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Another poor display by the Mashonaland Eagles top-order batsmen condemned their team to a three-day defeat by Mountaineers in their Logan Cup match at Old Hararians Sports Club. Only Joylord Gumbie showed any fight or good sense against a good but by no means lethal bowling attack, and the team which began the season so well plunged further into gloom with a heavy nine wicket defeat.

He made 54 off 77 balls, a magnificent fighting innings which deserved a better ending, and his was the highest individual score of the match. The score was 31 for five. The first five batsmen had scored 10 runs between them, and the weak tail was exposed.

Shingi Masakadza was the destroyer in chief as he took five wickets for 50 runs, though he would not have been pleased at his inability to slice through the tail, and Nyauchi three for 33.

Gumbie, who was struggling when promoted to the top of the order, was playing magnificently, showing hunger and fine shot selection which all his team-mates in this innings lacked.

Going in a second time, Mashonaland Eagles suffered a sensational start to their second innings.

Cephas Zhuwao opened the innings, an unwise decision, as he had already split the webbing of his finger in the field. He faced three balls from Masakadza, scored a single and then decided the pain was too great and retired hurt. As the next man, Gary Chirimuuta, came in, Zhuwao’s partner — Kudzai Maunze — faced the next ball, and immediately drove it for a low catch into the covers. Tinotenda Mutombodzi came in and edged the final delivery to first slip.

After one over, Mashonaland Eagles had one run on the board and two wickets down and a batsman retired hurt.

This quickly became one run for three wickets when Chirimuuta drove loosely at his second ball, from Nyauchi, and edged to second slip. It was very poor cricket from the Mashonaland Eagles batsmen.

This brought Regis Chakabva and Joylord Gumbie together with their side in complete disarray. They had the sense to dig in rather than hit out rashly, and for a while held back the tide.

But, with the last over before lunch, Masakadza moved the ball back in to Chakabva, who padded up and was trapped leg before wicket (lbw).

He scored three off 28 balls, and Mashonaland Eagles were 16 for four — of which Gumbie had 10 — off nine overs.

After lunch, Zhuwao returned, and managed to hit a ball from Masakadza for six over long-on, virtually one-handed.

Despite his best intentions, he could not restrain his attacking instincts for long. With his score on seven, he tried to pull a ball from Tiripano, but skied it high for the bowler to take a return catch.

It was after this that M’shangwe finally came on to bowl. He was on a hattrick after dismissing the last two Mashonaland Eagles batsmen with successive balls in the first innings, but could not finish it. — Zimcricket/Sports Reporter.