The DP World Lions Women thrashed the Fidelity Titans by a 101 runs in a fifth consecutive win to lift the inaugural Hollywoodbets-sponsored Pro50 championship at Wanderers in Johannesburg, on Saturday, 22 March, 2025.
The Lions built their win on seven victories in their 10 fixtures in the inaugural season of the professional domestic tournament, and the team was lifted by the return of Women’s Premier League stars Chloe Tryon and Shabnim Ismail in their concluding fixture.
Lions lost their first wicket early with the departure of Nonkululeko Thabethe (6 off 15 balls) to Masabata Klaas with the score on 17/1, but then found their match-winning partnership in a 128-runs partnership between centurion Brits (118 off 127) and U19 wicketkeeper/opening bat, Karabo Meso (76 off 107), who eventually holed out to Suné Luus on the long off boundary, off the bowling of Gandhi Jafta in the 36th over.
Klaas (49/2 off 9 overs) and Jafta (35/2 in 6) were the mainstay of the Titans attack, supported by Monalisa Legodi (21/1 in 4) and Rasika Maharaj (41/1 in 5), but the Lions would have been confident at the turn-around of pressing for the win.
Titans newcomer Laura Wolvaardt (28 off 41) faced out the fully pro pace bowling international Shabnim Ismail for a sparse first over to start the reply, but she found confidence with regular Titans opener Tebogo Macheke (15 off 34) in a 39-run opening stand, before SA U19 world cup tearaway Fay Cowling (24/2 in 6 overs) pegged back Macheke’s leg stump for the Lion’s first breakthrough.
Anneke Bosch (1 off 11) struggled to get going, falling early to Ntozakhe Raisibe (26/2 in 7), bringing Luus to the wicket to join Wolvaardt at the crease, but the SA skipper lost her wicket soon after to Kgomotso Rapoo (31/1 in 7).
Luus (56 off 48) continued in her now-familiar runs-hungry fashion, but her half-century turned out to be her side’s top-scoring effort, and Lions bowlers steadily broke down the visitors’ batting lineup, with Tryon bringing up her 33/ 3 in 8 overs with a sensational catch to bring the match to an early end in the 42nd over, for the 2024/25 champions to prevail in an educational 101-run final match win.
The season’s two other final fixtures saw Western Province Women humble the Hollywoodbets Dolphins by 10 wickets in a rain-reduced Newlands tie, Faye Tunnicliffe and Lara Goodall sparkling in an unbeaten 77-run winning innings to win the season’s second place finish from their KZN competition; while the Free State Knights beat the Garden Route Badgers by 116 runs for their second win of the season, the match figures dominated by Janse van Rensburg bowlers, four wickets to Gezelle for the winning Knights, and a fine five-fer for Nicolien for the SWD XI in a losing cause.
2024/25 Hollywoodbets Pro50 Series Fixtures and Results
5 Oct ‘24: Dolphins beat Titans by 2 wickets (Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium)
5 Oct ‘24: Knights lost to Lions by 116 runs (Mangaung Oval)
12 Oct ‘24: Western Province beat Knights by 64 runs (WSB Newlands)
12 Oct ‘24: Badgers lost to Dolphins by 3 wickets (Recreation Ground)
19 Oct ‘24: Lions beat Badgers by 116 runs (DP World Wanderers)
19 Oct ‘24: Titans lost to Western Province by 6 wickets (SuperSport Park)
2 Nov ‘24: Knights lost to Dolphins by 3 wickets (Mangaung Oval)
2 Nov ’24: Titans beat Lions by 56 runs (SuperSport Park)
16 Nov ‘24: Dolphins beat Badgers by 6 wickets (Chatsworth Oval)
16 Nov’ 24: Lions beat Western Province by 88 runs (DP World Wanderers)
23 Nov ‘24: Knights lost to Western Province by 5 wickets (Mangaung Oval)
23 Nov ‘24: Titans lost to Dolphins by 23 runs (SuperSport Park)
30 Nov ’24: Western Province beat Titans by 5 wickets (WSB Newlands Cricket Ground)
30 Nov ‘24: Badgers beat the Knights by 37 runs (Recreation Ground)
14 Dec ‘24: Dolphins beat the Lions by 115 runs (Hollywoodbets Kingsmead)
14 Dec ‘24: Badgers beat Western Province by 3 wickets (Recreation Ground)
15 Feb ‘25: Lions Beat the Knights by 32 runs (DLS) (DP World Wanderers)
15 Feb ‘25: Titans v Badgers – Match Abandoned (SuperSport Park)
22 Feb ’25: Western Province lost to Lions by 62 runs (WSB Newlands Cricket Ground)
22 Feb ’25: Dolphins lost to Knights by 6 wickets (Hollywoodbets Kingsmead)
22 Feb ’25: Badgers lost to Titans by 168 runs (Recreation Ground)
1 Mar ’25: Dolphins lost to Western Province by 106 runs (Hollywoodbets Kingsmead)
1 Mar ’25: Knights lost to Titans by 35 runs (Mangaung Oval)
1 Mar ’25: Badgers lost to Lions by 2 wickets (Recreation Ground)
8 Mar ’25: Western Province beat Badgers by 137 runs (WSB Newlands Cricket Ground)
8 Mar ’25: Lions beat Dolphins by 8 wickets (DP World Wanderers)
8 Mar ’25: Titans beat Knights by 77 runs (SuperSport Park)
22 Mar ’25: Western Province beat Dolphins by 10 wickets (WSB Newlands Cricket Ground)
22 Mar ’25: Knights beat Badgers by 116 runs (Mangaung Oval)
22 Mar ’25: Lions beat Titans by 101 runs (DP World Wanderers)
Main Photo Caption: The DP World Lions Women thrashed the Fidelity Titans by a 101 runs in a fifth consecutive win to lift the inaugural Hollywoodbets-sponsored Pro50 championship at Wanderers in Johannesburg, on Saturday, 22 March, 2025. Screengrab: Cricket South Africa on YouTube
Photo 2 Caption: Tazmin Brits hit a match-winning century in a 128-runs partnership with U19 wicketkeeper/opening bat, Karabo Meso. Photo: DP World Lions on X
Photo 3 Caption: U19 T20 World Cup star Fay Cowling broke through first for the champions, setting in motion a collapse by the Titans. Photo: DP World Lions on X
