Eagles Women soar high, as Mountaineers Women tumble again

Alliance Health Eagles Women – 126 all out in 37.1 overs (Mitchell Mavunga 27, Precious Marange 19, Christabel Chatonzwa 15; Josephine Nkomo 3/18, Ashley Ndiraya 2/7, Vimbai Kavava 1/5)

Rhinos Women – 87 all out in 28.5 overs (Mary-Anne Musonda 27, Kay Ndiraya 16, Kelly Ndiraya 11; Christabel Chatonzwa 4/6, Mitchell Mavunga 3/9, Kellies Ndlovu 1/20)

 

Alliance Health Eagles Women won by 39 runs

 

Alliance Health Eagles Women maintained their perfect start to the 2021/22 Fifty50 Challenge campaign with a 39-run victory over Rhinos Women at Old Hararians Sports Club on Monday.

 

With two wins in as many matches, they now top the standings in the women’s inter-provincial one-day contest.

 

Eagles Women won the toss and elected to bat first.

 

After losing her fellow opener Alice Marongwe, who was trapped lbw by Nomatter Mutasa off the third ball off the innings to depart without scoring, Christabel Chatonzwa smashed three fours on her way to 15 off 16 deliveries before she was bowled by Josephine Nkomo to leave the score at 24 for two in the sixth over.

 

Nkomo grabbed two more quick wickets, Kellies Ndlovu out lbw for four and Beloved Biza having her furniture rearranged for six, at that stage the score now being 39 for four inside 12 overs.

 

The big-hitting Precious Marange was next in and did not waste time trying to get her team back on track, blasting four boundaries before she was run out for 19 off 28 balls – 72 for five in exactly 20 overs.

 

All of a sudden it was looking bleak again for Eagles Women until Mitchell Mavunga, who came in at number nine, hit 27, with five fours, off 41 balls to take the team total into three figures before she was out lbw to Ashley Ndiraya.

 

After her dismissal, only one more run was added and then the innings folded at 126 in 37.1 overs.

 

Three of the four Ndiraya sisters in the Rhinos Women side were all in the wickets, with Ashley taking two while Dana and Kelly had one apiece.

 

The bowling honours however went to Nkomo who rattled the top order to finish with three wickets for 18 runs off her eight overs.

 

After thumping Mountaineers Women by 10 wickets in their first match of the competition on Saturday thanks to an unbroken 131-run opening partnership shared by Ashley and Nkomo, Rhinos Women would have fancied their chances of doing it again.

 

It was however not to be this time round, as the same two batters could only manage three and five runs respectively – both of them were bowled by Mavunga, making the score 19 for two in eight overs.

 

In the 13th over, they were down to 44 for three, Kelly chipping in with 11, including two fours, off 17 balls before she was caught by Biza off a Rukudzo Mwakayeni delivery.

 

Mary-Anne Musonda however appeared to have stabilised the innings with an aggressive 27, with two sixes and one four, off 33 balls.

 

After she became the fourth wicket to fall at 62 in the 17th over, the only other notable contribution with the bat for Rhinos Women came from Kay Ndiraya who scored 16 while Mutasa made eight.

 

Chatonzwa wiped out the tail, dismissing Dana, Diveniah Ndhlalambi and Vimbai Kavava for zeros on her way to finishing with impressive figures of four wickets for six runs off her 7.5 overs, as Rhinos Women were bundled out for 87 in 28.5 overs.

 

Mavunga claimed three for nine off her six overs.

 

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Tuskers Women – 142 all out in 29 overs (Tasmeen Granger 61, Loreen Tshuma 43, Sibonginkosi Ncube 9; Nyasha Gwanzura 4/8, Loryn Phiri 3/31, Francisca Chipare 1/22) 

Mountaineers Women – 67 all out in 31.1 overs (Loryn Phiri 12, Nyasha Gwanzura 10, Pellagia Mujaji 9; Loreen Tshuma 3/9, Nomvelo Sibanda 3/12, Lindokuhle Mabhero 2/5)

 

Tuskers Women won by 75 runs

 

Tasmeen Granger and Loreen Tshuma put on a magnificent fourth-wicket stand worth 116 that set Tuskers Women up for a 75-run victory over Mountaineers Women in their Fifty50 Challenge clash at Sunrise Sports Club on Monday.

 

The duo went on to share five wickets to complete their brilliant all-round performance and condemn the defending champions to their second defeat in as many matches in the inter-provincial one-day competition.

 

After they were asked to bat first, Tuskers Women were reeling at 25 for three by the eighth over.

 

Then came the partnership that rescued the innings and virtually took the game away from Mountaineers Women as Granger and Tshuma lifted the score to 141 before the pair was parted.

 

Tshuma departed off the last ball of the 26th over, caught by Evelyn Chisingarambwi off the bowling of Nyasha Gwanzura having scored 43, a fine effort that included five fours and came off 66 deliveries.

 

Her dismissal was disastrous for Tuskers Women, as they went on to crumble to 142 all out – their last six wickets fell for only one run in three overs.

 

First, after Nomvelo Sibanda was out lbw to Phiri without getting off the mark, the mainstay of their innings then followed two balls later as Granger was bowled by Gwanzura for 61.

 

Her brilliant knock, including one six and six fours, came off 63 balls.

 

Lindokuhle Mabhero and Margaret Musesedze were sent back without scoring, Thuba Saidi got one run before she was bowled and then Philontropic Shango became the fifth player in the team to be dismissed for a duck as the innings collapsed.

 

Isabel Mhlanga did not face a single delivery and therefore remained standing with no single run to her credit.

 

Gwanzura and Phiri were the chief destroyers, finishing with four and three scalps respectively.

 

Chasing 143 for victory, Mountaineers Women did not have a great start with the bat either.

 

They lost their first four wickets – Chisingarambwi (2), Pellagia Mujaji (9), Phiri (12) and Precious Dzvifu (7) – for 44 runs within 21 overs.

 

Unfortunately, unlike their opponents, they had no one to rescue their innings.

 

After Gwanzura came in to hit 10 off 26 balls, it meant only two Mountaineers Women batters had managed to reach double figures, with Phiri top-scoring with 12 off 42 deliveries.

 

Their innings folded at 67 in 31.1 overs, handing Tuskers Women victory by 75 runs.

 

Tshuma and Sibanda each finished with three wickets, while Mabhero and Granger grabbed two apiece.

 

2021/22 FIFTY50 CHALLENGE POINTS TABLE