Glamorgan – 321 all out in 49.5 overs (Dan Douthwaite 70, Thomas Bevan 60, Kiran Carlson 59; Ainsley Ndlovu 3/49, Tanaka Chivanga 2/49, Brandon Mavuta 2/56)

Southerns – 262 all out in 46.2 overs (Gary Ballance 62, Chamu Chibhabha 54, Johnathan Campbell 52; Prem Sisodiya 3/54, Jamie McIlroy 2/30, David Lloyd 2/30)

 

Glamorgan won by 59 runs

 

Chamu Chibhabha, Gary Ballance and Johnathan Campbell all scored gallant fifties for Southerns as they tried to chase down a Glamorgan score of 321 at Harare Sports Club on Sunday, but in the end it was in vain, as the tourists won a good match by 59 runs.

The county team decided to bat on winning the toss, and immediately Thomas Bevan and Sam Northeast gave them a fine start.

They put on 62 in less than 13 overs, but then Ainsley Ndlovu came on to bowl and took three wickets, so that after 24 overs Glamorgan were 123 for four, with Bevan out for a fine 60 off 63 balls, and their innings could go either way.

Glamorgan it was who took command, though, with a series of good partnerships and two fine fifties.

Their captain Kiran Carlson led the revival with a knock of 59 off 58 balls, before Dan Douthwaite came in to play the most spectacular innings of the day.

Douthwaite raced to 70 off 39 balls, an innings that contained no fewer than eight sixes and two fours.

He was finally caught and bowled by Brandon Mavuta after 46 overs, at 293 for nine, whereupon the last pair took the score to 321 before the final wicket fell with one ball in hand.

Ndlovu was the most successful bowler, with three wickets for 49 in his 10 overs.

Blessing Muzarabani, returning after injury, opened the bowling, but bowled only five overs without a wicket for 24 runs.

 

It was a tough task for Southerns, especially when Jamie McIlroy took two wickets in his opening spell, removing Innocent Kaia for one and Nkosana Mpofu for 12.

Chibhabha and Ballance worked hard to rebuild the innings, putting on 111 together in exactly 20 overs, and as long as they stayed in Southerns had a genuine hope of victory.

But then at 132 Ballance was caught off David Lloyd for 62, scored off 62 balls with a six and eight fours, and six balls later Andrew Salter had Chibhabha out lbw for 54 (72 balls, five fours).

Campbell and Clive Madande kept Southerns’ hopes alive with a good partnership of 50 in 10 overs before the latter went for 23.

Campbell hit a fine 52 off 41 balls, with eight fours, before he was sixth out at 218 in the 40th over – both were out to the left-arm spinner Prem Sisodiya.

Luke Jongwe went for 10, and after that only Ndlovu was able to put up much of a fight, scoring a good 25 not out off 18 balls before the last wicket went down in the 47th over with the total at 262.

Five Glamorgan bowlers took wickets, with Sisodiya, three for 54 in 10 overs, the most successful.

 

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Northerns – 127 all out in 29.3 overs (Wellington Masakadza 28, Ryan Burl 27, Tadiwanashe Marumani 21; Liam Trevaskis 4/1, Paul Coughlin 2/13, Oliver Gibson 2/28)

Durham – 128-3 in 18.3 overs (Ollie Robinson 54*, David Bedingham 33*, Scott Borthwick 14; Victor Nyauchi 2/13, Faraz Akram 1/16)

 

Durham won by seven wickets

The bowling of Liam Trevaskis and the big hitting of Ollie Robinson were too much for Northerns at Old Hararians Sports Club on Sunday, as Durham raced to victory in their 50-over match by seven wickets.

Durham won the toss and put Northerns in to bat.

The Northerns innings consisted of three good partnerships amid a number of failures.

Brydon Carse struck with his third delivery, having Joylord Gumbie caught without a run on the board.

Tanu Makoni and Tadiwanashe Marumani then made a good stand of 41 for the second wicket, scoring 12 and 21 respectively before Marumani was out, and at the same score Makoni had to retire hurt.

The new man, Wessly Madhevere, was bowled by Paul Coughlin without scoring, but then Ryan Burl and Nyasha Mayavo added 33 for the fourth wicket.

Burl scored 27 in 28 balls, and then Mayavo and Wellington Masakadza took the score to 116 for four in the 25th over.

