The golf carts outside the Titans dressing-room yesterday were stacked full of beer, cider and ice in expectation of the home team winning the SuperSport Series during the morning. Going into yesterday's first session they needed only three Dolphins second-innings wickets to wrap up the match, and it took just 13 minutes for the innings to close - a little longer for the booze to be unloaded.

Jacques Rudolph, captain of the winning side, wasn't entertaining thoughts that the Cobras would do the statistically improbable against the Lions at the Wanderers, and there was no holding back in the celebrations. By mid-morning the beers were being downed, the songs were in full flow and wives, girlfriends and children were flooding into the Titans dressing room.

Rudolph was particularly chuffed after the disappointment of last weekend's rain-abandoned match against the Warriors. "I thought for us to do so well after losing the toss and scoring 470 runs on the first day was a real effort," he said. "Both Mathew [Maynard, the Titans coach] and Jara [Martin van Jaarsveld] said that we needed to be brave and then to bowl them out for what we did was awesome. It was our biggest victory in 24 years."

Rudolph suggested that the Titans were worried about Dolphins leg-spinner Imran Tahir, but he was neutralised early on Thursday, centuries coming from Heino Kuhn (128) and Faf du Plessis (157 in 162 balls). Tahir took 3/133 in 26.1 overs but he was expensive, conceding six fours and four sixes as the Titans romped to 473/9 before snuffling two early Dolphins wickets late on the first day.

On a rain-blighted Friday the Titans took 15 wickets. The best bowler in the Dolphins second innings was Ethy Mbhalati, who finished with 5/32, taking his fifth when tailender Brandon Scullard clubbed him to mid-on.