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A FINE attacking innings of 91 off 90 balls by Brandon Mavuta was the highlight of an otherwise hard-working innings of 275 by Rising Stars at Harare Sports Club yesterday, while Ernest Masuku led the Bulawayo Metropolitan Tuskers bowling attack with five good wickets. Tuskers have a particular incentive to win this match, as last month they became Rising Stars’ first victims in first-class cricket, losing by 268 runs.

They had a weakened team then, and so is the case in this match, with Sikandar Raza and Craig Ervine the most notable absentees. Despite this, Tuskers began the match third in the Logan Cup table with 19 points, while Rising Stars were equal bottom with Midlands Rhinos, 14 points each.

They won the toss and put Rising Stars in to bat under bright blue skies on a pitch with a little green on it. Aarsh Jha and Eddie Byrom opened the batting for Rising Stars against the bowling of Chris Mpofu and Thabo Mboyi.

The runs came steadily from Jha, but Byrom struggled to score three off 27 balls before he unwisely shouldered arms to a ball from Mpofu that came back and bowled him; 20 for one.

His replacement, Taffy Mupariwa, also struggled to score, adding 15 runs in nine overs before they began to open out a little more.

The team fifty came up in the 23rd over, just before lunch, when the score was 51 for one wicket; Jha had 32 and Mupariwa 11. Runs came more freely after the interval, but Jha missed his fifty, as he tried to drive a ball from Masuku and was caught at the wicket for 46; 76 for two.

Ryan Murray hit a confident four past point off his second ball, but only made five, Masuku trapping him lbw at 85 for three. Tinashe Kamunhukamwe tried to take charge of the bowling, but lost Mupariwa for 26 off 93 balls, driving a low return catch to John Nyumbu; 101 for four. Milton Shumba settled in slowly, but lost Kamunhukamwe for 24, moving across his stumps to Masuku and being trapped lbw; 117 for five.

On the stroke of tea Rising Stars lost their sixth wicket at 133, as William Mashinge was out lbw to Mpofu for four.

Mavuta came in next and went for his strokes immediately, overtaking Shumba when the latter had 20.

The pair put on 59 runs in 12 overs before Shumba (39) fatally tried to sweep a ball from Nyumbu and was bowled; 192 for seven. Blessing Muzarabani scored 12 off 14 balls before he was caught at the wicket off Nyumbu, making the score 218 for eight. Off the next delivery, bowled by Williams, Mavuta reached his fifty off only 43 balls.

Rugare Magarira scored nine before being caught at the wicket off Masuku, leaving the score at 247 for nine.

Tuskers called for the second new ball to remove the last pair, but this proved no easy task, as Njabulo Ncube with five not out kept up his wicket while Mavuta continued to attack.

They added another 28 valuable runs before Masuku finally ended the innings by trapping Mavuta lbw for 91, ending the innings on 275. Masuku, with five wickets for 69, was the most successful bowler, but Nyumbu bowled with good flight and accuracy to take three for 44, while Mpofu took the remaining two wickets.

Tuskers had just one over to bat before close of play – Shoun Handirisi faced Muzarabani and hit a four to long leg.

Meanwhile, across town at Takashinga, Harare Metropolitan Eagles posted 334 for five on the first day of their Logan Cup match against Manicaland Mountaineers.

At stumps Eagles captain Tino Mutombodzi was two runs short of reaching a century, with Nathan Waller, on eight, also still standing.

There were fine fifties for Cephas Zhuwao (82 off 87 balls) and Regis Chakabva (58 off 108 balls), as Joylord Gumbie chipped in with a valuable 42.

Shingi Masakadza took two wickets, while the trio of Tendai Chatara, Donald Tiripano and Roy Kaia claimed one apiece.

Scores

Rising Stars – 275 all out in 86.1 overs (Brandon Mavuta 91, Aarsh Jha 46, Milton Shumba 39; Ernest Masuku 5/69, John Nyumbu 3/44, Chris Mpofu 2/57)

Bulawayo Metropolitan Tuskers – 4-0 in 1 over (Shaun Handirisi 4*, Cunningham Ncube 0*)

Day 1 – Stumps: Bulawayo Metropolitan Tuskers trail by 271 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the first innings – zimcricket.