Champions League T20: Titans beat Perth Scorchers

Jacques Rudolph led Titans' dominant all-round display with a 59-ball 83 to propel the home team to a convincing 39-run win over Perth Scorchers in the Champions League Twenty20 opener here today.

Sent into bat, Titans posted a challenging 163 for four, and then rode on Cornelius de Villiers' three wickets to restrict Perth Scorchers to 124 for seven at the SuperSport Park.

It was left-handed Rudolph's 109-run partnership for the first wicket with Henry Davids (54) that set the tone for Titan's challenging total and in the end proved to be sufficient for the South African side.

Rudolph, who has represented the South Africa national team in 46 Tests and 45 One-day Internationals, was in top form and found the boundaries at will against Perth bowlers.

Not far behind was Davids, who matched Rudolph shot for shot, and indicative of that were their similar strike rates that hovered around the 140s for a major part of Titans innings.

While Rudolph smashed nine fours and three sixes during his belligerent knock, Davids hit four fours and as many sixes while facing a mere 38 balls.

The century partnership between the two openers took just 12.2 overs as Scorchers struggled to take wickets.

By the time the first wicket fell, the damage was already done.

A 51-run stand for the second wicket between Rudolph and 38-year-old Martin van Jaarsveld (19), who has also played for South Africa for a brief while, added to Scorchers' misery as the two batters collected the runs in 39 balls.

Pacer Nathan Rimmington was the best Scorchers bowler, returning impressive figures of two for 20, while there was a wicket apiece for Michael Beer and Joe Mennie on a pitch that had a tinge of grass on it.

The chase began on disastrous note for Scorchers as they lost two wickets in quick succession.

If the wickets of Shaun Marsh and Marcus North were not enough, Scorchers were dealt another body blow when Alfonso Thomas had Herschelle Gibbs caught behind with the scoreboard reading 40 for three in the eighth over.

Even as the specialist batsmen failed to deliver, Mitchell Marsh turned out to be the top scorer for Scorchers with an unbeaten knock of 52. He faced 41 balls and struck five fours and a six.

Medium-pacer De Villiers struck the two early blows and then returned for his second spell to take the wicket of Mennie.

Barring Ethy Mbhalati, all the Titans bowlers found themselves in the wickets column, highlighting the South African side's team effort.