Online Reporter
Prince Mupindu
Correspondent
ON a bright morning at Mutare Sports Club, where the outfield still glistened from recent rains, a cricketing spectacle of historic proportions unfolded between Westside1 and Manicaland Cricket Club.
What began as a contest quickly transformed into a performance destined for folklore.
Winning the toss, captain, Vincent Masekesa, chose to bat — a call that proved inspired.
Westside1, resplendent in golden-maroon kits reminiscent of the West Indies, strode to the crease with confidence.
Openers, Kudzai Sauramba and Tinashe Chiora, set the tone, though Chiora’s brief knock of 14 ended in the fifth over.
His dismissal, however, paved the way for a partnership that would ignite the innings.
The classical “KK” pairing — Sauramba and Kevin Kasuza — stitched together a fluent 79-run stand, racing the score to 116 inside 13 overs.
Kasuza’s blistering 63 off 40 balls, laced with audacious stroke play, was eventually undone by Kudakwashe Jambi’s spin, caught at leg slip.
Enter Tatenda Maposa.
The rising star unleashed a barrage of brutal strokes, twice clearing the serene Mutare boundaries with emphatic sixes.
Sauramba anchored with composure before departing for 33, leaving Westside1 at 131 for 3.
Even the dismissal of captain Masekesa at 204 for 5 could not halt the momentum. Instead, it sparked one of the most astonishing passages of batting ever witnessed in local club cricket — a stretch of 29 overs that redefined dominance.
Moses Karimaguti and Frank Mwazviita unleashed a batting storm that ripped through the Manicaland attack and rewrote the record books.
Their partnership yielded a staggering 301 runs off just 177 balls — a masterclass in power, precision, and relentless aggression.
Karimaguti, the chief destroyer, dismantled the bowlers with calculated ferocity. In one brutal over, he tore into Jambi, launching back-to-back sixes — first over wide long-off, then deep mid-wicket — both disappearing beyond sight. Mwazviita soon joined the carnage, hammering four boundaries in a single over off Valentino, showcasing his full range with pulls and drives to every corner of the ground.
As the sun climbed higher, the duo grew only more ruthless. Sixes rained across Mutare Sports Club as the scoreboard surged past 300.
Mwazviita’s innings was a study in controlled aggression, peppered with 18 fours and seven sixes, while Karimaguti powered towards a milestone.
He reached his maiden century of the season in just 70 balls, greeted by roars from the crowd. Mwazviita followed in perfect symmetry, guiding a ball to third man for four to complete his own century off 69 balls.
By the 41st over, Westside1 had stormed to an almost unbelievable 415 for 5. Late-arriving spectators might have suspected a scoreboard error, but the relentless stroke play left no doubt. The final nine overs piled on another 90 runs, sealing a colossal total of 504 for 5 in 50 overs — less a target than a monument.
Manicaland’s reply was crushed under the weight of that mountain.
Tawanda Maposa struck early with a beauty in the fourth over, Valentino bowled by an unplayable jaffa at 19/1.
Jack Macheke fell to a brilliant run-out from captain Masekesa, and Fortune Mhlanga bowled out Bill Kwambana as the collapse deepened. Willard Chirenje was undone by Karimaguti himself, caught at deep extra cover by the day’s hero.
Tinotenda Jambi fought briefly with four boundaries, but captain Vinny struck again, clean bowling Prince Chimeri to complete a fifer. Jambi’s dismissal broke the camel’s back, and Shane Muchenje claimed him at short third. Silent Mujaji’s retirement sealed the inevitable.
Manicaland were bundled out for 107 in just 21.5 overs, handing Westside1 a thunderous 397-run victory.
If ever a match belonged to two men, it was this one. Karimaguti and Mwazviita, bound by a record-breaking 301-run stand, delivered a performance for the ages. This was not just cricket. It was history written in golden maroon.
