adminMANICALAND Mountaineers were crowned the 2016/ 17 season Logan Cup champions after they managed a draw with Harare Metropolitan Eagles at Old Hararians yesterday.
Mountaneers, led by a masterly innings of 79, Foster Mutizwa, batting at his favourite number three position, comfortably forced a draw, which was enough to ensure they finish the season top of the table.
Both teams received two points for a draw and Mountaineers another for leading in the first innings.
This gave Mountaineers 31 points and Eagles 20, an unbeatable lead for the new champions.
Eagles began the final day with a second-innings score of 266 for six and a lead of 216, with Kudzai Maunze on 128 and Trevor Garwe on 31, the pair resuming a partnership that had already added 91 runs to the total.
The pair only added three more runs, as Garwe (32) drove a ball from Shingi Masakadza uppishly into the covers for a catch, the seventh wicket falling at 269.
Herbert Chikomba scored a single before he too drove Masakadza into the covers for a low catch. Maunze and Tanyaradzwa Munyaradzi kept the runs ticking over steadily in singles as Mountaineers set several deep fielders to try to slow the scoring rate.
The batsmen might have pursued the runs more urgently with a declaration in mind, but they seemed rather too content to push for ones and twos, cutting into the time their bowlers would have to bowl out the visitors.
Chigumbura was waiting for Maunze to reach 150 before they declared, and he took his time over it, but eventually reached the landmark with a quick single. He faced 242 balls during his outstanding innings, with 12 fours and three sixes.
Munyaradzi was unbeaten with 17 and the total 312 for eight wickets declared, leaving Mountaineers 263 to win in a minimum of 75 overs. — Zimcricket/Sports Reporter.
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