Alan Dawson's heroics not enough as SA go down to England in Over-50 Cricket World Cup final

• England beat South Africa by 67 runs in the Over-50 Cricket World Cup final in Cape Town.
• Former WP stalwart Alan Dawson scored 82 but it was not enough in a rain-shortened encounter.
• This was England's maiden Over-50 World Cup triumph.

A stunning batting effort from Alan Dawson was not enough as South Africa lost the Over-50 Cricket World Cup final to England at Newlands in Cape Town on Monday.

According to the Club Cricket SA website, Dawson hit 82 from 77 balls, including four fours and three sixes, but the hosts went down by 67 runs in a rain-shortened game.

England, who also beat South Africa earlier in the tournament, made 267/8 in 40 overs, before restricting South Africa to 202/8 in 40 overs.

Giles Ecclestone was England's star with the bat, scoring 120 off 103 balls. Dawson took two wickets for South Africa, while Martyn Gidley and Richard Cooper took three wickets each for England.

Dawson was SA's leading wicket-taker at the tournament with 13 in seven games, while Brandon Nash was the hosts' top run-scorer with 298 in six innings.

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South African cricket fans will remember Dawson, now 53, as a talented swing bowler who was a stalwart for Western Province in the 1990s and early 2000s. He also played two Tests and 19 ODIs for the Proteas.

South Africa beat New Zealand in the semi-finals, while England got the better of the USA. The Kiwis then beat USA in the third-place playoff.

This was England's first Over-50 World Cup title. Australia were the defending champions, having won the 2018 edition.

The 2020 event was cut short due to Covid-19.