Rhinos spinners ravage Eagles, as Maruma stabilises Mountaineers
Eagles – 92 all out in 29.5 overs (Tinashe Kamunhukamwe 35, Tanaka Chivanga 12, Faraz Akram 12; Brandon Mavuta 5/17, Antum Naqvi 4/22, Tafara Chingwara 1/9)
Rhinos – 102-4 in 27.2 overs (Johnathan Campbell 46, Kiran Carlson 30*, Eddie Byrom 19; Tapiwa Mufudza 2/39, Tanaka Chivanga 1/10, Kudzai Maunze 1/21)
Day 1 – Stumps: Rhinos lead by 10 runs
It was a day to remember for 23-year-old Antum Naqvi, the off-spinner who made his first-class début this Saturday for Rhinos against Eagles in their Logan Cup match at Kwekwe Sports Club.
He took four wickets, three of them top-order batters, as he and the more experienced leg-spinner Brandon Mavuta bowled out Eagles for 92 runs in their first innings.
Eagles did not start too badly after Prince Masvaure, captain of Rhinos, put them in to bat, reaching 58 before the second wicket fell, Kudzai Maunze having gone for one.
This was mainly the work of Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, who alone of the visitors’ top batters got after the attack with well-judged aggression, scoring 35 off 42 balls before being caught off Mavuta.
Then Naqvi began his run of success, having a Larvet Masunda caught at the wicket for his first scalp, having made 11 off 48 balls.
In quick succession Naqvi removed Chamu Chibhabha without scoring and Cunningham Ncube for two, while Mavuta had Nick Welch caught at the wicket for three, and Eagles had declined to 64 for six.
Faraz Akram and Tanaka Chivanga brought about a minor recovery with 12 each, before Mavuta finished off the innings at 92 by removing the cautious Akram.
Naqvi bowled only seven overs, but took four wickets for 22 runs for a memorable début.
Mavuta for his part took five wickets for only 17 runs in 9.5 overs.
With spin bowling in the ascendancy, Chibhabha as the Eagles captain opened his bowling with the off-spinner Tapiwa Mufudza, and he took the first two wickets to fall, Masvaure for three and Eddie Byrom for 19.
When Remembrance Nyathi fell first ball to Maunze, the score was 29 for three, but then Johnathan Campbell, supported by a more cautious Kiran Carlson, realised that attack in these circumstances was the best option, and hit out boldly.
Campbell made the highest score of the day, 46 off 59 balls, with six fours, but once again failed to go on to play a major innings, being caught off Chivanga just before the close.
By then, though, Rhinos had gone into the lead, and finished the day with 102 for four wickets, Carlson still there with 30.
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Mega Market Mountaineers – 96-4 in 24 overs (Timycen Maruma 52*, Spencer Magodo 16, PJ Moor 11*; Cuthbert Musoko 2/27, Trevor Mutsamba 1/14, Takudzwa Chataira 1/19)
Southern Rocks – still to bat
Day 1 – Stumps
A fine attacking innings of 52 not out by Timycen Maruma was the only memorable feature of a rain-damaged first day’s play at Old Hararians Sports Club in the Logan Cup match between Mega Market Mountaineers and Southern Rocks on Saturday.
Play could not be started until after lunch due to the effects of the previous day’s rain on the field.
Mountaineers, put in to bat, lost their opening pair for 14 runs on the board, with Kevin Kasuza out for two and Joylord Gumbie for eight.
Maruma came in at number four to join Spencer Magodo, who was to play a useful innings of 16 while Maruma took charge.
Magodo and Brian Bennett (6) were both out to Cuthbert Musoko to make the score 73 for four, before PJ Moor joined Maruma, who reached his fifty off only 47 balls.
Soon after this, bad light and then rain stopped play for the day, the score now having reached 96 for four wickets, with Maruma on 52 and Moor 11.
