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Takudzwa Manzero
Sports Correspondent
THE National Premier League (NPL) reached a climatic curtain call as Mutare Sports Club triumphed over their local nemesis Westside Cricket Club by 16 runs in an exhilarating clash of Mutare’s top ranked cricket clubs.
Player of the match, Nigel “Karma” Bonyongwe’s 62 runs off 48 balls, alongside Matthew Welch’s 36 from 24 balls morphed a formidable opening partnership of 85 runs before the latter lost his wicket to Westside skipper, Vincent Masekesa.
Veteran, Donald Tiripano and Clive Chitumba added 56 more runs as the hosts set a mammoth 199 runs in their allotted 20 overs which won them the derby as their opponents fell short.
Speaking to Post Sport after the match, Bonyongwe revealed that he was happy to go home with a win and the player of the match award was an added bonus.
He said: ”As a team we had been going through a difficult patch in the last three games that we played in Harare. Today, I feel we managed to have the correct attacking combinations with the bat and with the ball in the field. Matthew and I are showing signs of being a great opening partnership and I hope the team can continue to reap the benefits.
“Credit has to be given to our vastly experienced bowling line up boosted by the return of Silent Mujaji and the hard work of Clive Chitumba and Nkosilathi Nungu alongside Tendai Chatara. They were in good form and Chatara’s exceptional ball release was a thorn in the opposition’s side.”
Westside had all to fight for as a marginal win would give them the opportunity to qualify for the NPL finals instead of Uprising Cricket Club.
Mutare Sports Club veterans’ having already been left out after accumulating a meagre four points from six matches, had their pride to fight for.
However, with Westside ace, Kevin Kasuza out of the squad due to a niggling injury, the middle order had little fight in them against the pace bowling onslaught led by Chatara.
Westside Cricket Club wicketkeeper, Tafadzwa Ngulube said it was a closely fought encounter in which the better team won.
Ngulube said: “The match didn’t go as we expected as we wanted to qualify for the eliminator, but that will not be possible after losing this derby.
“We are happy with how far we have come along as the youngest squad in the eight team competition, since we came out five out of eight and that is an incredible feat looking at the intensity of white ball cricket. We have had an incredible season that will not be tarnished by a single game as we did our best at every opportunity to play against players that have represented the nation so much that we will walk out of the tournament with our heads held high.”
Chatara finished the league as the top wicket-taker with 15 points, while Westside’s Fortune Mhlanga and Takashinga Patriots 2’s Trevor Gwandu shared second spot with 12 wickets apiece.
Donald Tiripano made it into the top five run makers after accumulating 199 total runs, while Definate Mawadzi, with 196 runs alongside Bonyongwe with 170 runs summed up the national league’s top 10 run makers.
The league stage of the 2023 NPL T20 Blast is finished with the top four teams Takashinga 1, Takashinga 1, Gladiators and Uprising proceeding to the knockout stage in Harare.
Online Reporter