A fighting innings of 76 not out from Donald Tiripano, aided by Wellington Masakadza and Victor Nyauchi, enabled Mountaineers to recover from the precarious position of 80 for six wickets on the first day of their Logan Cup match against Alliance Health Eagles at Harare Sports Club on Wednesday.
Mountaineers – 232-7 in 86 overs (Donald Tiripano 76*, Wellington Masakadza 48, PJ Moor 41; Keith Jaure 3/31, Chamu Chibhabha 1/14, Wessly Madhevere 1/18)
Alliance Health Eagles –
Day 1 – Stumps
By the close, the score was looking much happier for the Mutare-based team at 232 for seven wickets.
Once again Eagles won the toss at Harare Sports Club and put their opponents in to bat.
Keith Jaure soon had Mountaineers in trouble, bowling out both openers in his first and third overs for 11 runs on the board: Kevin Kasuza second ball without scoring and Baxon Gopito for five.
However PJ Moor, now playing for his fourth province, showed good form and steadied the innings, along with Timycen Maruma, and the pair put on 55 runs for the third wicket.
Then Eagles struck back just before lunch, as Chamu Chibhabha trapped Moor lbw for 41 and then in his first over Tapiwa Mufudza had Maruma superbly caught by Wessly Madhevere off a skyer to midwicket for 18.
Mountaineers thus went in to lunch on 67 for four wickets and in some trouble.
The situation worsened for them after the break, as they quickly lost Tony Munyonga for five, a great catch by the wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva diving to his right off Jaure, followed by the run-out of Joylord Gumbie (7) by Madhevere; six wickets down for 80.
Then at last came a determined fightback, as Tiripano and Masakadza put their heads down and worked hard for their runs.
They survived until the tea interval arrived at 147 for six wickets, when the partnership was worth 67, Tiripano having 28 and Masakadza 34.
They took their partnership to 92 before Masakadza was bowled by Madhevere just short of his fifty – he scored 48, including seven boundaries, off 117 balls – and his dismissal left Mountaineers on 172 for seven.
Tiripano did reach his fifty successfully, with Nyauchi providing solid support at the other end.
The score reached 199 for seven wickets before the umpires took the players off the field due to bad light, with Tiripano on 58 and Nyauchi eight.
They soon resumed, but in the end bad light ended play for the day – however, it had not affected the batsmen who were still there.
Tomorrow, Tiripano will resume his innings on 76 and Nyauchi, a much improved batsman this season, on 23, with their partnership now worth 60 runs.
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