There was no cricket last weekend in Manicaland, there being a gap in the first class programme and Mutare Sports Club still being too wet to risk local club cricket. This coming weekend should see a return to club cricket in Mutare whilst Manicaland travel to Harare on Friday for a three-day game with the C.F.X. Academy XI. The rain is easing up a bit in Mutare, but any more between now and Saturday will waterlog the pitch once more.

It is good to see Guy Whittall back from the injured list. He managed the team in Harare against Mashonaland a fortnight ago and is listed to play this Friday. He will have been pleased to see the fight his team put up against the `Shifty Shonas'. Encouraging performances were given by Gary Brent, who swung the ball both ways, schoolboy Andre Soma who proved he could compete at this level with bat and ball, and veteran Mark Burmester whose medium-pacers brought Manicaland to within a whisker of victory.

The game was not without its moments of acrimony, significantly so when Mashonaland suddenly realized embarrassing defeat was at hand. Murray Goodwin, the West Australian, Zimbabwean and once more West Australian batsman, would have been pleased at this. He never could understand the chummy bonhomie between opponents in Zimbabwe's domestic competitions. Even he however might have been surprised to see Gus Mackay continuing the bad blood with the Manicaland No. 11 Terry Denyer after the youngster attempted to shake his hand at the end of the match. For someone who recently provided the satellite cricket-viewing world with so much humour (especially the Channel 9 commentary team) with his diabolical fielding, he proved remarkably humourless this day. Manicaland skipper Mark Burmester had to intervene to stop any further ugliness.

Manicaland let themselves down in the field in the match, missing several opportunities to put their betters to the sword. Craig Evans spooned a dolly between wicketkeeper Ferreira and first slip Simms on 35, only to watch the two of them leave it to each other. Had it been caught, Manicaland would almost certainly have taken a first-innings lead, a big factor on such a sporty pitch. There was also an opportunity to run out the same batsman shortly afterwards, again squandered by a side lacking self-belief. Their batting was laboured on the first morning with several scoring opportunities missed, and when Mashonaland applied the blowtorch in the second innings they sank without trace. Their bowlers kept them in the game, but in the end were left too much to do.

On a national level it was heartening to see the return of Paul Strang to fitness and form. His 40 overs in the match brought him six wickets and will definitely put pressure on incumbent Brian Murphy for the spinning position in the Zimbabwe team.

During the week two Manicaland teenagers, Keegan Taylor and Andre Soma, were sent to Harare to attend a Bobby Simpson coaching clinic. Although neither of them (nor their fathers) had a clue who this Australian was, they were very enthusiastic about what they had learnt.

© Cricinfo