At this point Northerns were poised to make a good score, but instead a collapse occurred after Mayavo was bowled for 21.

The left-arm spinner Trevaskis was responsible for this, as after bowling Mayavo he removed in quick succession Masakadza for 28 – the highest score of the innings – the returning Makoni and Faraz Akram.

When Oliver Gibson had the last man Victor Nyauchi caught, the score had gone from 123 for five to 127 all out in 14 balls, and Durham were presented with a simple target.

Trevaskis had the remarkable bowling figures of four wickets for one run in three overs.

Nyauchi in his first three overs caused Durham some trouble, bowling Michael Jones first ball and having captain Scott Borthwick caught for 14 – 25 for two.

At 31 Akram removed the opener Graham Clark for 10 and Durham had three down for 31 runs.

However, after this it was all one-way traffic, as David Bedingham (33 not out off 34 balls) and Robinson swept Durham to victory in only 18.3 overs.

Robinson smashed 54 not out off 33 balls, with three sixes and seven fours.

Northerns – 273-9 in 50 overs (Nkosana Mpofu 88, Chamu Chibhabha 50, Tarisai Musakanda 35; Victor Nyauchi 3/42, Ernest Masuku 3/60, Tafadzwa Tsiga 2/18)

Southerns – 270 all out in 47.4 overs (Johnathan Campbell 46, Tashinga Musekiwa 43, Kevin Kasuza 38; Ainsley Ndlovu 4/27, William Mashinge 4/34, Tanaka Chivanga 1/50)

Northerns won by three runs

Nkosana Mpofu struck his second consecutive half-century as his Northerns team pipped Southerns by three runs in an exciting finish to decide the three-match regional Pro50 Championship series at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Wednesday.

On the other hand, Brandon Mavuta was both hero and villain for Southerns – he had scored a valiant 29 at a vital time to take his side to the brink of victory, only to lose his wicket to an unnecessary stroke that in the end cost them the match.

Richmond Mutumbami as captain of Southerns won the toss and decided to bowl first.

Much depended, for both teams, on how the in-form Tadiwanashe Marumani performed, but this time round it was not his day.

Against the opening attack of Ernest Masuku and Victor Nyauchi he could not get going and in the eighth over, having scored 11 off 22 balls, he was caught by Mutumbami behind the wicket off Nyauchi.

Later in the same over his partner, Brian Mudzinganyama, also fell for 11, beaten by Nyauchi’s pace and trapped lbw.

Nkosana Mpofu began his innings more fluently than either opener, and scored freely while the Northerns captain Chamu Chibhabha settled into what proved to be a major partnership with him.

They put on 124 in 25 overs before Chibhabha, just having reached 50, was beaten and bowled by the spin of Johnathan Campbell, with their team in the advantageous position of 151 for three.

Mpofu stayed until the 39th over when, trying to speed up the scoring, he was surprisingly lbw to Tafadzwa Tsiga, who is better known as a wicket-keeper and very rarely bowls.

He departed having made a brilliant 88, with one six and nine fours, off 104 deliveries.

Perhaps unfamiliarity with his bowling gave Tsiga an advantage, as in his next over he also removed Tanaka Chivanga (4) lbw with a googly – 195 for five.

The wickets were a setback for Northerns, but Shingi Masakadza is always a good man for such a situation, as he joined Tarisai Musakanda at the wicket.

Masakadza launched three sixes on his way to 27 off only 13 balls to give his team a welcome boost before Masuku had him lbw on returning for his final spell.

At 249, Musakanda was caught at mid-off from Nyauchi after scoring 35 off 38 balls – 249 for seven in the 47th over.

In the remaining overs, Spencer Magodo (21 not out off 14 balls) and William Mashinge (10) had a clout, before Masuku had Mashinge caught in the gully and Ainsley Ndlovu bowled first ball with the last two deliveries of the innings, giving a total of 273 for nine.

This improved Masuku’s figures to three wickets for 60, but Nyauchi had the best record of three for 42 in eight overs, while the surprise package Tsiga had two for 18.

Kevin Kasuza may have missed out in the second match on Monday, but he regained his sparkling form of the first match when Southerns batted.

He and Takudzwanashe Kaitano put on 46 for the first wicket in eight overs, of which Kaitano scored just nine before Chivanga trapped him lbw.

