Thanks in no small measure to an opening partnership of 176 between Richard Levi and Andrew Puttick, the Cape Cobras meted out a 72-run hiding to the Highveld Lions in their One-Day Cup match at the Wanderers on Sunday.
The Lions, who won the toss and elected to field, were set a competitive total of 380 to win by their visitors, but were never in the hunt, despite the best efforts of Gulam Bodi (76) and Neil McKenzie.
Whereas Bodi got to his half-century more by luck than judgement, McKenzie used every shot in the book on his way to a stylish 111-ball 101.
Cliffe Deacon struck a rollicking 25-ball 55, but when the final curtain came down Ethan O'Reilly was the last man standing on six, with the hosts all out for 307.
Earlier, O'Reilly opened the bowling for the home side, and greeted Levi with two short volleys, which were deftly struck to the deep mid-wicket and backward square boundaries.
In the ninth over Levi was particularly harsh on Craig Alexander smashing 26 off one over, made up of a two, a dot and four mighty sixes launched into the stands – one over extra-cover and the other three flicked over cow-corner.
The last six took the opener to his 50, struck off 21-balls with three fours and four maximums.
Fours overs later Andrew Puttick and Levi had put on 100 runs for the opening partnership. Seventy-six of the runs came via the ropes or clearing them.
In an effort to break the partnership Alviro Petersen used seven bowlers. However, there was no stopping Levi, who treated each bowler with equal contempt, with straight drives, cuts and flicks over mid-wicket the norm.
Levi reached his century off only 53-balls, the fastest in Domestic one-day cricket. The previous record was held by Vaughn van Jaarsveld, who made 100 off 56 deliveries.
The classy opener, who was picked for the Proteas' T20 side, but failed to get a place, was eventually out going for one big hit too many, trying to hook Deacon out of the park and was caught at mid-off by O'Reilly. Levi had faced 53-balls for his 110, his penchant for not running only too obvious with 92 of his runs struck to the boundary and beyond.
Puttick and Herschelle Gibbs carried on the onslaught, albeit at a slightly slower pace putting on 73 for the second-wicket before Gibbs (39), wandered down the track and was stumped by Quinton de Kock off Aaron Phangiso.
Exactly four overs later Puttick reached his century off 110-balls, which included 14 boundaries, and promptly got out caught on the deep square-leg boundary by Jonathan Vandiar off Petersen.
De Kock and Phangiso teamed up again to get rid off Owais Shah and the Phangiso castled Dane Vilas.
Phangiso's figures for his second spell read 5-0-17-3.
Justin Kemp came and went and the Cobras - from a position of strength -had lost five wickets for 49 runs.
Rory Kleinveldt bludgeoned a do-or-die 27 from seven-balls to help take the score past the 350 mark. – Sapa