Free State regained the initiative against Easterns on the third day of their encounter, although the game remained in the balance with one day left.

By the close, Free State, chasing a challenging 339 for victory, had moved to 116 for one, with Gerhardus Liebenberg, unbeaten on 59, and Louis Wilkinson, on 30, having added an unbroken 50 for the second wicket.

Liebenberg, who has matched the achievement of Mike Rindel in making two half-centuries in the match, had put on 66 for the first wicket with Andrew Gait (24) as the visitors to Willowmoore Park set out in pursuit of their target in positive fashion.

Earlier, Easterns had gone well beyond their first innings total of 224 when Derek Crookes and nightwatchman Andre Nel had extended their fifth-wicket partnership to 115. Nel contributed 44 and Crookes, who has played a major role with the bat in getting Easterns into the Super Eight phase, fell just five short of a deserved century.

There was more drama to come, when Dewald Pretorius found himself on a hat-trick after taking two wickets in consecutive balls with the Easterns total on 309. Last man in Jody Williams survived the hat-trick ball, but Easterns's second knock still ended on 309, an overall lead of 338.

Pretorius and Victor Mpitsang each grabbed three scalps, while offspinner Kosie Venter and occasional left-arm spinner Van Wyk took two wickets each, Van Wyk's 2-25 including the scalp of Crookes, who he bowled.

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