The Western Province Cobras beat Boland by six wickets in the Pro20 Cup on Wednesday night to secure their place in the next round of the competition.

The Western Cape sides squared off at Newlands for bragging rights and precious points as the race to the Super 8 heats up.

The men from the winelands came into the clash in second place in Group A with an unblemished record, having won four out of four. The Cobras, meanwhile, sat one place below their neighbours, knowing that victory at home would see them qualify for the Super 8.

The hosts won the toss and sent Boland to bat, which seemed to backfire in the early stages after the visitors raced to 66-0 inside the first five overs. The breakthrough came courtesy of Tshepo Moreki, who dismissed Gavin Kapla, but that did little to stem the flow of runs.

A few dropped catches coupled with aggressive batting by Blayde Capell saw the visitors threaten to post a big total with Capell going on to score a half-century.

Once he departed in the 11th over, the Cobras were able to get through the middle order in quick succession before a few more dropped chances allowed Boland to creep back into the game.

They eventually went on to set WP a target of 175 runs after posting 174-7 (20)

The Cobras run chase got off to a shaky start with Jiveshan Pillay out in the second over before Joshua van Heerden was dismissed in the eighth over. 20-year-old Kashief Joseph rose to the challenge to play a mature knock that saw him score his maiden T20 half-century.

Joseph looked on course to convert his score into three figures, smashing two sixes in a row before skying one to deep square leg for a 41-ball 82 halfway through the 14th over.

The Cobras looked to be in control before Oliver Whitehead’s dismissal in the 18th over. That wicket produced a tense finish that saw the contest to the last over with the prospect of a super over to decide the game.

Boland were left to rue their chances after Daniel Smith was dropped twice in the final over. Those missed opportunities eventually saw WP come away with a nail-biting win off the last ball.

Cobras captain George Linde branded Joseph’s knock as “superb” and backed his team’s chances to lift this season’s title.

“That was the goal at the start, to get to the Super 8. And I feel like now we can start believing that we can go all the way and get to the final and hopefully win it,” said Linde after the derby win at Newlands.

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