Grant Roelofsen hit an unbeaten half-century as the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins thrashed SA U19 by 10 wickets in Bloemfontein on Sunday.

The opening batsman smashed 77* off 42 deliveries, including nine fours and four sixes, in an undefeated partnership with Keegan Petersen (37*).

The Dolphins won the toss and elected to bowl, with Prenelan Subrayen (2-16) taking two of the three SA U19 wickets to fall in the powerplay.

Although Ethan Cunningham (28) contributed at the top of the order, the youngsters lost wickets at regular intervals, as skipper George van Heerden top-scored with a 33-ball 35 after walking to the crease at 60-5.

That knock was the only positive in a lesson-filled innings for SA U19, with the Dolphins’ more experienced bowling attack taking control of proceedings.

Thando Ntini (2-29) and former SA U19 spinner Odirile Modimokoane (2/12) helped dismiss their opponents for 114.

The chase proved to be more straightforward for the Dolphins, with their opening pair, Roelofson and Petersen, dispatching the ball to all parts of the ground – including 17 boundaries – to surpass SA U19’s score with seven overs to spare.

Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix