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Mega Market Mountaineers – 462-5 in 85 overs (Tony Munyonga 237, Brian Bennett 171*, Joylord Gumbie 21; Hamza Sajjad 3/63, Romario Roach 1/70, Alex Russell 1/154)
Eagles –
Day 1 – Stumps
Tony Munyonga and Brian Bennett both hit huge career-best scores against Eagles in a record partnership at Old Hararians Sports Club on Thursday to give Mega Market Mountaineers a wonderful start in their final Logan Cup match, in which victory for either side may win them the competition.
At the end of the first day, Mountaineers had amassed 462 runs for five wickets, and both had hit their highest first-class scores: 237 for Munyonga, while at the close Bennett was still going strong with 171 not out.
Eagles decided to field on winning the toss and they were doing well after 80 minutes when they had the visitors three wickets down for 42 runs, of which Joylord Gumbie had scored 21 and Hamza Sajjad had bowled out his two partners.
Then Bennett joined Munyonga at the crease, and by the time they were separated 60 overs later they had recorded the highest partnership for any wicket ever recorded for any Zimbabwean team: 355 runs for the fourth wicket.
This beats the 352 for the third wicket by the English professional Mark Pettini and Tino Mutombodzi for Eagles against Mountaineers at Mutare in 2014/15.
Munyonga also equalled another record, that for the most runs scored by a batter off one over for any Zimbabwean team in a first-class match.
He hit Alex Russell for two fours, followed by three sixes off the first five balls of an over, and had he been able to score anything off the final delivery he would have broken the record, created when the all-rounder Eddie Parker scored 26 runs in an over off the Transvaal bowler Frank Drummer in a Currie Cup match in Harare in 1968/69.
The great partnership was finally broken when Munyonga was caught at the wicket off Russell for 237, his first double-century, scored off 254 balls and containing nine sixes and 25 fours.
Bennett lives to aim for his own double-century on day two, having so far faced 189 deliveries for 171 runs, with a six and 19 fours.
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Tuskers – 330-2 in 88 overs (Nkosana Mpofu 151*, Brian Chari 148*, Tanu Makoni 20; Tafara Chingwara 2/40)
Rhinos –
Day 1 – Stumps
Big individual scores were also made at Harare Sports Club, where Nkosana Mpofu and Brian Chari shared another very large partnership and were both unbeaten with 151 and 148 respectively at the close, with the Tuskers total on 330 for two wickets off the Rhinos bowling.
Mpofu’s is his highest in first-class cricket, while Chari is just seven runs short of his best of 155 – they have so far added 287 together for the third wicket.
Rhinos, like Eagles, decided to put their opponents in to bat and suffered a heavy penalty for it after making a fair start.
They had two Tuskers wickets down for 43 runs, and that was their final success of the day as Mpofu and Chari enjoyed their feast.
Both wickets were taken in the 13th over by Tafara Chingwara: Tanu Makoni for 20 and Samiullah for two.
Mpofu and Chari then monopolised the rest of the day, scoring steadily, with less aggression than the record-breaking Mountaineers pair, but very effectively.
Chari scored the faster of the two during the day, his 148 runs coming off 212 balls, while Mpofu has faced 278 balls for his 151.
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