Eagles win after Mountaineers crumble for 55

Mashonaland Eagles' fast bowlers shot out Mountaineers for 55 in the second innings to set up a seven-wicket win at the Harare Sports Club. Tatenda Manatsa led the way with seven wickets in the game but Kyle Jarvis' four strikes in the second innings were not far behind, as was Elton Chigumbura's 121 that rescued Eagles from 34 for 5 in the first innings. Mark Pettini's 55 was the top score for Mountaineers in the game but Manatsa claimed 4 for 33 to restrict them to 219 in the first innings. Shingi Masakadza ran through Eagles with a career-best 6 for 54, but Mountaineers were thwarted by Chigumbura's century that featured 15 boundaries. Chigumbura and Jarvis added 99 after Eagles were tottering at 133 for 8. They ultimately managed to take a slender lead of 19. Manatsa struck with his second delivery in the second innings, Jarvis with the first ball of his second over, and Mountaineers crumbled in 26.3 overs to 55, never recovering from 8 for 4. Masakadza claimed more three more wickets in the small chase to make it nine victims for the match, but the target of 37 was never going to trouble Eagles.

Southern Rocks did not crumble the way Mountaineers had, but their average first-innings performance was responsible for a seven-wicket loss to MidWest Rhinos at the Kwekwe Sports Club. Ed Rainsford's five-wicket haul kept Rocks to 178 despite Hilary Matanga's 63 and Rhinos then rode on centuries from captain Gary Ballance and Riki Wessels to post 444. Brian Vitori grabbed 5 for 90 but there was little support from the rest of the Rocks' attack. Richmond Mutumbami's 92 was the only score of note from the Rocks' top order in the second innings, but Vitori stretched their innings past 300 with his highest first-class score of 71. Graeme Cremer mopped up the rest of the lower order to finish with 5 for 107 and Vitori's dismissal brought the Rocks' innings to an end on 313. Vitori was not done yet though. He struck twice more to have Rhinos at 6 for 3 in their chase of 48 but Malcolm Waller was around to take them home.