Tuskers – 166 and 461 all out in 125.3 overs (Will Fraine 149, Tanunurwa Makoni 147, Ali Hamid 74; Alex Falao 7/95, Tapiwa Mufudzwa 2/66, Munashe Chipara 1/34)
Eagles – 512-8 declared and 121-2 in 24.4 overs (Dion Myers 50*, Kudzai Maunze 34, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe 21; Ali Hamid 1/12, Tanatswa Bechani 1/74)
Eagles won by eight wickets
Magnificent fast bowling from Alex Falao, who took 12 wickets in this Logan Cup match, swept Eagles to an eight-wicket victory over Tuskers at Takashinga Cricket Club on Friday.
However, their hopes of forcing a draw after trailing by 346 runs on the first innings were all but shattered early in the morning when both batters were dismissed in quick succession, ending their brilliant 245-run partnership.
Fraine was caught off Munashe Chipara for 149, having faced 209 balls and struck two sixes and 16 fours.
In the very next over, Makoni fell lbw to Falao for 147, his innings spanning 283 balls and featuring 20 fours.
With the backbone of their innings broken, the tail collapsed cheaply against the bowling of Falao and Tapiwa Mufudza, as the last five batters managed only 29 runs collectively.
The one batter to stand out in the morning was Hamid Ali, who came in at number six and fought a lone battle to remain unbeaten on 74.
He faced 103 balls, hitting eight fours before the innings ended at 461.
Falao produced another superb bowling display, finishing with seven wickets for 95 runs in the innings – giving him match figures of 12 for 135.
Eagles needed just 116 runs to win.
Tinashe Kamunhukamwe went on the attack from the start but was caught off Tanatswa Bechani for 21 off 19 balls.
Kudzai Maunze contributed a steady 34, while Dion Myers, back to confident form, remained unbeaten on 50 off 57 balls, guiding Eagles to victory.
The winning runs, however, came from Wessly Madhevere, who dispatched his first and third balls from Hamid for six, sealing the win in emphatic fashion.
Mountaineers – 402-7 declared and 247 all out in 50.4 overs (Wellington Masakadza 55*, Alistair Frost 43, Vincent Masekesa 39; Brandon Mavuta 7/127, Brad Evans 2/34, Antum Naqvi 1/26)
Rhinos – 321 and 165-4 in 42 overs (Antum Naqvi 61, Prince Masvaure 40, Ben Curran 20; Victor Nyauchi 1/20, Tendai Chatara 1/22, Wellington Masakadza 1/24)
Match drawn
Some fine leg-spin bowling by Rhinos’ Brandon Mavuta, who claimed seven wickets for 127 runs, put a check on Mountaineers’ push for victory in their Logan Cup match at Mutare Sports Club on Friday.
However, with the first day’s play lost to rain, the match ultimately ended in a well-fought draw.
Mountaineers resumed their second innings on 45 for two, leading Rhinos by 126 runs, with Alistair Frost (28) and Arinesto Vezha (4) at the crease.
Needing to score quickly to set up a declaration and bowl Rhinos out a second time, they made steady progress.
The overnight duo departed for 43 and 16, respectively, but the next five batters all contributed at least 20 runs at the required brisk pace.
The standout partnership came when Wellington Masakadza (55 not out) and Vincent Masekesa (39) added 87 runs for the eighth wicket in just 18 overs.
However, the last three wickets fell in quick succession, with Mavuta finishing with figures of seven for the innings and a match haul of 10 for 231.
Mountaineers did not need to declare, setting Rhinos a target of 329 for victory.
Takudzwanashe Kaitano and Ben Curran got off to a brisk start, hinting at a possible chase, but they fell for 10 and 20, respectively.
Prince Masvaure (40) and Antum Naqvi (61) then added 93 runs in 20 overs, but the required run rate remained challenging.
After their dismissals, Rhinos abandoned the chase, and both teams settled for a draw with the score at 165 for four.
