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Mega Market Mountaineers – 237 all out in 44.5 overs (Salman Mirza 64, PJ Moor 46, Vincent Masekesa 44*; Alex Russell 6/72, Hamza Sajjad 2/42, Nick Welch 1/4)
Eagles – 116-4 in 26.3 overs (Nick Welch 40, Chamu Chibhabha 30*, Matthew Welch 22; Tendai Chatara 3/38, Victor Nyauchi 1/19)
Day 1 – Stumps: Eagles trail by 121 runs
Alex Russell returned his best bowling figures in his first-class career, on the first day of Eagles’s Logan Cup match against Mega Market Mountaineers at Old Hararians Sports Club on Wednesday, taking six wickets for 72 runs.
Eagles won the toss, put Mountaineers in to bat and struck quickly, removing their opening pair with only five runs on the board.
Dion Myers and Timycen Maruma had to repair the damage, which they did to some extent by taking the score to 45 before Myers, who had promised much, was out for 20.
Maruma and PJ Moor then added another 43 for the fourth wicket before Maruma became the first victim of Russell, who four balls later also had the next man, Spencer Magodo, out lbw.
Moor was hitting powerfully at everything he could, and Russell was not exempt from punishment.
Russell removed Donald Tiripano for eight, and then claimed the wicket of Moor, who hit 47 off only 37 balls, to put Mountaineers deeper in trouble at 119 for seven wickets.
At this point there came a welcome fightback, as Vincent Masekesa was joined by Salman Mirza, and the pair quite stopped the rot and Russell’s success, temporarily.
In only 16 overs they scored 113 together, with Mirza in particular dominating the bowling to make 64 off only 50 balls, with four sixes and five fours.
Russell finally came back for a second spell and again took two wickets in an over.
Nick Welch, who rarely bowls, was surprisingly put on at the other end, and off his fifth delivery the last man, Tendai Chatara, obligingly gave him a return catch to end the innings – Welch’s first first-class wicket.
It was also his fourth catch of the innings, as he had previously taken three in the field.
The Mountaineers innings closed for 237, scored off less than 45 overs at a rate of more than five runs an over.
Masekesa was not out at the end for a valuable 44, which is his highest first-class score.
When Eagles batted, they quickly lost Larvet Masunda, bowled by Chatara without scoring.
This brought the Welch brothers together, and they looked to be building a good partnership until Chatara struck again, removing Matthew for 22 and Nick for 40.
With Marshall Takodza bowled by Victor Nyauchi for one, Eagles were struggling at 65 for four, but Chamu Chibhabha then joined Kudzai Maunze and they saw the team through to 116 for four wickets by the close, slightly early due to light rain.
Maunze finished the day unbeaten with 21 and Chibhabha with 30.
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Tuskers – 128 all out in 42.1 overs (Sean Williams 37, Mamoon ur Riaz 19, Hamid Ali 17; Mike Chinouya 5/31, Victor Chirwa 2/25, Ronald Masocha 2/36)
Rhinos – 47-1 in 14.2 overs (Tarisai Musakanda 20*, Ben Curran 18, Bright Matsiwe 6; Tinotenda Maposa 1/10)
Day 1 – Stumps: Rhinos trail by 81 runs
Rhinos’ veteran pace bowler Mike Chinouya proved that he is still very much a force to be reckoned with at the age of 37 as he ripped through the Tuskers top-order batting at Takashinga Sports Club on Wednesday to take five cheap wickets and give his team an advantage on the first day of this Logan Cup match.
A wet outfield resulted in a delayed start, and Rhinos put Tuskers in to bat on winning the toss.
In 45 minutes, Tuskers had lost their first three batters for 21 runs, all for single-figure scores and all to Chinouya.
Sean Williams took him on and got away with it, only to be caught off Ronald Masocha for a risky 37 off only 24 balls.
Chinouya returned for a second spell and broke the developing partnership between Bright Phiri (16) and Hamid Ali (17), dismissing them both in successive overs to make the score 92 for six.
The only batter to reach double figures after this was Mamoon ur Riaz, who scored 19 and was last out, the total being 128.
Chinouya had taken five wickets out of the first six batters in the order for 31 runs.
Rhinos, beginning their innings, lost Bright Matsiwe, lbw to Tinotenda Maposa for six, but Ben Curran (18 not out) and Tarisai Musakanda (20 not out) saw out the day until bad light stopped play.
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