Mountaineers crush Rocks

IT took Mountaineers less than nine overs on Saturday morning to complete a 169-run victory over Southern Rocks in their Logan Cup match at Mutare Sports Club, bowling them out in their second innings for 81.

Rocks began the day on 50 for seven wickets, having been set 251 runs for victory.

Tafadzwa Tsiga was the only recognised batter left, on six not out, and he put up a stern fight to finish with 14 not out, but his partners did not last long, and the match ended with a run-out.

Salman Mirza bowled throughout this innings that lasted only 25.4 overs, taking a lot of punishment, but bagging four wickets for 60 runs.

To make the team bowling figures remarkable, the other three bowlers used bowled 13 overs among them and took four wickets for only 20 runs.

Meanwhile, a back-to-the-wall innings of 78 runs off 326 deliveries by Larvet Masunda played the major part in saving Eagles from defeat at the hands of their historic rivals, Tuskers, in their Logan Cup match at

Takashinga Cricket Club on Saturday.

Eagles needed 271 runs in their second innings to avoid an innings defeat, and they made a good start on day three by scoring 115 runs without loss – Masunda had 26 and his more aggressive partner, Matthew Welch, 81.

Welch had a chance of achieving the rare feat of scoring a century on his first-class début, but unfortunately it was not to be, as he was run out for 90, an innings that took him 165 balls and contained three sixes and eight fours. His brother Nick came in next but was out lbw to Ainsley Ndlovu for two.

There was to be no collapse, though, as the remaining batters put up a solid fight for the draw.

Rodney Mupfudza took about an hour and three-quarters to score 23 runs off 72 balls in a partnership of 48 with Masunda, and Cunningham Ncube about two hours and 15 minutes for 36 off 100 balls. By the time he was dismissed, Masunda had finally been prised out, caught at the wicket off Nkosana Mpofu at 245 for four.

After tea Marshal Takodza (28 not out) and Faraz Akram (21 not out) quietly played out time, having wiped off the deficit when in partnership together, and the final score was 311 for five wickets, scored off 130 overs with no bowling figures worth mentioning. — ZimCricket.

BRIEF SCORES

Mountaineers – 400 and 255 all out in 47.5 overs (Salman Mirza 46, Joylord Gumbie 46, Kevin Kasuza 44; Priviledge Chesa 4/41, William Mashinge 2/38, Kudakwashe Macheka 1/51)

Southern Rocks – 405-9 declared and 81 all out in 25.4 overs (Innocent Kaia 22, Priviledge Chesa 15, Tafadzwa Tsiga 14; Salman Mirza 4/60, Tendai Chatara 2/9, Donald Tiripano 2/9) RESULT: Mountaineers won by 169 runs Tuskers – 503-8 declared in 155.3 overs (Brian Chari 155, Awad Naqvi 89, Aliakbar Naqvi 84; Alex Russell 3/139, Faraz Akram 2/40, Tapiwa Mufudza 2/141)

Eagles – 232 and 311-5 in 130 overs (following on) (Matthew Welch 90, Larvet Masunda 78, Cunningham Ncube 36; Tanu Makoni 1/12, Mamoon Riaz 1/20, Nkosana Mpofu 1/29)

RESULT: Match drawn