Midlands did well to restrict Mashonaland to 245 for five wickets on the first day of their Logan Cup match at Harare Sports Club after taking the dubious decision to put the champions in on winning the toss.

Stand-in captain Don Campbell, who should know the Harare Sports Club pitch well enough, hoped for early life, but this is not the Sports Club pitch of old. Since Dirk Moore-Gordon took over as groundsman, the rogue pitches of the past have faded into not-so-pleasant memory and Harare is usually as good for batting as anywhere else in the country; in fact, wherever they play in Zimbabwe now, batsmen can be virtually assured of a good deal and bowlers of a challenge to lift their game to match the conditions.

With last season's captain Stuart Carlisle dropped for lack of form, Mashonaland opened with Darlington Matambanadzo, who has scored a packet of runs captaining the B team, and Trevor Gripper. They put on a comfortable 59 together, helped by some wayward bowling from the out-of-form David Mutendera, before Matambanadzo fell for 21. Gripper, his stone-walling days apparently behind him, batted fluently for his 41 before cutting a ball straight to gully, where Sean Ervine plucked the catch very smartly just above ankle-height.

Dion Ebrahim has looked strangely out of sorts after his 182 in Mutare, and he only made 9, while Andy Flower fell for 20. The best innings of the day was played by Grant Flower, who became a little bogged down at times but fought through it, and was no doubt furious to be bowled round his legs trying to sweep Raymond Price minutes before the early close for bad light, for 83.

The day had begun with humidity high, and a storm broke just after lunch, delaying play by an hour, so together with the early close only 75 overs were possible during the day. Midlands' main challenge will be to remove Craig Evans quickly on the second morning; he is still at the crease ominously on 44. But so far they have done better than either Matabeleland or Manicaland managed against the Mashonaland juggernaut.

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