The Nashua Cape Cobras slumped to 179 all out to hand the Nashua Dolphins a 53-run victory in their MTN Domestic Championship match at Sahara Park, Newlands in Cape Town on Sunday.

Medium-pacer Jon Kent took three for 30 as the Dolphins claimed their first victory of the season with 14 balls to spare.

A fifth-wicket partnership of 66 between Vernon Philander (25) and Ryan Canning (49, 52 balls, 5x4) looked to have rescued the home-side after they had slipped to 72 for five with only Justin Ontong (28) of the top-order batsmen offering any resistance to the Dolphins� bowling attack.

The partnership was broken when Philander became Kent�s 100th limited-overs wicket after he chipped the bowler to Sanath Jayasuriya at midwicket who took a simple catch.

Kent picked up his third wicket of the innings when he had Claude Henderson caught and bowled to reduce the Cobras to 142 for seven with the home-side facing a required run-rate of nine runs to the over.

Left-arm spinner Jayasuriya then removed Canning, caught and bowled, to leave the Cobras on 154 for eight before fast bowler Quinton Friend picked up the last two wickets to fall.

The Cobras� poor start to their innings was helped by seamer Johann Louw who bowled an opening spell of two for 15 off six overs before finishing with figures of two for 27.

Earlier a 102-run partnership between Imraan Khan and Kent had helped the Dolphins to 232 for seven

Khan (91, 109 balls, 9x4) and Kent�s (64 not out, 58 balls, 3x4, 2x6) partnership was a fourth-wicket record for the Dolphins in MTN cricket. The pair brought up their century-partnership in 40 minutes off 92 balls.

During his knock the left-handed Khan went past his previous best limited-overs score of 78 before he attempted a reverse-sweep and was caught at short fine leg off the bowling of left-arm spinner Claude Henderson.

Kent�s innings, his 17th limited-overs 50, was peppered with expansive shots, none more impressive than the huge six he hit over long-on off the bowling of seamer Charl Langeveldt.

Khan�s dismissal, in the 41st over, saw the Dolphins suffer a collapse as they lost four wickets for the addition of 22 runs with Henderson picking up two of the wickets to fall.

The Dolphins had been reduced to 35 for two early in their innings, after the Cobras had won the toss and elected to bowl, but Ahmed Amla (39, 69 balls, 4x4) and Khan added 73 runs to repair the damage before Amla was caught at long-off by Rory Kleinveldt off the bowling of off spinner Justin Ontong.

Langeveldt was the Cobras� most successful bowler and he finished with figures of three for 34 off nine overs.

Teams

Nashua Cape Cobras - Andrew Puttick, Henry Davids, Stiaan van Zyl, Justin Ontong (capt), Richard Levi, Vernon Philander, Ryan Canning, Rory Kleinveldt, Claude Henderson, Charl Langeveldt, Francois Plaatjies

Nashua Dolphins - Imraan Khan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Ahmed Amla (capt), HD Ackerman, Jon Kent, Pierre de Bruyn, Daryn Smit, Johann Louw, Alfonso Thomas, Yusuf Abdullah, Quinton Friend