The second round of the Logan Cup competition was slightly less damp than the first, although the two results obtained in the three matches had to be manufactured. It is frustrating when the Zimbabwean players get so little opportunity to play the longer version of the game, and what little they have is rendered artificial by the weather.

In Kwekwe Midlands beat the CFX Academy by 111 runs, after a match of three declarations in good weather after the first day had been washed out. The Midlands officials had performed the nearest equivalent of moving mountains in order to make play possible, and their chairman Ken Connelly gives an count of their labours in this issue. The Academy for the second match running were given what to their lack of experience was rather a difficult target to chase; nevertheless they gamely accepted the situation but were again defeated.

At Harare Sports Club a manufactured game resulted in a second win for the reigning champions Mashonaland, captained by Grant Flower, who gives his views of the match in this issue. Nigel Fleming of Manicaland also writes about the drawn match in Bulawayo between Matabeleland and Manicaland, where negotiations this time failed to effect a result.

The match at Kwekwe, which I attended myself, sounds to have been the best of the three, but there was a very disappointing aspect to it. This concerns the matter of player behaviour. Last season, with the current international players away, the competition was played in excellent spirit, with the exception of certain of the more experienced players in the Mashonaland side.

In Kwekwe we had certain members of both teams whose behaviour was at variance with the spirit of the game. The most obvious example was of a certain batsman who, in response to being given out to a dubious decision, swore so loudly while walking off, but still on the central square, that he could be heard clearly from beyond the boundary, by the lady scorers and no doubt by the children in the vicinity. He repeated his expletive twice more as he walked off the field, at a lower volume but still audibly. When I spoke to him about it, he was completely unrepentant. Fortunately the Midlands cricket administrators were quick to discipline him, although they did not release details.

There were also too many 'verbals' among the players in the match, and instances of bowlers running halfway down the pitch to swear at the batsmen. The authorities at the Academy have commendably moved very quickly to investigate these matters, and it was noticeable that their team was quieter on the field during the first day's play of their next match against Mashonaland A. Perhaps we can put it down to a dose of over-enthusiasm at Kwekwe, and the authorities have wisely managed to temper it to the benefit of the game. It was most encouraging to see their concern that the spirit of the game be maintained.

So what is the verdict on the Academy players, ability wise, so far? Well, the raw talent is there, but it would be a bit premature to label anyone as definite Test material for the future. I couldn't say there is outstanding natural talent there. The most impressive feature so far has perhaps been the batting of Barney Rogers. My impression at present is that of any of these players are to enjoy long and successful careers, they will need to add a great deal of mental strength and determination to their talent. Only time will tell who will burst from the pack. None will find it easy, but perhaps all could find it possible. It is entirely up to them.

The matches also highlighted the difficulty found by so many Zimbabwean batsmen especially when playing three-day cricket instead of the usual limited-over variety that is played in all club cricket. In three matches 80 wickets were lost, but only four batsmen scored fifties, the highest innings being 70 by Midlands and former Academy wicket-keeper/batsman Colin Delport. There were no fewer than 28 innings of between 10 and 19, and a further 11 in the twenties, showing how many batsmen made a start but failed to build on it. However, pressure of time in rain-ravaged matches is something of a mitigating factor. It would be great to see some of the non-international players especially break through with some major innings.

The venues for this weekend's matches have been changed, as both Mutare Sports Club and the Academy home ground of Country Club in Harare are both too wet for use. The revised fixture list is:

CFX Academy v Mashonaland A, at Alexandra Sports Club, Harare Mashonaland v Manicaland, at Harare Sports Club Matabeleland v Midlands, at Bulawayo Athletic Club

The weather is still very wet in the northern part of the country, at least, and another round of very wet matches looks likely. Let us hope we can enjoy cricket untarnished by player misbehaviour. As a number of letters to this magazine have shown, Zimbabwe have acquired a wonderful reputation in other countries for playing cricket in the true spirit of the game. We need to nourish that reputation at all levels.

THIS ISSUE

Most of this issue is concerned with last weekend's Logan Cup fixtures. We continue our profiles of the Academy players with brief biographies of Barney Rogers, captain in Kwekwe, Leon Soma and Nyasha Chari. Schools cricket reports have not been coming in again since my e-mail breakdown, except for Lilfordia, although most schools have recently stopped cricket to concentrate on athletics, and will not restart until August.

We apologize for a missing issue of our magazine, dated 16 February, which was produced but not put up on the site, an oversight of which I was unaware for several days as my e-mail and internet connections had been disconnected. It is now available in the archives section.

© CricInfo Ltd.