Kaitano century saves Rhinos from disaster against Mountaineers
Rhinos – 184 all out in 49.4 overs (Takudzwanashe Kaitano 109, Nyasha Mayavo 34*, Trevor Gwandu 9; Victor Nyauchi 5/48, Tendai Chatara 2/35, Donald Tiripano 2/35)
Mountaineers – 112-2 in 37 overs (Kevin Kasuza 55*, Timycen Maruma 41*, Kudzai Sauramba 8; Michael Chinouya 1/20, Trevor Gwandu 1/28)
Day 1 – Stumps: Mountaineers trail by 72 runs
Despite a superb century by their opening batter, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, the Rhinos batting fared badly against Mountaineers in their Logan Cup match at Harare Sports Club on Saturday, as play ended with the latter in a potentially strong position.
Mountaineers won the toss and put Rhinos in to bat.
Their innings turned out to be a one-and-a-half man show, as nine batters failed to reach double figures.
Kaitano played superbly and scored almost 60 percent of his team’s eventual total, a rare occurrence, with 109 out of 184.
Prince Masvaure, after his heroics of the previous match against Tuskers, was out for four this time round, caught by Wellington Masakadza off the bowling of Victor Nyauchi.
Nyauchi and Tendai Chatara continued to wreak havoc among the Rhinos batters, with the great exception of Kaitano.
The opener played a fine positive game and kept the score moving at a good pace, despite the failures of successive partners at the other end.
The fifth wicket, that of Johnathan Campbell for eight, fell at 104 in the 29th over, at which point Kaitano already had 75.
He now finally found a partner able to handle the bowling in Nyasha Mayavo, and the pair put on 55 runs together in 13 overs, by which time Kaitano had reached his second first-class century off 110 balls.
They were just looking like turning the situation around for Rhinos when Kaitano’s great innings came to an end, as Nyauchi returned for his second spell and Masakadza caught the batter off his bowling for 109.
He scored his runs out of 159 for six wickets, off 132 balls and with 19 fours to his credit.
Mayavo now had to take over the role of unsupported batter as the tail collapsed around him, although Trevor Gwandu became the third-highest scorer by hitting nine off 10 balls.
Donald Tiripano removed the last two batters, both caught by Shingi Masakadza, with the score at 184, leaving Mayavo stranded on 34 not out (56 balls).
The whole innings had lasted only 49.4 overs, and without Kaitano would have been quite a disaster.
Nyauchi finished with the fine figures of five wickets for 48 in 15.4 overs, while there were two wickets each for Chatara and Tiripano, all pace bowlers.
Mountaineers, batting, soon suffered a setback when they lost the wicket of the century-maker of their last two matches, Ben Compton, lbw to Gwandu without scoring.
Kudzai Sauramba did not stay long, caught at the wicket off Michael Chinouya for eight, but Timycen Maruma proved to be a sound partner for the opening batter, Kevin Kasuza.
By the close, Mountaineers had moved to a score of 112 for two wickets, with Kasuza on 55 and Maruma 41.
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Southern Rocks – 242-6 in 90 overs (Innocent Kaia 59, Cephas Zhuwao 58, Roy Kaia 55*; Stephen Chimhamhiwa 3/39, Luke Jongwe 1/34, Ernest Masuku 1/40)
Tuskers –
Day 1 – Stumps
Fifties from the Kaia cousins, Innocent and Roy, boosted the Southern Rocks innings at Old Hararians Sports Club on Saturday, as the team did not find run-scoring too easy after they won the toss and decided to bat in their Logan Cup match against Tuskers.
They soon lost Tadiwanashe Marumani without scoring, bowled by Stephen Chimhamhiwa.
Brian Mudzinganyama scored a rather cautious 33 in partnership with Innocent, and after he was lbw to Luke Jongwe, Daniel Zvidzai played a painfully slow innings, scoring just a single off 30 balls before Chimhamhiwa had him lbw.
Roy now joined Innocent, who went on to score 59 before he was lbw to Ainsley Ndlovu.
With Ernest Masuku removing Tafadzwa Tsiga for four, Rocks were now in some trouble at 109 for five.
Cephas Zhuwao came in next, unusually low at number seven in the order, and unusually restrained.
However, it proved to be the wise course for him on this occasion, as he and Roy were able to pull Rocks out of trouble with a sixth-wicket partnership of 77 before Zhuwao was caught by Craig Ervine off Chimhamhiwa for 58, which took him all of 97 balls.
Roy was playing a very defensive game, but he stayed in to grind out the runs and finally reached his fifty, which took him 162 balls.
At the close, Rhinos were still batting, but had scored only 242 runs for six wickets, with Roy on 55 not out, while his partner, Tendai Chisoro, had 21.
Chimhamhiwa has been the best of the bowlers, having taken three wickets for 39 runs so far.
