Trott tramples on North West hopes

A sparkling 108 from young opener Jonathan Trott helped defending Standard Bank Cup champions Boland to their first win in the competition this season at Boland Park on Friday night. After posting a score in excess of 200 - always a good effort in Paarl - they eventually ran out winners by 28 runs over North West.

The nineteen year-old Trott emphasised exactly why he is rated so highly by those who have seen him at the crease over the past twelve months, overcoming a stodgy start before finding his timing and dominating the North West attack. The Stellenbosch student was a revelation last year and is looking to build on a good start to what promises to be a long professional career.

North West do a laudable job, making the best of limited resources, but they never looked likely to threaten the Boland total. After being tied down by the left arm spin of Con de Lange, who opened the bowling for Boland, the visitors failed to give their innings any real momentum and faded to finish a clear second. Although Arno Jacobs batted beautifully for his 79, when he was seventh out with the score on 148, Boland knew they had the points.

Boland had never looked likely to reach 200 after a lethargic start which saw them pass the 50 mark as late as the 19th over. At that stage, Trott's opening partner James Henderson was already back in the pavilion after offering a chance to Jacobs at point when he had made just five.

Trott meanwhile was struggling to find his rhythm, trying to force the ball away on a pitch which was playing extremely slowly. He was lucky his frustration did not get the better of him as twice he was let off by North West, first on 13 when Corrie Jordaan failed to hold a tough chance at mid-on, and then just an over later offering another difficult chance which Mark Lavine failed to pouch.

While Trott battled, Louis Koen, Justin Ontong and Pieter Barnard were all offering reassuring support at the other end, scoring more freely and helping Boland accelerate away from their sluggish opening. But while they wasted good starts, Trott was building on his more shaky foundations, finding his timing and the boundary ropes more and more frequently. His 100 came in the final over and was followed by a cracking six over midwicket. The coup de grace was then supplied by Steve Palframan who smashed the most unorthodox of sixes over the square-leg ropes off the final ball of the innings.