bwe Cricket: National League

BULAWAYO ATHLETIC CLUB v OLD HARARIANS, at Bulawayo Athletic Club

OLD HARARIANS 185/9 (50 overs) (R W Price 26, G B Brent 24, P A Strang 45, T L Penney 52; M L Nkala 2/20, P Engelbrecht 5/32). BAC 131 (46.1 overs) (N C Johnson 25, T N Madondo 27; P A Strang 2/28, R W Price 5/30). Old Hararians won by 54 runs.

This match was played under grey, cloudy skies on a pitch still damp in places from where the covers had leaked. Bulawayo Athletic Club put the visitors in to bat, but events proved this to have been a misguided decision.

Old Hararians struggled for runs at first, losing seven wickets for less than 100 before being rescued by a fine fighting partnership of 83 between Paul Strang and Trevor Penney. This proved to be the crucial event of the match, as a total of 185 on such a pitch was a considerable achievement.

The BAC batting could never challenge this total, and left-arm spinner Ray Price, a nephew of golfer Nick, took five cheap wickets.

OLD GEORGIANS v ALEX, at Country Club

OLD GEORGIANS 233/7 (50 overs) (G W Flower 57, M A Wagh 50, C N Evans 83, A J Mackay 20; K G Duers 2/57, G C Martin 2/55). ALEX 75/2 (19.4 overs) (M W Goodwin 41*). Match drawn -- rain.

This match was played at Country Club, the headquarters of the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy in Harare, due to the waterlogged state of the Old Georgians ground.

Alex went into the match looking to strengthen their position at the top of the log with a third successive victory, but were frustrated first by fine Old Georgians batting and then by the weather.

Grant Flower and Mark Wagh both scored good fifties to lay the foundation for a violent assault on the bowling by Craig Evans. Evans raced to 83 off just 67 balls, including 4 sixes and 5 fours.

The match was intriguingly poised with Alex on 75 for two when the rain came. Murray Goodwin was well set and playing superbly, and the course of the match would probably have been determined by his continued success or failure.

With only 19.4 overs bowled, the Duckworth-Lewis system could not be brought into operation, so all concerned were left to regret the arrival of yet more rain. Rumour has it that the excessive rain this season is caused by cheap imports from Bangladesh after a secret trade agreement between the two countries!

UNIVERSALS v HARARE SPORTS CLUB, at Harare South Country Club

HARARE SPORTS CLUB 124 (40 overs) (D J Peacock 46; E Z Matambanadzo 3/24, A D R Campbell 2/26, K A Burki 3/17). UNIVERSALS 127/4 (25.2 overs) (H J Hira 35, A D R Campbell 50*, G K Bruk-Jackson 22; M Doggerell 2/29, S V Carlisle 2/36). Universals won by six wickets.

Only a change of venue from their own waterlogged ground enabled defending champions Universals to take the field after two successive washouts. At least they achieved what no other team playing in Harare this weekend managed to do by winning their match before the afternoon storm created further havoc.

Harare Sports Club must have regretted their decision to bat after winning the toss, as otherwise they would probably have been saved by the weather. As it was, they were skittled out for 124 by a good all-round bowling attack, with only Dan Peacock, played primarily as an off-spinner, putting up prolonged resistance.

Universals were taking no chances with the weather, and sped to victory at five runs an over. Hitesh Hira, opening the batting, hit to good effect for 35, while Alistair Campbell hit a very brisk unbeaten fifty to take his team home in time to avoid the downpour.

MANICALAND v QUEENS SPORTS CLUB, at Alexandra Sports Club

QUEENS 193 (49.3 overs) (N R van Rensburg 87, W Gilmour 30, C McNally 25; M G Burmester 2/38, G J Whittall 4/23). MANICALAND 132/7 (35 overs) (L Adams 50, D Yatras 27; M H Dekker 2/29). Queens won by 12 runs (revised target).

Like the Country Club match, this game was also promising a good finish when the weather struck.

Neil van Rensburg, once regarded as one of Matabeleland's most promising young batsmen, has spent several years in the doldrums, but a concerted effort to get fit and practise more this season has brought impressive results. This time he played a fine innings to be the mainstay of the Queens batting against the enthusiastic Manicaland attack.

Rain came with Manicaland on 102 for five with 31 overs gone; in other words, they still needed 92 runs in 19 overs with five wickets left. With half their wickets gone, the odds were perhaps slightly on Queens, but according to the Duckworth-Lewis, had play been abandoned altogether at that point they would have won by a minute fraction.

It was just Manicaland's luck that their ground should be on the fringe of the storm, and conditions were declared fit again just before five o'clock. The umpires and scorers decreed that four overs were left to be bowled, and now Manicaland needed to score 42 runs in those overs to win.

With Heath Streak and Adam Huckle still to complete their quota, this turned out to be greatly to Manicaland's disadvantage, and they duly failed, managing only 30 runs for the loss of two further wickets.

With three rounds of matches now played, Alex and Old Hararians head the field, with two wins and a draw apiece.

NEXT WEEKEND'S FIXTURES (subject to interference without prior notification from the weather):

Alex v Universals, at Alexandra Sports Club

Bulawayo Athletic Club v Manicaland, at Universals Sports Club (neutral venue)

Old Georgians v Harare Sports Club, at Old Georgians Sports Club (almost certainly the venue will need to be changed again)

Old Hararians v Queens Sports Club, at Old Hararians Sports Club