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Fungai Muderere, [email protected]

MBIZO Cricket Club finally managed to get it right in the National Premier Cricket League (NPL) after dispatching struggling Golden Bulls by seven wickets in a match that pitted two sides that had lost all their previous fixtures in the competition at Kwekwe Sports Club at the weekend.

Golden Bulls, opting to bat first, were bowled out for 130 runs in 29,3 overs before Mbizo Cricket Club chased down the target in 20,4 overs to finish on 131 runs for the loss of three wickets. 

It was a needle match because both teams had lost all their previous matches this season and this was the chance for one of them to gain a first victory of the tournament.

Golden Bulls, were in trouble early on with the bat against Tafara Chingwara and Jabulisa Tshuma, losing three wickets for 13 runs. 

The Golden Bulls middle order fought back, with the captain Kumbirai Machaka making the top score of 32 runs and at one stage the score was 126 for five wickets.

Then Chingwara returned, took two wickets with successive deliveries, and the last five wickets went down for four runs to make the final score 130. Chingwara went on to finish with four wickets for 22 runs while Tshuma had figures of 3/26 during his spell. 

Chasing their target, Mbizo lost a quick wicket, but Takaedza played the innings that was necessary to see them home, scoring 63 not out off 58 balls, with two sixes and six fours. Panashe Mugari chipped in with 28 runs not out as they comfortably chased down the target. The three wickets that fell were taken by Dereck Sadoki, Munashe Maworere and Elvin Nxumalo. 

In the other match played on Saturday, defending champions Gladiators registered a six wickets win over Scorpions Cricket Club. 

After they were sent in to bowl first, Gladiators restricted their opponents to 198/9 in their 45 overs before they went on to chase down the target in 27,2 overs to finish on 200/4. 

Scorpions’ batting would have been quite a disaster without the batting of their opener Jayden Schadendorf, who batted throughout the 45 overs to score 87 not out, facing 120 balls altogether and hitting nine fours.

His best partner was actually their last man, Tawana Kasondo, who scored a confident 16 not out in an unbroken partnership of 44 that took the total to 198 for nine wickets. The target was not likely to trouble Gladiators, but they did lose two early wickets for 39 runs.

Clive Madande

 Wessly Madhevere was in brilliant form, though, and after the fourth wicket fell at 122 he and Clive Madande took Gladiators home in a dashing unbroken partnership of 78.

Madande scored 43 not out off 34 balls, while Madhevere finished with 110, having faced only 86 balls and hitting two sixes and 13 fours.