg - A ninth-wicket stand of 62 between Aubrey Swanepoel and Dillon du Preez saw the Knights hang on to beat the Highveld Lions by one wicket in their One-day Cup match at the Wanderers on Wednesday night.
It was a real nail-biter, with the Knights set 251 for victory and clinching the game with one ball to spare.
Fittingly it was Man-of-the-Match Dillon du Preez, who made 52 not out, who struck the winning runs, launching a huge six over cow-corner.
At one stage, though, the visitors were in real trouble at 172/8, mainly due to Craig Alexander's inspired first spell of 4/18 from seven overs.
Dean Elgar and Obus Pienaar fell from successive deliveries, but Werner Coetsee survived the hat-trick ball.
And it was not just a one-man show from the Lions attack, with Aaron Phangiso taking a brilliant caught-and-bowled chance to grab the wicket of dangerman Morne van Wyk.
The spinner also took two brilliant catches - one in the gully, diving forward to get rid of Rilee Rossouw, and the other at backward-point for the wicket of Ryan Bailey, both off Alexander.
Earlier, Alviro Petersen and Quinton de Kock shared a second-wicket partnership of 71 for the Lions, with Petersen reaching his half-century.
No sooner had the opener reached that milestone, however, than he flashed at Du Preez, nicking it to wicketkeeper Van Wyk.
In the next over, De Kock, who contributed 42 off 41 balls, misread spinner Coetsee and edged the delivery to Rossouw who was waiting in the slips.
The recovery was instigated by Neil McKenzie and Thami Tsolekile with a fifth-wicket stand of 113 off 106 balls.
However, in an effort to get the run-rate up and set a competitive total, Tsolekile went for one big hit too many and skied a Pienaar delivery, which Van Wyk pouched.
The Lions keeper struck eight boundaries and top-edged a six over fine-leg in an entertaining 57-ball 68.
Tsolekile's departure started an implosion of epidemic proportions as the Lions lost six wickets for 17 runs off six overs.
Mckenzie's dismissal, for 52, was a comedy of errors, with the middle-order batsman lifting Du Preez aloft.
Four fielders converged on the ball and subsequently collided, but unfortunately for McKenzie, Pienaar held on to take the catch.
From there on in, it was a procession back to the hut.
Du Preez, the destroyer in chief, finished with career-best figures of 5/47. - Sapa