Tuskers clinch Logan Cup after Rocks beat Mountaineers

Southern Rocks – 477 and 61-3 in 10.4 overs (Innocent Kaia 24, Tadiwanashe Marumani 12, Cephas Zhuwao 9; Wellington Masakadza 1/13, Victor Nyauchi 1/20, Tendai Chatara 1/24)

Mountaineers – 265 and (following on) 269 all out in 77.3 overs (Timycen Maruma 67, Tinashe Muchawaya 43*, Kevin Kasuza 30; Travor Mutsamba 4/65, Privilege Chesa 2/74, William Mashinge 1/16)

Southern Rocks won by seven wickets

Timycen Maruma fought a grand innings of 67 in over three hours for Mountaineers at Harare Sports Club on Monday, but it was not enough to prevent Southern Rocks from winning the match by seven wickets.

This means Tuskers –and not Mountaineers – are this season’s Logan Cup champions.

Mountaineers were 41 for no wicket in the follow-on overnight and needed to bat all day to earn five points for a draw that would have won them the first-class title.

The opening pair of Kevin Kasuza and Donald Tiripano took the score to 53 before both were out in quick succession.

Then came the period that virtually decided the match, as apart from Maruma the middle order put up a disappointing display of batting and six wickets were down for 122, with Travor Mutsamba doing most of the damage with four of them.

Shingi Masakadza gave some support, hitting well to score 27 off 36 balls, and Victor Nyauchi hit three fours off seven balls in his brief innings.

Maruma’s was the ninth wicket to fall, as he was caught at the wicket off Privilege Chesa for a gallant 67 off 106 balls, having hit 10 fours and a six.

The score was then 198 for nine wickets, still 14 runs short of saving the innings defeat.

However, there was a surprise to come, as the last Mountaineers pair, Tendai Chatara and Tinashe Muchawaya, with nothing to lose, decided to go down with all guns blazing and hit out boldly at the bowlers.

They scored a totally unexpected 71 runs together, the highest partnership of the innings.

It lasted only 12 overs, and when Chatara was finally caught and bowled by Tendai Chisoro for 25 off 46 balls, the score had reached 269.

Muchawaya was left not out with 43, scored off only 35 balls with a six and six fours – his effort showed that Mountaineers might well have achieved a draw if the middle order had only shown more determination.

Mutsamba finished with four valuable wickets for 65 runs as the best of the bowlers.

Rocks were set a target of 58 to win, and most of these were knocked off by the opening pair of Innocent Kaia with 24 and Tadiwanashe Marumani with 12.

Cephas Zhuwao hit a six, but was out for nine.

However, soon afterwards Tafadzwa Tsiga hit Wellington Masakadza for four to end the match in a seven-wicket victory for Rocks and send the Logan Cup to Bulawayo.

2021/22 LOGAN CUP POINTS TABLE