LOGAN CUP: Fraine leads Eagles charge against Rhinos

Alliance Health Eagles – 169 and 171-4 in 56 overs (Will Fraine 85, Tinashe Nenhunzi 39, Kudzai Maunze 29; Mike Chinouya 2/18, Brandon Mavuta 2/61)

Rhinos – 162 all out in 58 overs (Prince Masvaure 48, Nyasha Mayavo 19*, Ryan Burl 18; Wessly Madhevere 3/26, Brad Evans 3/31, Richard Ngarava 3/38)

Day 2 – Stumps: Alliance Health Eagles lead by 178 runs

Will Fraine led Alliance Health Eagles into a superior position against Rhinos on Saturday with a fine innings of 85 not out, as his team finished the day 178 runs ahead in the second innings with six wickets still in hand.

The day began with Rhinos on 81 for three wickets, Prince Masvaure on 36 and Remembrance Nyathi on two, in reply to 169 from Eagles.

Good batting should have taken them to a significant lead over Eagles, but they wasted their opportunity against good bowling, mainly from Richard Ngarava and Brad Evans.

Masvaure took his score to 48, but was then caught off Wessly Madhevere to make the score 102 for four wickets.

This sparked off a middle-order collapse.

Nyathi struggled to keep the score moving and was eventually caught off Ngarava for eight runs, for which he faced 78 balls and batted for 109 minutes.

Nyasha Mayavo stood firm, but Johnathan Campbell was out for six.

Evans then broke through the tail with three wickets in an over: he bowled Brandon Mavuta with his first delivery, had Ronald Masocha caught off his third and then Tafara Chingwara was caught at the wicket off the sixth.

The score was suddenly 131 for nine wickets, but after a long sequence of innings without scoring, Mike Chinouya finally found some runs and played a very useful innings of 11, including two fours.

Mayavo also began to play more positively, and in eight overs the pair added 31 runs for the last wicket.

When Chinouya was out to a return catch, Mayavo had 19 not out, but the total of 162 was still seven runs behind the Eagles score.

When Eagles batted again they quickly lost Kumbirayi Phiri, caught at the wicket off Chinouya for five.

Fraine made an enterprising start, though, and with a very solid Kudzai Maunze took the score to 92 before Maunze was out, lbw to Mavuta, for 29.

Wessly Madhevere made only five, but Tinashe Nenhunzi went after the bowling in exciting style, hitting up 39 off 34 balls, with a six and four fours, before being caught off Chinouya just before the close. When play ended Eagles were in a potentially strong position at 171 for four – Fraine was still there with 86, while Evans had two