da 888： After two days the match between Manicaland and Matabeleland at MutareSports Club is beautifully balanced, with Matabeleland eight runs ahead withnine second-innings wickets in hand
Staff Reporter26-Apr-2003After two days the match between Manicaland and Matabeleland at MutareSports Club is beautifully balanced, with Matabeleland eight runs ahead withnine second-innings wickets in hand.Manicaland took a lead of 149 on first innings, but this was almost entirelydue to the fine batting of Guy Croxford and Tino Mawoyo. Both deserved andwere unfortunate to miss their maiden first-class centuries, while the otherbatsmen for the most part played one-day cricket and gave their wickets awayto soft dismissals. Apart from the persevering Mluleki Nkala, theMatabeleland bowlers did not trouble the batsmen.Their sixth-wicket partnership of 144, begun the previous evening, lastedalmost until the lunch interval. Croxford put aside his usual aggressivegame and batted with great patience, recording his seventh and highest fiftyin 12 first-class innings this season. Mawoyo, an Academy student thisyear, was more aggressive and it was a major disappointment when he fell tworuns short of his century. Croxford was let down by the lower order, withthree wickets falling with the total on 301, and was finally left strandedon 96.In the second innings Matabeleland had finally come to grips with the factthat this was after all a good batting pitch and scored virtually at will,helped by some poor fielding. Charles Coventry batted well, despiteoccasional rash strokes, and was the only wicket to fall that evening. MarkVermeulen batted with great responsibility and saw Matabeleland into thelead and through to the close, in partnership with Gavin Rennie.