Uprising still unbeaten, Takashinga march on as Mutare clinch derby

Scorpions – 238-9 in 45 overs (Jayden Schadendorf 87, Blessed Muzite 72, Nkosilathi Nungu 14; Courage Gwarada 3/45, Luke Jongwe 2/20, Kirby Madaramete 2/51)

Uprising – 242-5 in 38.5 overs (Tariro Makauyo 74, Brian Bennett 65*, Gilford Muzeya 45; Praise Makaza 2/43, Jayden Schadendorf 1/26, Costa Zhou 1/29)

Uprising won by five wickets

Scorpions made a superb challenge to break Uprising’s winning record in the National Premier League (NPL) at Takashinga Cricket Club on Wednesday, only for Tariro Makauyo to lead a strong reply that resulted in another victory, this one by five wickets.

After deciding to bat, Scorpions were on to a good thing when Jayden Schadendorf and Blessed Muzite put on an excellent second-wicket partnership of 162 in 33 overs.

Schadendorf was the faster scorer, although getting less of the bowling, making 87 off 99 balls, while Muzite took 113 balls for his 72.

Ten overs remained when he was out at 177 for two, but there was nobody in the middle order to take advantage of their excellent position, and wickets fell quickly as the innings declined, the eventual total being 238 for nine wickets, three vital ones in the middle order going to Courage Gwarada.

This gave Uprising a lifeline, and Makauyo gave them the ideal start, getting stuck into the bowlers for a rousing innings of 74 off only 44 balls, with a six and 13 fours.

He was out at 100 for two in only the 14th over, and there followed a fourth-wicket partnership of 74 in 13 overs between Brian Bennett and the captain, Gilford Muzeya.

Muzeya went for 45, but Bennett stayed to make 65 not out off 70 balls and finish the match in a flurry of boundaries, giving Uprising another fine victory with more than six overs to spare.

*********************************************************

Westside – 265-9 in 45 overs (Definate Mawadzi 129, Prosper Mugeri 72*, Tafadzwa Ngulube 14; John Masara 2/31, Tendai Chatara 2/35, Tatenda Mupunga 2/43)

Mutare Sports Club – 268-7 in 43.3 overs (Donald Tiripano 103*, Clive Chitumba 44, Kudzai Sauramba 40; Vincent Masekesa 3/72, Frank Mazviita 2/41, Fortune Mhlanga 1/31)

Mutare Sports Club won by three wickets

The Eastern Highlands derby turned out to be the most exciting match of the day as Definate Mawadzi and Donald Tiripano both scored centuries, with the latter seeing hosts Mutare Sports Club through to a tight three-wicket victory over Westside with nine balls to spare.

Westside decided to bat, and they owed everything to Mawadzi, who opened the innings and lost one partner after another until seven wickets were down for only 102 runs.

Then he finally found a worthy partner in Prosper Mugeri, and the pair added 133 together for the eighth wicket, enabling their team to reach the fine score of 265 for nine wickets.

Mawadzi made 129 off 133 balls, with two sixes and 15 fours, while Mugeri’s 72 not out took 57 balls (two sixes, seven fours).

Tendai Chatara with two wickets for 35 off his nine overs was the best of the bowlers.

Clive Chitumba (44) and Kudzai Sauramba (40) gave Mutare quite a good start.

Tiripano came in at 78 for three and played a fine attacking innings, his sixth-wicket partnership of 93 in 15 overs with John Musara (35) deciding the match in Mutare’s favour.

Tiripano reached 99 and then hit another fine four, his 11th, to bring up his magnificent century and his side’s victory at the same time.

*********************************************************

Kadoma – 152 all out in 36.5 overs (Takudzwanashe Kaitano 42, Terrence Makoroma 34, Bright Matsiwe 21; Mathew Campbell 7/24, Carlton Takawira 1/17, Ronak Patel 1/19)

Rainbow – 154-6 in 23.2 overs (Robert Chiminya 43*, Ronak Patel 33, Muhammad Zaheer Tufail 24; Kudakwashe Macheka 4/36, Tashinga Musekiwa 2/42)

Rainbow won by four wickets

Matthew Campbell produced a remarkable bowling performance by taking seven cheap wickets against Kadoma at Old Hararians Sports Club on Wednesday, enabling Rainbow to clinch victory by four wickets.

Kadoma, put in to bat, made a good start, reaching 112 with only two wickets down and Takudzwanashe Kaitano scoring 42.

Then Campbell came on to bowl as the third change, and wickets started to tumble as he took seven of the next eight to fall.

Kadoma were all out for 152, with Campbell taking his seven wickets in only 6.5 overs for just 24 runs.

Rainbow struggled as they chased the target, though, and lost their first six wickets for only 97 on the board, with Kudakwashe Macheka taking four wickets.

They were saved by Robert Chiminya, who attacked the bowling powerfully to hit five sixes in scoring 43 not out, well supported by Robertson Chinyengetere who made 12 not out as their unbroken partnership of 57 clinched the victory.

*********************************************************

Bulawayo Athletic Club – 69 all out in 23.4 overs ( Palvin Ndlovu 21, Saxon Pettican 9, Vitalis Buwu 8; Arnold Shara 3/12, Tawanda Maposa 3/27, Ernest Masuku 2/4)

Amakhosi – 73-2 in 17.1 overs (Farai Gunda 27*, Bright Phiri 20, Simbarashe Haukozi 13*; Thamsanqa Nunu 1/9, Charlton Tshuma 1/16)

Amakhosi won by eight wickets

Arnold Shara’s opening spell at Bulawayo Athletic Club plunged the home side into a crisis from which they never recovered, handing Amakhosi an eight-wicket victory.

BAC lost their first five wickets in seven overs for only 11 runs, and Shara took three of them, his eventual figures being three for 12 in five overs.

Only Palvin Ndlovu with 21 could reach double figures as BAC collapsed to 69 all out.

Amakhosi lost a quick wicket, but then Farai Gunda (27 not out) and Bright Phiri (20) put on 56 together to ensure victory.

*********************************************************

Queens Sports Club – 149-6 in 45 overs (Ian Fuzane 36, Tanatswa Bechani 32*, Chris Mpofu 24; Tapiwa Mufudza 2/15, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe 1/20, Roy Kaia 1/27)

Takashinga Patriots 1 – 151-4 in 21.5 overs (Innocent Kaia 80*, Roy Kaia 23*, Chamu Chibhabha 23; Vusi Kasipani 2/26, Chris Mpofu 1/29, Tanatswa Bechani 1/31)

Takashinga Patriots 1 won by six wickets

A fine innings of 80 not out by Innocent Kaia saw Takashinga Patriots 1 cruise to an easy six-wicket victory over Queens Sports Club in their NPL match played at Kwekwe Sports Club on Wednesday.

The Queens batting tactics on being put in to bat were hard to understand, as at the top of the order Dalu Mboyi took 46 balls to score 22 and Ian Fuzane 81 balls in making 36, so when the latter was out in the 31st over the score was only 89 for three.

The later batters were unable to make up for this, although Tanatswa Bechani played the most aggressive innings of 32 not out off 37 balls, and the eventual total off 45 overs was only 149 for six wickets.

Tapiwa Mufudza had the remarkable bowling figures of two wickets for only 15 runs off nine overs.

Chris Mpofu trapped Emmanuel Bawa lbw with the first ball of the Takashinga innings, but this brought in Kaia, who immediately showed Queens how to bat.

He went for his strokes right from the start, scoring 80 off only 64 balls with two sixes and nine fours, and victory was achieved off only 21.5 overs.

 

NATIONAL PREMIER LEAGUE POINTS TABLE