At Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo; 30, 31 March, 1 April 2001.

Day 3 report, by John Ward

CFX Academy 320 and 126; Matabeleland 508/9 dec.
Matabeleland won by an innings and 62 runs.

The determined Matabeleland side completed an innings victory over the CFX Academy in their Logan Cup match at Queens Sports Club today.

Matabeleland surprised many unused to the longer version of the game by their decision to continue batting on the third and final morning with a lead of 137 runs over the CFX Academy. Their manager Derrick Townshend expressed the hope that, after recording the record lowest Zimbabwean first-class score of 19 in their previous match, they might beat the record for the highest in this one. However, the 600 for six declared by the Sri Lankan tourists against a pathetically weak Country Districts team in 1994/95 is quite a task to match.

The Academy bowlers and fielders appeared rather lethargic and disheartened in the field and the pace bowlers seemed determined to atone for their `mistake' of bowling more overs than the official minimum the previous day. Greg Strydom (22) and Clement Mahachi (19) played themselves in and then began pushing the score along again before both were out just before the 500 was reached. Mahachi was run out by a brilliant direct hit from Guy Croxford at midwicket when attempting a stolen single. When Ian Engelbrecht was caught at extra cover for four, Pommie Mbangwa declined the chance of an innings himself on this batting paradise and declared on 508 with nine wickets down, after 80 minutes' batting.

The Academy, 188 runs behind, had only a draw to play for and a minimum of 90 overs to bat out. Siziba, often the anchor man, played some unusually adventurous strokes before being caught at extra cover for 20. It later transpired that he was suffering badly from eye strain. After lunch Terry Duffin (26) and Croxford (16) batted safely for an hour until the latter fell lbw. Duffin, hitting across the line, and Ervine, run out for 2, lost their wickets unnecessarily and Matabeleland crowded the bat and roared false appeals in an effort to take advantage of the team's inexperience.

Barney Rogers and Ryan Butterworth were up to the situation, though, playing the good ball well but ready to punish the bad, and with commendable temperament batted calmly through to the tea interval. Soon afterwards Butterworth was yorked by Mecury Kenny and the floodgates opened. Streak at the other end found some sharp reverse swing to remove Rogers and Macmillan in the same over, and in next to no time the last pair were in a hopeless battle for survival. They kept Matabeleland waiting a while but the home team were not to be denied. Most of their bowling was done by their spinners, with off-spinner Kenny picking up four wickets in each innings.

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