A determined fightback by the lower-order rescued The Titans first innings and put them on level pegging with the Knights on day two of their Sunfoil Series clash at the Diamond Oval.
At 142 for seven and then 195 for nine, the Titans looked set to fall well short of the 290 that the Knights had posted on the opening day. But, after the last four batsmen all weighed in with crucial runs, the visitors went to stumps on 273 for nine with CJ de Villiers unbeaten on 44 and Vincent Moore on a career-best 33 not out.
With the Knights bowled out in exactly 96 overs on day one, the second day began afresh with the Titans taking to the crease but it took just 15 deliveries for them to lose both of their openers.
Quinton Friend registered the first blow by inducing an edge from Heino Kuhn, and he did more damage in his second spell when he broke a 71-run stand between Henry Davids (30) and Farhaan Behardien (42). Friend dismissed both batsmen as well as Roelof van der Merwe in the space of three overs to leave the Titans 83 for five and, although Qaasim Adams and Mangaliso Mosehle (31) both got in, they failed to turn starts into something more meaningful.
However, David Wiese (27), Shaun von Berg (28), De Villiers and Moore all applied themselves well to take the Titans towards first-innings parity and set up a second-innings shootout over the next two days.
James Buttler
As the editor of World Cricket Badger he is intent on building the website to give quality coverage of the domestic game around the world.
He is also the presenter of the Cricket Badger Radio Show on Radio Yorkshire every Tuesday evening between 7-9pm UK time.
James was the full-time Media Manager at Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 2007 and 2010.
James is a published author, a writer/video contributor to many cricket publications and a complete cricket badger!
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