Kasuza was looking set for another big score when on 38 he was also out lbw to a fine delivery from Ndlovu, having faced 41 balls and hit two sixes and four fours.

Mutumbami drove a catch to point and left without scoring three balls later, but Tsiga and Timycen Maruma took the score past 100, when both were out for 27 in quick succession.

At 109 for five in the 22nd over, Southerns were now in some trouble as Campbell and Tashinga Musekiwa came together.

Scoring well, they kept their team in with a chance as they added 84 together in 15 overs, of which Musekiwa scored 43 off 56 balls before at 193 for six he was caught at deep midwicket.

Carl Mumba played his usual big-hitting game, and was looking dangerous with 18 off 12 balls before he skyed a catch to long-on in trying to hit what would have been his third six – 222 for seven.

All this time Campbell was holding the innings together, but when he had made 46 off 53 balls he was beaten and bowled by Mashinge, and at 233 for eight after 41 overs Southerns were in trouble again.

Mavuta was now the leading batter remaining, and the policy seemed to be for him to make the strokes while Masuku kept his end up.

With five overs left, they needed 23 runs to win.

In the 47th over, Masuku hit off-spinner Mudzinganyama for four and then Mavuta for six, taking the score to 270 for eight, four more runs needed.

Off the final delivery of that over, however, in a situation where safe singles would have brought Southerns the match, Mavuta decided to go for glory, opened his shoulders and drove a catch to long-off.

He had made 29 in a very fine innings of 27 balls.

The score was 270 for nine.

Mashinge then bowled to Masuku, who also seemed to lose his head as he slogged the fourth ball to deep midwicket, where it was fumbled and then caught by Mudzinganyama to end the match.

Masuku had scored nine, while the last man, Nyauchi, had not faced a ball.

The score was 270, and there were still 14 balls to be bowled, leaving Southerns to rue the big lofted shots in a situation where only four more runs were needed for victory.

Ndlovu was the pick of the bowlers, with four top-order wickets for only 27 runs in his 10 overs, while Mashinge had four for 34.

Northerns – 160-6 in 24 overs (Chamu Chibhabha 47, Spencer Magodo 30, Shingi Masakadza 29*; Keith Jaure 1/9, Tinashe Muchawaya 1/26, Brandon Mavuta 1/27)

Southerns – 164-2 in 22.3 overs (Kevin Kasuza 80*, Richmond Mutumbami 51*, Prince Masvaure 12; Faraz Akram 1/16, Tawanda Dzikiti 1/26)

Southerns won by eight wickets

Kevin Kasuza found his best one-day form as his excellent innings of 80 not out, in partnership most of the time with Richmond Mutumbami, brought an eight-wicket victory to Southerns over Northerns in the first regional Pro50 Championship match at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Saturday.

A wet outfield delayed play for so long that this match had to be reduced to 24 overs per side, making it little more than a T20 game.

Northerns won the toss and decided to bat, but got off to a bad start, which was to eventually cost them dearly.

They lost Tadiwanashe Marumani, who scored eight runs and was then caught at the wicket, all in the first over from Victor Nyauchi.

Tanu Makoni scored 14, but Tafara Mupariwa became badly bogged down, scoring only a single in 15 balls before he was out at 30 for three in the eighth over.

Chamu Chibhabha and Brian Chari improved matters, with Chari scoring 18 off 17 balls and Chibhabha, the Northerns captain, going on to make 47 off 36 balls.

His dismissal made the score 117 for five in the 20th over.

Spencer Magodo and Shingi Masakadza then took over, with Masakadza as so often being the most destructive batter on his team, scoring 29 not out off 17 balls with a six and three fours.

Magodo was run out off the last ball of the innings for 30 off 33 balls, giving Northerns a total of 160 for six wickets.

Five bowlers took one wicket each, with Keith Jaure the most economical, taking the wicket of Mupariwa for nine runs off his four overs.

Southerns quickly lost the wicket of Takudzwanashe Kaitano for three, as he slogged a catch to midwicket off Faraz Akram.

Prince Masvaure scored 12 off 22 balls before he was out after nine overs with the score 43 for two.

Kasuza, who opened with Kaitano, had sometimes struggled recently in limited-overs cricket, but this time round he was in superb form.

