THE Zimbabwe Board XI got off to a flying start in this season's United Cricket Board of South Africa Bowl competition with wins over North West B in both the three-day and one-day matches played at Fochville from November 2.

The Board XI won the three-day match by three wickets. North West elected to bat on winning the toss and were all out for 301 in 95.1 overs in their first innings. Former national team pace bowler Brighton Watambwa, making a return to competitive cricket after a four-month absence due to injury, was the pick of the Board XI attack, taking four wickets for 65 off 19.1 overs.

Spinner Raymond Price, who left South Africa soon after the match to join the national team in Bangladesh, took three for 77 off 32 overs. The other three wickets went to captain Mpumelelo Mbangwa, Campbell Macmillan and Barney Rogers.

In reply the Zimbabwean side made 309 in 84.2 overs, to take a first innings lead of eight runs. All-rounder Dirk Viljoen was the best batsman with an unbeaten 122 from 208 balls while batting at number five. He hit three sixes and 13 fours in 149 minutes.

The second-best contribution came from number eight batsman Alester Maregwede who scored 55 off 82 balls, hitting nine fours. Opener Mark Vermeulen hit eight fours on his way to 39 off 55 balls.

North West B declared their second innings at 326/8 after 85.4 overs for a lead of 318 with number three batsman Craig Light scoring 106 off 168 balls and opener G Cilliers falling one short of a century. Macmillan took three wickets for 88 off 26 overs while Mbangwa and Price claimed two wickets each.

Set 319 to win, the Zimbabwe Board XI reached the victory target for the loss of seven wickets in 63.3 overs. Opener Gavin Rennie scored 93 runs off 126 balls while former national team opener Alistair Campbell made 60 off 88 balls. Rennie and Campbell made 131 for the third wicket. Maregwede, elevated to number six, made 65 off just 59 balls and hit three sixes and eight fours.

On November 5 the two teams met in a one-day match at the same venue and the Zimbabwe Board XI posted a comprehensive ten-wicket win in a match which saw only six batsmen at the crease during the day, four of them scoring centuries.

North West B won the toss and elected to bat, scoring 254 for two off their allotted 50 overs. Opener Willie Dry finished unbeaten on 117 off 128 balls while fellow-opener van Niekerk scored 110 off 131 balls. The only two wickets to fall were claimed by Macmillan for 42 runs off eight overs.

The Zimbabwean side needed just the opening pair and 263 balls to get the victory target of 255. Campbell was not out on 112 off 130 balls, smashing two sixes and 13 fours. Fellow-opener Vermeulen was more ruthless and finished unbeaten on 122 off 123 balls. He hit a six and 16 fours on a terrible afternoon for bowlers.

© Cricinfo