Faye Tunnicliffe, Nadine de Klerk and Laura Wolvaardt all recorded centuries to help guide their teams to opening weekend victories in the Hollywoodbets Pro50 on Saturday.
Getting the 2026/27 Hollywoodbets Pro Series campaign underway, the Fidelity Titans marched to an 86-run triumph over the Hollywoodbets Dolphins in Tshwane, while the YesPlay Western Province Cobras overcame their Western Cape rivals, the Garden Route Badgers, by 65 runs in Cape Town.
The other clash of the day between the newly-promoted Warriors and the DP World Lions was abandoned due to inclement weather in Gqeberha.
After losing the toss and being asked to bat first at the TUT Oval in Tshwane, the Titans had their national captain to thank for holding their innings together.
Wolvaardt struck an unbeaten 123* off 129 balls (13 fours, 1 six) to help the home side post a competitive 228/8 in their 50 overs, despite three wickets apiece from Jade de Figueiredo (3/36) and Seshnie Naidu (3/39).
With ball in hand, the Pretoria side picked up Dolphins wickets at regular intervals.
Off-spinner Paulinah Mashishi produced the best bowling display of the day with a return of four for 35 as the visitors were dismissed for 142 in 37 overs.
In a high-scoring affair at the YesPlay Newlands Stadium in Cape Town, the Cobras batters enjoyed a productive day out, posting 349/4 in their allotted 50 overs after being put into bat.
Tunnicliffe top-scored with a mammoth 171 off 131 deliveries (19 fours, 5 sixes), sharing a 210-run partnership with Nadine de Klerk, who also raised her bat for a superb 101 off 108 balls (9 fours, 3 sixes).
In defence of their total, Nosipho Vezi (3/65) and Sinelethu Yaso (2/43) were the standout bowlers for the Cobras as they restricted the Badgers to 284/9 to seal a 65-run victory, despite half-centuries from Babette de Leede (62 off 61 balls; 6 fours, 1 six) and Nicolien Janse van Rensburg (54 off 41 balls; 7 fours).
The opening weekend of the Pro Series continues on Sunday, 04 October with the start of the Hollywoodbets Pro20 competition.
All the action will be live on Cricket South Africa’s YouTube channel
Results – Hollywoodbets Pro50 | Week 1
Fidelity Titans beat Hollywoodbets Dolphins by 86 runs
- Titans: 228/8 after 50 overs; L. Wolvaardt 123* (129), S. Luus 30 (59); J. de Figueiredo 3/36, S. Naidu 3/39
- Dolphins: 142 all out after 37 overs; N. Shangase 44 (57), N. Mlaba 22* (22); P. Mashishi 4/35, A. Mngwenya 2/16
YesPlay Western Province Cobras beat Garden Route Badgers by 65 runs
- Cobras: 349/4 after 50 overs; F. Tunnicliffe 171 (131), N. de Klerk 101 (108); Z. Kula 2/45, J. Winter 1/58
- Garden Route Badgers: 284/9 after 50 overs; B. de Leede 62 (61), N. Janse van Rensburg 54 (41); N. Vezi 3/65, S. Yaso 2/43
Match abandoned due to inclement weather
Lions: DNB
Warriors: DNB
Fixtures – Hollywoodbets Pro20 | Sunday, 04 October at 10:00
- YesPlay Western Province Cobras vs Garden Route Badgers (YesPlay Newlands Cape Town)
- Warriors vs DP World Lions (Dafabet St George’s Park, Gqeberha)
- Fidelity Titans vs Hollywoodbets Dolphins (TUT Oval, Tshwane)
Aqua Monsoon
A cricket bat usually weighs between 2 and 3 pounds.
Green Scavenger
France placed second in the 1900 cricket Olympic games. They were represented by the Union of French Athletic Sports Societies. However, not all the players were French. Most of the players were Britons who were living in Paris during the period.