LOGAN CUP RESULTS: Mountaineers-Rocks ends in draw

Mountaineers – 258 and 320-5 in 94 overs (PJ Moor 81, Tony Munyonga 60, Timycen Maruma 51; Travor Mutsamba 2/31, Roy Kaia 1/51, Innocent Kaia 1/56)

Southern Rocks – 505-8 declared in 149.3 overs (Sikandar Raza 226, Roy Kaia 104, Tafadzwa Tsiga 52; Vincent Masekesa 4/115, Tony Munyonga 2/37, Donald Tiripano 1/73)

Match drawn

A good return to form by PJ Moor, who scored 81 and was aided by three other fifties from the Mountaineers batsmen, helped their team to a draw in their Logan Cup match against Southern Rocks at Old Hararians Sports Club on Saturday.

Mountaineers, 147 behind Rocks on the first innings, began the day on 68 for one wicket, with Ben Compton on 25 and PJ Moor on 27.

The morning session saw not a single wicket fall, as the overnight pair put their heads down and kept their wickets intact.

Moor was the aggressor, hitting the bad ball hard and taking his score to 81 at the lunch interval.

Compton, who has played a few matches for Nottinghamshire in England, reached his first fifty in first-class cricket, taking 118 balls to reach the landmark.

Moor needed only 77 to do so, and he celebrated by hitting Tendai Chisoro for four fours in a single over.

By lunch Mountaineers had reached the fine score of 156 for one wicket, with Compton having reached a dogged 50 while Moor was on 81.

The luncheon interval proved disastrous for both batsmen, though.

Travor Mutsamba bowled Moor in the first over after the break, while in the next over Tafadzwa Tsiga stumped Compton off Kevin Kasuza – neither had added to his lunchtime score.

Mountaineers continued to play positive cricket, though, as Timycen Maruma and Tony Munyonga came into partnership and put on 89 together in 22 overs.

Maruma raced to 51 off 61 balls before being caught by Roy Kaia off Chisoro at 247 for four, and then Donald Tiripano took over as a good partner for Munyonga.

Munyonga was caught and bowled by Mutsamba for 60, but Tiripano continued to bat well, joined by Wellington Masakadza.

However, at 320 for five wickets and 173 ahead of Rocks, it was obvious that no outright result was possible, and the captains agreed to call it a draw, with Tiripano on 44 and Masakadza four.

Mutsamba bowled well to take two wickets for 31 in 16 overs, but none of the other bowlers caused the batsmen much trouble.

Both teams take five points for the drawn match.

Rocks, the reigning Logan Cup champions, are now the only team without a victory in this year’s tournament, although they do have 10 points from two drawn matches.

2021/22 LOGAN CUP POINTS TABLE