Newly crowned Logan Cup champions Rocks complete clean sweep

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Southern Rocks – 292 and 325 all out in 90.5 overs (Andre Odendaal 47, Tafadzwa Tsiga 46, Richmond Mutumbami 43; Clive Chitumba 4/66, Wellington Masakadza 3/57, Victor Nyauchi 1/23)

Mountaineers – 211 and 252 all out in 84.2 overs (Gary Chirimuuta 89, Joylord Gumbie 48, Donald Tiripano 43; Roy Kaia 5/62, Tendai Chisoro 3/71)

 

Rocks won by 154 runs

 

Roy Kaia was the bowling hero of the day as the newly crowned Logan Cup champions Southern Rocks completed a clean sweep of their 2020/21 first-class campaign by beating Mountaineers by 154 runs.

 

He took five wickets for 62 runs with his deceptively gentle-looking off-breaks, although earlier in the day Mountaineers made them fight hard.

 

Mountaineers began the fourth and final day at nine for no wicket in their second innings, having been set an almost unassailable target of 407 to win; Joylord Gumbie had one and Gary Chirimuuta eight.

 

The policy was obviously to bat positively, as both batsmen played responsible attacking cricket and their 50 partnership came up in the 16th over, as Chirimuuta took 16 off an over from Andre Odendaal.

 

An hour after the start Chirimuuta completed his 50, which came from 62 balls; the score was now 83.

 

After reaching that landmark he went dormant and the scoring slowed right down for a while, but the team 100 came up in the 26th over.

 

The player injury saga continued to affect this match, as with the score on 114 Gumbie was hit on the arm and retired hurt with 40.

 

Dion Myers came out to join Chirimuuta.

 

The players went to lunch with a score of 128 without loss, Chirimuuta on 78, and Myers 4.

 

After lunch Myers was out for nine in most unlucky fashion: he pulled a short ball from Tendai Chisoro, which struck the short-leg fielder and rebounded to the wicket-keeper, who successfully claimed a catch, making the score 137 for one.

 

Gumbie now returned to partner Chirimuuta again, reaching 48, but he had lasted less than three overs when he tried to sweep a ball from Roy Kaia and was given out caught at the wicket, the second wicket falling at 148.

 

A few minutes later Chirimuuta’s innings came to an end at 89, as he was given out lbw to Chisoro with the score at 156 for three now – he faced 133 balls and hit 13 fours and a six.

 

Wellington Masakadza began well, but when he had scored 11 he dabbled at a ball from Roy Kaia to be caught at the wicket, while Kudzai Sauramba, a concussion substitute for Tony Munyonga, made 10 before he drilled a catch straight at mid-on.

 

There followed a steady partnership between Shingi Masakadza and Donald Tiripano, who put on 31 for the sixth wicket before Shingi was bowled by Chisoro for 16, with the score at 207.

 

Clive Chitumba was out lbw for three, sweeping at a ball from Kaia, and at tea, the score was 223 for seven wickets — all seven lost in this session — with Tiripano fighting hard on 30 and Victor Nyauchi still to score.

 

The pair fought hard after tea, and Rocks were getting worried when Tiripano, running for a risky second run to keep the strike, was run out by a fine throw from Brian Mudzinganyama; he made 43 and the score was 252 for eight wickets.

 

When Vincent Masekesa got himself stumped without scoring off Roy Kaia, Mountaineers were all out for 252, with the injured Timycen Maruma unable to bat.

 

Nyauchi was not out with 11, having again shown much-improved form with the bat.

 

It was the spinners who worked their way through the lower order, with Roy Kaia taking figures of five wickets for 62 runs and Chisoro three for 71.

 

Rocks, who had never won the Logan Cup before and indeed have been out of the competition for seven years, had reason to celebrate after winning all four of their matches in the shortened competition this year.

 

The 2020/21 champions received the coveted trophy as well as a cheque for US$5 000 from Zimbabwe Cricket Managing Director Givemore Makoni during the awards ceremony held at the end of the match.

 

The tournament’s individual awards all went to Rocks’ players.

 

Roy Kaia, who topped the batting chart with 374 runs, was named the batsman of the tournament, and when his haul of 12 wickets was taken into consideration he easily scooped the player of the tournament award – the shields for those achievements were accompanied by prize monies of US$1 000 and US$2 000 respectively.

 

Tendai Chisoro emerged as the bowler of the tournament, an accolade that came with a US$1 000 cheque after he finished the campaign with 18 wickets.

 

2020/21 LOGAN CUP POINTS TABLE

 

SOURCE: ZIMBABWE CRICKET