He formed a vital partnership with Mutumbami as the two batters mastered the bowling, pace and spin alike, and soon the only question was whether they would still be together when victory was achieved.

They were indeed, with Mutumbami scoring the winning runs with a big six over cow corner off Magodo, to bring up his fifty at the same time, scored off 42 balls (three sixes, three fours).

Kasuza was deservedly unbeaten with 80, taking only 67 balls for it, and he hit a six and eight fours.

The unbroken third-wicket partnership between the pair was worth 121 runs, and they won the match with nine balls to spare.

Akram was the most economical of the bowlers, taking one for 16 off four overs.

Rhinos – 214 all out in 47.4 overs (Takudzwanashe Kaitano 93, Brandon Mavuta 36, Neville Madziva 36; Nkosana Mpofu 3/28, Ainsley Ndlovu 2/24, Allan Chigoma 2/37)

Tuskers – 164 all out in 42.3 overs (Brian Chari 61, Ainsley Ndlovu 34, Tanunurwa Makoni 23; Brandon Mavuta 4/29, Johnathan Campbell 2/29, Prince Masvaure 2/38)

Rhinos won by 50 runs

Rhinos sealed their place in the Pro50 Championship final after defeating the early tournament leaders, Tuskers, by 50 runs in their last round-robin match at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Sunday.

The main architects of the victory were their opening batter Takudzwanashe Kaitano, without whose 93 runs they would probably not have won, and the leg-spinner Brandon Mavuta, who broke a dangerous partnership and finished off the Tuskers innings.

Tuskers put Rhinos in to bat on winning the toss, and immediately found Kaitano in brilliant batting form.

Prince Masvaure gave him good support as the pair plundered 68 runs off the first eight overs before Masvaure, trying to give his aggressive partner the strike, called for a quick single to extra cover and was run out by Ainsley Ndlovu.

This began a middle-order slide, as Kaitano held firm but his next four partners scored only 11 runs between them so that the fifth wicket fell at 96.

Neville Madziva, as in Friday’s match, stopped the rot and proved a sound partner for Kaitano as he swept towards a century.

Unfortunately, it was not to be, as with 93 to his credit off 102 balls, he miscued a scoop to fine leg and popped a simple catch, having hit two sixes and 12 fours.

The score was then 145 for six wickets in the 34th over, and the innings would have faded away had Mavuta not stood firm with Madziva, the pair adding 56 for the eighth wicket in 11 overs.

Both batters then went for 36, with Madziva, having supported Kaitano well, taking 61 balls without a single boundary, while Mavuta, free to be more aggressive, took only 43.

Rhinos were all out in the 48th over for 214.

The pace bowlers had been ineffective, taking not a wicket between them, but Nkosana Mpofu had figures of three for 28 and there were two wickets each for Ndlovu and Allan Chigoma.

Now Tuskers had their chance to chase down the target in the knowledge that, should they succeed, they would book their place in the Pro50 Championship final.

They began well enough, with a steady opening partnership of 35 in seven overs between Mpofu and Tanu Makoni before Wallace Mubaiwa dismissed Mpofu (19) and James McCollum (4) in quick succession.

Makoni was out for 23, and there continued a steady slide of wickets and of Tuskers’ hopes, until six men were out for 102 after 29 overs.

Brian Chari however was still there, and Ndlovu, nowadays quite an all-round force in his team, joined him to make a determined partnership.

Tuskers’ hopes slowly returned and grew as the runs came, and the fifty partnership was left behind.

But then came the vital blow, struck by Mavuta, whose bowling has been such a match-winning factor for Rhinos in this provincial one-day tournament.

He spun the ball past the groping bat of Ndlovu and had him out lbw for 34, scored off 40 balls, and Tuskers were 161 for seven.

In his next over Mavuta hammered two more nails into Tuskers’ coffin, sending back Ernest Masuku and Sheu Musekwa – 164 for nine.

Chari at the other end had no option now but to hit out with the last man at the crease, and when he did so against Campbell he skyed a big hit to cow corner where, most appropriately, the catch was held by Mavuta.

Tuskers were thus dismissed for 164 runs, with Rhinos sealing victory and a place in the final by 50 runs.

Mavuta completed his 10 overs – so he picked up the final three wickets just in time – and took four for 29, while there were two wickets each for Mubaiwa, Masvaure and Johnathan Campbell.

