Rangers hardly break a sweat, Rainbow cling on to clinch thriller

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Queens Sports Club – 128 all out 32.2 overs (Dalubuhle Mboyi 42*, Luyanda Mtomba 21, Rowyn Konson 9; Benjamin Banks 3/41, Luke van Zyl 2/25, Ryan Burl 2/26)

Rangers – 129-4 in 21 overs (Ryan Burl 51*, Mathew Campbell 47, Jarod Basson 13; Isheunopa Musekwa 3/48, Tanatswa Bechani 1/44)

Rangers won by six wickets

Aggressive innings from Ryan Burl and Matthew Welch sped Rangers to a quick six-wicket victory over Queens Sports Club in a National Premier League (NPL) match played at Kwekwe Sports Club on Thursday.

Queens, batting first, made a disastrous start, with all their first five batters dismissed for single figures with 36 runs on the board.

Dalubuhle Mboyi, in at number six, fought to hold the innings together, but nine men were out, all for single-figure scores, with 84 runs on the board.

The last man, Luyanda Mtomba, showed what could be done with some good hits by contributing 21, adding 40 for the last wicket with Mboyi, who finished not out with 42 off 63 balls.

The total was 128, Benjamin Banks was the most successful bowler with three for 41, and Craig Ervine took four catches in the innings.

Rangers lost their openers to Isheunopa Musekwa for 34, but Welch (47 off 49 balls) and Burl (41 not out off 37) put on 72 runs in just over 10 overs, and Burl stayed to complete the job.

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Strikers – 250-5 in 45 overs (Tadiwa Gosho 126*, Simbarashe Mudzengerere 53, Timothy Mukondiwa 27; Victor Nyauchi 2/45, Munashe Chipoyi 1/41, Maxern Chamburuka 1/41)

Rainbow – 252-9 in 40.1 overs (Muhammad Khan 62, Clive Imbayago 56, Kian Arnold 40; Tatenda Chimugoro 4/47, Takunda Manyama 3/40, Panashe Gwatiringa 1/31)

Rainbow won by one wicket

Despite a fine century from Tadiwa Gosho of Strikers, Rainbow pipped them at the post by one wicket with nearly five overs in hand in a thrilling finish to the NPL game at Old Hararians Sports Club on Thursday.

Strikers, batting first, enjoyed an excellent third-wicket partnership of 119 between Gosho and Simba Mudzengerere, of which the latter scored 53.

Gosho batted to the end of the innings for 126 not out, scored off 140 balls, with 15 fours.

The final total was 250, not a great score for the loss of only five wickets, and Strikers were to regret their failure to score more quickly.

Rainbow enjoyed aggressive fifties from Muhammad Khan (62 off 40 balls) and Clive Imbayago (56 off 53), but they also lost wickets.

Eight were down for 228, but Maxern Chamburuka kept his head and kept the runs coming.

The ninth wicket went down at 247, leaving the last pair to score four runs for victory, and a thick edge to the third-man boundary from Chamburuka gained Rainbow a rather fortunate victory.

Tatenda Chimugoro was the most successful bowler, with four wickets for 47 runs.