Captain HD Ackerman led very much by example as Western Province took a stranglehold on their Supersport Series Super Eight match against Free State on Saturday and in the process moved closer to securing a home final later in the month. Their cause was aided by a cataclysmic final half hour, when Free State lost three wickets at the start of their second innings.

Ackerman struck a resolute and undefeated century, the completion of which also brought the declaration, Free State set 274 to win on a Newlands pitch which has been uncommonly difficult to bat on as the game has progressed.

Their disastrous start was surely anticipated by Ackerman, as the final five overs of the day were bowled in extremely awkward light - somewhere in between natural and articifial, with the floodlights on, but the sun yet to set.

Grinding out the runs was very much the theme for the day, and Ackerman apart, no one did it better than young Andrew Puttick. The opener was eventually dismissed for 60 and played a crucial anchor role for the Province innings. Even so, by the time the home side lost their fifth wicket, their lead had only recently passed a hundred and Free State were very definitely in the hunt.

But key partnerships between Ackerman and Renier Munnik (35) - 70 for the sixth wicket - and 39 between Ackerman and Tsolekile for the seventh helped extend the advantage to a point where it looked defendable.

By stumps it looked nigh-on impregnable, as Charl Willoughby and Claude Henderson picked up three wickets to throw a match which has never been anything other than tightly contested very much Province's way.

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