Midlands cricket report

As the `one-day' season comes to a close, it is very evident that cricket is alive, well and going from strength to strength in the Midlands. The season for club sides in the Midlands started off back in August, with a Saturday afternoon league. In the league were four sides, three from Kwekwe and a side from Gweru. The league was very popular and was played in good spirit. Kwekwe Sports Club were the eventual winners of the league but were pushed all the way by Kwekwe Sports Club `Golden Oldies', which was captained by the evergreen Ken Connelly.

Kwekwe this year entered three sides into the Castle National Leagues. Kwekwe Queens played in the fourth league, Kwekwe II in the third league and Kwekwe I in the first league. So far both Kwekwe Queens and Kwekwe Sports Club II have made it as far as the semi-finals in their respective leagues, which in itself is a huge achievement. The Kwekwe first league side finished eighth out of the ten sides competing.

While on paper this may not seem an achievement, there have been many highlights, none more so than the win against Old Georgians in Kwekwe. The Kwekwe first team this year was strengthened with the inclusion of the legendary Dave Houghton who made a comeback to help Kwekwe in their first season in the top flight. It was some comeback, with Dave topping the batting averages as well as bowling averages. Dave averaged 41.1 with the bat, and with the ball took 10 wickets at an average of 12.1 and at a miserly average run rate of 3.1 per over.

For the Kwekwe first team Ray Price also featured well, taking 10 wickets at an average of 22.2 and run rate average of 3.2. Next year it is hoped that four teams from the Midlands province will enter the national leagues, with Gweru hoping to enter a development side into the fourth league.

With generous support from sponsors Stanbic, development in the Midlands is also high on the agenda. The ex-Academy coaches will soon be introducing the game of cricket into the high-density areas of Kwekwe. It is hoped that in 2001, Kwekwe will enter a development side into the national league system. Already Kwekwe Sports Club has development players from less privileged backgrounds attending practices, which is a good sign for the future.

As far as ground development is concerned, the Nissan Sponsored Centre of Excellence has been a huge hit. The playing field is in great condition and the wicket is full of runs. In July West Indies will be playing a three-day warm-up match against Zimbabwe A and we are confident that the facilities will be in near perfect condition. So, all in all we are pleased with our progress and are excited about the future. With continued support from our sponsors and the ZCU as well as the continued enthusiasm and support from the public in the Midlands, we can only go from strength to strength.

MIDLANDS NAME LOGAN CUP SIDE FOR 2001

Midlands have named a 16-man squad for the forthcoming Logan Cup fixtures. The squad is a blend of youth and experience, with the Midlands Province keen on giving their younger players a taste of the first-class arena. The side will be captained by Colin Sanders who also captained the Midlands side last year. Also included in the squad are current national players Doug Marillier and Travis Friend, as well as Ray Price and Doug Hondo who currently represent Zimbabwe A. The exciting news for Midlands is that this season Craig Wishart has been released by Mashonaland and will play for the province.

Midlands Logan Cup Squad 2001

Colin Sanders - Captain
Ray Price
Doug Marillier
John Vaughan-Davies
Craig Wishart
Travis Friend
Colin Delport
Craig Grant
Doug Hondo
Brendan Vaughan-Davies
Sanjay Naran
Neil Saunders
Paul Reilly
Wes Neimandt
Martin Pretorius
Robert Atkinson