adminMountaineers to win their first Castle Lager Logan Cup match of the season by 106 runs at Mutare Sports Club.
Mountaineers needed 159 runs for victory yesterday but were bundled out for 92 after they had resumed their fight on 40/4.
Tuskers had batted first after winning the toss and put on 306 runs in their first innings.
Skipper Gavin Ewing (102) led from the front with the first century of the season in the tournament while Keith Dabengwa (67) Craig Ervine (59) weighed in with half tons.
Natsai Mushangwe did well with a five-wicket haul and Shingi Masakadza took 3-40 although Mountaineers could not effectively clamp down the visitors who dominated both games following a thumping 131-runs win in the Pro50 game at the weekend.
The Mountain Goats however, managed to crawl back into the game and were 12 runs short with a first innings score of 294 thanks to Hamilton Masakadza’s 75.
They then restricted Tuskers to 186 with Shingi Masakadza the star of the show with improved bowling figures of 4-49.
But Mountaineers’ batting has been their biggest undoing.
Chasing 198 runs for victory, they lost quick wickets on the third day and were four men down at close of play.
Mpofu, who was voted Man of the Match for his performance, was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets to his name as he rounded off what had been a rewarding excursion following the superb five-wicket haul in the first innings.
All-rounder Keegan Meth also weighed in with three scalps to finish the game with five match wickets while Dabengwa had 2-2 from 2.2 overs yesterday.
Tuskers now lead the log standings with seven points.
Forster Mutizwa’s unbeaten century helped Mashonaland Eagles turn the tables on Southern Rocks as they romped to a three-wicket win away at Masvingo Sports Club yesterday.
Mutizwa (165) put behind him the disappointment of the first innings when he was dismissed for six runs to engineer Eagles’ recovery following a bad start in the second innings.
Malcom Waller (53) offered the big helping hand with a blistering half century in a 91-run partnership for the eighth wicket.
Waller faced 34 deliveries and struck seven fours and three sixes, as Eagles coasted home to 342/7.
They had scored 147 in their first innings in response to Rocks’ 266 and 219.
Eagles resumed on 141/3 yesterday but they could only add nine runs to their overnight score before the repair work between Mutizwa and Elton Chigumbura (53) was wrecked by Tinashe Panyangara who finished with six wickets.
Eagles gained six points for their efforts and are second on the table while Rocks were credited with a point for taking the first innings lead.
Online Reporter