Some belated fighting spirit from Matabeleland, mainly in the form of Mark Vermeulen, enabled them to take the match into midafternoon on the third day and force Matabeleland to bat again, however briefly. The Logan Cup holders finally completed their 15th successive Cup and first-class victory by ten wickets.

The overnight batsmen, Vermeulen and Mluleki Nkala, held firm with defiance for well over an hour while they added 97 together. Then the dismissal of Nkala, walking after giving a catch to short leg on 42, began a brief collapse. Wisdom Siziba, more used to opening the batting rather than coming in late to face spin, made just a single before being caught at the wicket. In the same over from Grant Flower Gavin Ewing, softened up perhaps by his first ball that spat at him like a cobra from the pitch, top-edged a sweep, and Matabeleland were 217 for seven. Captain Pommie Mbangwa, off the field since Friday evening with flu, was not expected to bat.

The diminutive left-arm spinner Keith Dabengwa was not about to surrender, though, and hung on for almost half an hour until lunch. During this time Vermeulen, having reached his century, was happy to take the offered single off the first ball of each over and appeared to be concerned only with ensuring that he carried his bat through the innings. Perhaps somebody spoke to him during the interval, because afterwards he successfully farmed the strike with Dabengwa and Jordane Nicolle until he was finally caught at the wicket off Andy Blignaut for 153. It was his sixth career century: five of them have been over 150 and the other was not out.

Mbangwa gallantly came in to bat, only to be dismissed first ball. This meant that Mashonaland had to score six runs for victory, which they achieved in the second over after the keeper conceded four byes. During the morning Tatenda Taibu for Mashonaland appeared to be uncharacteristically sloppy, giving away 20 byes to the spinners. Keeping wicket to spin was not easy on this pitch, but he should have done better.

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