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Mountaineers – 239 all out in 44.1 overs (Peter Moor 66, Kevin Kasuza 43, Spencer Magodo 29; Tanaka Chivanga 4/35, Tapiwa Mufudza 3/54, Kadeem Alleyne 2/57)

Alliance Health Eagles – 239 all out in 39.4 overs (Kadeem Alleyne 76, Chamu Chibhabha 65, Faraz Akram 13*; Baxon Gopito 3/0, Victor Nyauchi 3/28, Clive Chitumba 2/42)

Match tied 

An amazing hat-trick by a specialist batter Baxon Gopito derailed Alliance Health Eagles when they were on the verge of victory and forced a tie that gave Mountaineers a place in the Pro50 Championship.

Until that point a closely fought match, played at Mutare Sports Club on Sunday, seemed to be going the way of the Harare-based team.

Eagles, successful in the toss, continued their usual policy of putting their opponents in to bat.

Gopito of Mountaineers scored a two off the first delivery, from Tawanda Dzikiti, but was bowled by the second.

Kevin Kasuza played a solid innings and Clive Chitumba (21) put on 47 with him in 10 overs for the second wicket.

There followed the major partnership of the innings, as PJ Moor regained his best form, played himself in carefully and then unleashed his powerful attacking strokes on the bowling.

They put on 79 together in less than 14 overs before Kasuza was bowled by Tanaka Chivanga for a very useful 43, an anchor innings that came off 80 balls.

Timycen Maruma was out for one, and Moor soon followed for 66, caught off Chivanga having faced only 50 balls and hit five sixes and five fours.

With five wickets now down for 148, some of the advantage had been lost, but Spencer Magodo hit well for 29 and Shingi Masakadza again came good with 23, so the total passed 200 with seven wickets down.

Tapiwa Mufudza, tossing the ball up, did a good job in luring the batters to destruction, taking three wickets for 54 runs in his 10 overs.

It was Chivanga who finished off the innings by having Masakadza caught, and his figures were four wickets for only 35 runs, while Kadeem Alleyne took a rather expensive two for 57.

The innings closed at 239, a total that Eagles no doubt felt confident they could chase down.

Their confidence was soon shaken, however, by the early loss of their prolific opening pair, Nick Welch and Tadiwanashe Marumani.

Marumani’s innings was short and sweet, as he slammed two fours and was then caught off Tinashe Muchawaya off the fourth ball he faced.

Welch lasted until the score was 24 in the fourth over, when Nyauchi trapped him lbw, also for eight.

Kudzai Maunze was the next to go, caught off Chitumba for 12 with the score at 51.

Fortunately for Eagles, Chamu Chibhabha was still in fine form after his brilliant innings on Friday, and he soon got after the bowling, supported by the West Indian Alleyne.

They both got right on top of the bowling, boundaries flowing from their bats, and as long as they were together Eagles seemed to be racing to victory.

They added 112 for the fourth wicket in 15 overs before Chitumba returned and had Chibhabha caught for 65, scored off 68 balls, with two sixes and seven fours – the score was 163 for four in the 26th over.

Alleyne was even more aggressive, receiving less of the bowling, but thrashing five sixes and five fours.

The 200 went up with only five men out, but at 205 Alleyne was out lbw to Vincent Masekesa for 76, scored off only 63 balls.

Cunningham Ncube went for eight, but Faraz Akram was batting well with Chivanga as the scores were levelled.

The news had no doubt now reached Mountaineers that Rhinos had won in Bulawayo and therefore claimed the Pro50 trophy.

At this point Mountaineers threw the ball to Gopito, who is a non-bowler at provincial level.

There followed the greatest surprise of the match, and some might say the whole tournament.

Chivanga did not score off Gopito’s first ball, but he hit a catch off the second.

From the third Mufudza popped a return catch to the bowler, who promptly bowled Dzikiti with his fourth.

Gopito had taken a hat-trick and the match was a tie!

His remarkable bowling figures therefore were 0.4 overs for no runs and three wickets.

Of the other bowlers Nyauchi had bowled well to take three wickets for 28 in 10 overs, escaping punishment from Chibhabha and Alleyne, while Chitumba had two for 42.

Mountaineers finished second behind Rhinos and the two sides will now meet in the Pro50 Championship final pencilled in for Saturday.

2022/23 PRO50 CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS TABLE