Rain forces Eagles-Mountaineers clash to end in draw

Mega Market Mountaineers – 329 and 345 all out in 86.4 overs (Ben Compton 154, Brian Bennett 28, Wellington Masakadza 21; Brad Evans 4/78, Faraz Akram 3/61, Tapiwa Mufudza 3/97)

Eagles – 383 and 71-3 in 16 overs (Kudzai Maunze 34, Chamu Chibhabha 25, Wessly Madhevere 1*; Victor Nyauchi 3/33, Donald Tiripano 1/1)

Match drawn

Ben Compton’s monumental innings of 154 put all his Mega Market Mountaineers team-mates in the shade, but it was all for nothing in the end.

This Logan Cup match, against Eagles at Harare Sports Club, was in a most interesting and well-balanced position when rain came and killed it soon after lunch on Wednesday, and no result was possible.

Mountaineers began the morning on 243 for five wickets, with Compton on exactly 100 and Donald Tiripano eight.

The batters had added only a single each when Tiripano was bowled by Brad Evans for nine.

Shingi Masakadza hit up a typically brisk 15 off 21 balls before he was caught off Evans at 268 for seven.

His brother Wellington, as captain, played a quieter game, wisely supporting Compton, who continued to accumulate runs with great dedication.

Compton passed his previous highest first-class score of 140 and then cracked the 150-barrier before finally he was out caught at the wicket off Faraz Akram for a magnificent 154.

He faced 233 balls, batted for almost six and a half hours and hit 21 fours, the score on his dismissal being 335 for eight.

The innings did not last much longer, as Wellington was caught off Akram for 21, and the same bowler bowled out Tinashe Muchawaya for five.

The final total was 345, and it was notable that after Compton’s superb innings the highest individual score was only 28, by the debutant Brian Bennett.

Evans achieved the best bowling figures of four wickets for 78 runs, while there were three scalps each for Akram and Tapiwa Mufudza.

Thanks to Compton, Mountaineers were able to set Eagles 292 to win, the lowest innings total of the match, but still not an easy target in the fourth innings.

Eagles lost the wicket of Larvet Masunda, caught at the wicket off Victor Nyauchi, the fourth ball of the innings without a run on the board.

They had reached 31 for one, with Kudzai Maunze on 13 and Chamu Chibhabha on eight, when a heavy rain shower drove the players from the field.

This untimely interruption made it harder for both teams in their efforts to win, and when the players did return at 2:55pm Eagles still required 261 runs to win with 54 overs remaining, while Mountaineers needed to take nine wickets in that time.

The two batters played themselves in again and then began to attack, but that was to be fatal, as with the score on 70 both were out within three balls, Maunze having made 34 and Chibhabha 25.

This gave an advantage to Mountaineers, but they had no chance of taking it any further, as with Nick Welch and Wessly Madhevere having just arrived at the crease, lightning from an approaching storm forced them to leave the field – and it was followed by more rain.

At about 5pm, the obvious and inevitable step was taken of declaring this fine match a draw.