Day 3 of 4:
Titans 195 and 21/0
Cape Cobras 326/9 decl.
JUSTIN ONTONG produced a gritty century dotted with elegant stroke-play to propel the Cape Cobras to a position of dominance ahead of the final day of this Sunfoil Series match against the defending champions.
The visitors, who came into this match at the bottom of the competition’s log, declared with a lead of 131 and then asked the Titans to bat out five overs in the last half-hour, which Heino Kuhn - opening instead of Dean Elgar - and Aiden Markram managed with little alarm.
The 37-year-old Ontong was the hero for the visitors, mixing patience and some lovely shot-making as he notched up a 22nd franchise first-class century, providing the foundation upon which a revitalised Cobras side built a solid first innings total.
Patience was needed on a surface offering plenty of assistance for the seam bowlers. Ontong got an example of that when he was on 67 and a delivery from Junior Dala seamed and bounced beating the outside edge of his bat. The ball was already 55-overs old.
The trouble for the Titans attack is that, with the exception of David Wiese, they were horribly inconsistent, failing to land enough balls on a troubling line or length. In fact, for the most part they were downright wretched, as the concession of 42 extras - including 17 no balls and 10 wides - suggests.
The major partnership of the Cobras innings featured Ontong and young Jason Smith who added 148 runs for the fourth-wicket in just over three hours. Smith never looked settled and even though his innings featured some lovely shots - he enjoys the pull - he looked fragile outside his off-stump and flashed at a lot of balls he should have left alone.
However, the 22 year old is a resolute player, a good trait in one so young and he was able to hang in there with Ontong so that the pair could build a partnership to give their team a foothold in the match. Smith made 69, hitting eight fours before losing his off-stump to one that jagged back from Junior Dala.
The only bowler to cause them concern on a consistent basis was Wiese, who bowled a wonderfully disciplined line on and around off-stump and fully deserving of his five-wicket haul, finishing the innings with 5/41 from 26 overs.
Sadly the rest of the Titans couldn’t follow that and the wayward lines and uncontrolled lengths of Dala and Malusi Siboto saw them concede a combined 201 runs in 45.5 overs.
Ontong continued remorselessly completing his century with an exquisite drive through the cover region. When he was out - thanks to a stunning catch by Dean Elgar, who moved rapidly low and to his left at second slip - Ontong had scored 110, spending over five and half hours at the crease, in which he faced 206 balls and hit 13 fours.
There was some fun late on for Aviwe Mgijima who struck two fours and a six in making 40, while Cobras skipper Dane Piedt made 19 before declaring with 25 minutes to play.
The Titans' chances of victory in this match look increasingly slim.