Louis Fouche added a penalty after Maartens' second try, with Treviso unable to find a reply in the closing minutes.
Maartens double earns much-needed win for Cheetahs
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The Cheetahs claimed their second Pro14 win of the season as Daniel Maartens crossed twice in the final 21 minutes against Benetton Treviso.
Daniel Maartens was the Cheetahs' hero with two late tries as the South African franchise edged out Benetton Treviso 31-25 in the Pro14.
The Cheetahs came into the contest with only one win from eight games all season, but managed to double that tally as Maartens' second score - from the back of a rolling maul in the 73rd minute - proved decisive.
Toyota Stadium was sparsely populated for Saturday's contest, but the spectators in attendance witnessed a topsy-turvy contest with multiple shifts in momentum.
Maartens' two second-half scores came either side of Ian McKinley rounding off phase after phase of Treviso attack with a try that put the Italian team ahead for a third time.
Marco Zanon and Dewaldt Duvenage were Treviso's other try-scorers, but the Cheetahs prevailed as Nico Lee and Shaun Venter went over prior to Maartens' brace.