Mountaineers – 124-3 in 37 overs (Forster Mutizwa 70*, Timycen Maruma 24*, Tino Mawoyo 10; Chamu Chibhabha 2/39, Richard Ngarava 1/33)
Eagles
Stumps – Day 1
The fine batting of Forster Mutizwa, with 70 not out for Mountaineers, was the highlight of a shortened day’s play against Eagles in a Logan Cup match at Old Hararians Sports Club on Thursday.
Conditions were very damp due to overnight rain when the match began, so Eagles decided to risk the possibility of the pitch deteriorating by putting Mountaineers in to bat on winning the toss.Unfortunately for them, two missed chances in the field cost them the opportunity to take control of the match.
Hamilton Masakadza returned to the Mountaineers side after battling an ankle injury from the Bangladesh tour, but he did not succeed, soon being caught at the wicket off Richard Ngarava for five, in the fifth over with the total on eight.Tino Mawoyo again fought out a defensive game, facing 50 balls in scoring 10 runs before being trapped lbw by Chamu Chibhabha.
Mutizwa, however, responded to the conditions superbly.He decided that attack was the best policy, and played his strokes brilliantly, dominating the bowling in running to a score of 70 not out off 110 balls.He also lost Roy Kaia for five, with the score at 66, but then Timycen Maruma joined him and the pair had almost doubled it by the close of play.
This was when Eagles lost ground, as Mutizwa was dropped at square leg off the bowling of Trevor Garwe just before reaching his fifty, and Maruma was caught off a no-ball.The Eagles attack did a fine job overall, with Chibhabha again the most successful, getting the ball to swing and bowling with great accuracy – so far he has taken two for 39, although Mutizwa attacked him with some success.
Ngarava and Garwe also bowled very well, but the brilliance of Mutizwa and the missed chances probably gave Mountaineers the edge in the day’s play.
Rain came on after lunch and stopped play until late in the afternoon, when only a few overs could be bowled without real gain to either side.
2018/19 Logan Cup points table
| TEAM | P | W | L | D | PT |
| Eagles | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 26 |
| Mountaineers | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 25 |
| Rhinos | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 24 |
| Tuskers | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
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