Mountaineers Women – 139-5 from 30 overs (Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano 50, Pellagia Mujaji 43, Nyasha Gwanzura 11*; Audrietta Mathema 1/15, Tasmeen Granger 1/17, Saidi Thuba 1/21)
Tuskers Women – 77 all out in 24 overs (Ellen Tshuma 16*, Chiedza Dhururu 15, Tasmeen Granger 12; Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano 4/9, Francesca Chipare 2/15, Loryn Phiri 2/17)
Mountaineers Women won by 62 runs
Mountaineers Women booked their place in the final of the inaugural Fifty50 Challenge after beating Tuskers Women by 62 runs in a rain-affected match at Mutarae Sports Club on Saturday.
With the match reduced to 30 overs each, Tuskers put the log leaders in after winning the toss.
They got off to a great start when Evelyn Chisingarambwi was run out for a duck with the team’s score on three.
When Rumbidzai Nire went for only two, the Bulawayo side will have felt that they were onto something.
However, captain Pellagia Mujaji joined Chipo Mugeri-Tirpano at the crease and the pair stabilised and built the innings with an 85-run third-wicket partnership.
Mugeri-Tiripano eventually fell on reaching her second half-century of the season in the competition as she was bowled for a 72-ball 50 by Audrietta Mathema.
After Mujaji was caught by Tasmeen Granger off the bowling of Philanthropic Songo for 43, a useful partnership of 24 between Loryn Phiri (11) and Nyasha Gwanzura (11 not out) gave Mountaineers a healthy 139 for the loss of five wickets.
In response, Mountaineers tore into the Tuskers innings.
A fourth wicket-partnership of 28 between Chiedza Dhururu and Granger was the major resistance for Tuskers.
Granger’s departure for 12, trapped leg before by Phiri, was followed in the next over by that of Dhururu who was caught and bowled by Mugeri-Tiripano for 15.
Ellen Tshuma stood resolute after that but wickets fell on the other end as she was left stranded on 16.
Towards the end Mugeri-Tiripano was one short of a hat-trick when she bowled both Mathema and Songo in successive balls.
Thando Moyo survived the hat-trick ball.
Moyo would be run out for one as Tuskers were bowled out for 77 in 24 overs.
Mugeri-Tiripano led the Mountaineers attack, taking three wickets and conceding nine runs.
Francesca Chipare had two for 15 and Phiri two for 17.
While Mountaineers advance, Tuskers have only got pride to play for in the final match of the round-robin stage as that loss eliminated them.
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Eagles Women – 161 all out in 45.1 overs (Modester Mupachikwa 56, Precious Marange 44, Kellies Ndlovu 10; Nomatter Mutasa 4/19, Mary-Anne Musonda 2/33, Ashley Ndiraya 2/45)
Rhinos Women – 162-3 in 32 overs (Mary-Anne Musonda 68*, Ashley Ndiraya 57, Josephine Nkomo 8*; Kellies Ndlovu 1/27, Precious Marange 1/37, Christabel Chatonzwa 1/41)
Rhinos Women won by seven wickets
Ashley Ndiraya and Mary-Anne Musonda put on a 107-run partnership to chase down a daunting total, helping Rhinos Women to a seven-wicket victory over Eagles Women in a Fifty50 Challenge match played at Takashinga Cricket Club.
On 24 for the loss of two wickets, Rhinos looked in all sorts of trouble having been set a target of 162.
The pair then took the game away from Eagles, amassing 15 fours between the two of them.
When Ashley Ndiraya was caught and bowled by Christabel Chatonzwa for 57, it needed a collapse of sorts for to prevent Eagles from getting the last 29 runs required to claim the win.
In the end they needed only seven overs to get there as they reached 162 for the loss of three wickets in 32 overs.
Musonda was left unbeaten on 68.
Captain Josephine Nkomo was with her at the crease on eight.
Kellies Ndlovu took one wicket for 27, Precious Marange one for 37 and Chatonzwa one for 41.
Earlier, Eagles won the toss and batted first.
They had their own century partnership, 104 for the third wicket between captain Modester Mupachikwa and Marange.
Musonda broke it though, first taking the wicket of Marange for 44 and, two overs later, the prized one of Mupachikwa who was on 56.
Both were out bowled.
At 136 for the loss of four wickets, Eagles did not get enough partnerships together and in the end were bowled out for 161 in 45.1 overs.
Nomatter Mutasa got four wickets and conceded 19 runs.
Musonda had two for 19 and Ashley Ndiraya two for 45.
With the win, Rhinos know that a win over Tuskers on the final day will get them a slot in the final.
Eagles will need to beat Mountaineers, who have already qualified, while hoping Rhinos lose.
FIFTY50 CHALLENGE POINTS TABLE
| TEAM | P | W | L | T | A | PT | NRR |
| Mountaineers | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 40 | +0.940 |
| Rhinos | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 30 | +0.363 |
| Eagles | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 20 | +0.325 |
| Tuskers | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | -1.536 |