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JOYLORD GUMBIE and Shingi Masakadza boosted a rather colourless Mountaineers bat- ting display in their Logan Cup match against Rhinos which started at Harare Sports Club yesterday.

Mountaineers batted first, after winning the toss, and Gumbie and Baxon Gopito put on 25 for the first wicket before Gopito (10) was caught low down in the slips by Brendan Taylor, off the bowling of Tafara Chingwara.

Dion Myers did not last long and had not scored when he cut a ball from Carl Mumba, who bowled with some pace, into the hands of backward point.

There followed a long partnership of 77, for the third wicket, between Gumbie and Timycen Maruma.

Gumbie reached his fifty after lunch, but Maruma, who scored 33, lofted a drive from

Brandon Mavuta and was caught at mid-on.

He was eventually out for 62 to what is per- haps cricket’s most unfair dismissal — he was doing his job in backing up as non-striker when his new partner, Tony Munyonga, drove a ball straight back.

It bounced off the bowler Chingwara’s hands on to the stumps, giving Gumbie no chance of regaining his ground.

Seven wickets were down for 168, but Shingi Masakadza came in and turned the innings around, attacking the bowling in fine style.

He received unexpected help from Victor Nyauchi, with whom he added 72, as he ran to 77 off 101 balls before giving Mavuta a return catch.

Tinashe Muchawaya also showed good resistance, and when play finished early owing to bad light, Nyauchi was not out with 17 and Muchawaya with 15.

The closing score of 263 for eight wickets was considerably better than it had looked at one stage.

Meanwhile, Eagles were skittled out for 193 on day one of their Logan Cup match against Southern Rocks at Old Hararirans yesterday, with Tendai Chisoro claiming four of the scalps.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, Eagles suffered an early setback when Rodney Mupfudza was bowled by Travor Mutsamba for nine in the seventh over, with a total of 14 runs on the board.

His opening partner, Kudzai Maunze, how- ever went on to add 85 runs for the second wicket with Tinashe Kamunhukamwe on the other end.

Rocks finally separated the pair when Maunze, who had just reached his 11th first-class fifty, was caught by the wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga off a Chisoro delivery.

His 51, which included 10 boundaries, came off 81 deliveries.

Kamunhukamwe soon fol- lowed, departing for 29 after he was caught and bowled by Innocent Kaia. Lunch was taken soon after his dismissal, with the score 100 for three.

After the break, the Eagles innings started to disintegrate as all the remaining seven wickets fell for 93 runs.

Scores
Mountaineers: 263-8 in 81.5 overs (Shingi

Masakadza 77, Joylord Gumbie 62, Timycen Maruma 33; Brandon Mavuta 4/25, Tafara Chingwara 1/32, Carl Mumba 1/35)

Eagles: 193 all out in 61 overs (Kudzai Maunze 51, Brad Evans 38, Oskar Kolk 31; Tendai Chisoro 4/37, Innocent Kaia 3/27, Travor Mutsamba 1/13)

Southern Rocks: 64-1 (trail by 121 runs) — zimcricket.