Cobras have too much bite for Knights

Justin Ontong and Richard Levi shone with the bat as Western Cape Cobras beat Central Knights by five wickets Wednesday in a top-of-the-table South African 50-over championship clash.

Set a target of 275 for victory after Reeza Hendricks was 116 not out for the visitors to Boland Park in Paarl, Cobras reached 276-5 with 12 balls to spare thanks largely to the runs of middle-order Ontong (83) and opener Levi (83).

Ontong smacked eight fours in his 93-minute spell at the crease before being the fifth wicket to fall when caught by Knights skipper Morne van Wyk off the bowling of Shadley van Schalkwyk.

Levi continued his recent scintillating form, scoring his runs off 59 balls and the tally included five sixes and five fours against an attack in which Dillon du Preez (2-33) and Johan van der Wath (2-37) had most success.

Victory lifted the unbeaten Cobras to 18 points from five matches -- five more than the Bloemfontein-based Knights and seven ahead of the Eastern Cape Warriors.

Opener Jon-Jon Smuts struck 132 runs to lay the foundations for Warriors' 90-run triumph over Coastal Dolphins at Buffalo Park in East London. After reaching 356-5, the winners bowled out the visitors for 266 in the final over.