Strang rescues Academy

LOGAN CUP MATCH REPORT: CFX ACADEMY v MASHONALAND

By John Ward

The CFX Academy enjoyed mixed fortunes on the first day of their inaugural Logan Cup match against the league favourites Mashonaland. After struggling to 111 for six in the late afternoon, after a long break for rain, they were rallied by a fine partnership between Test player Paul Strang and debutant Jason Young, who took them through to a more promising 194 for six at the close one-day play.

This match introduced first-class cricket to the Academy headquarters at the Country Club, in the eastern Harare suburb of Highlands. It is a very pleasant and spacious ground overlooking a golf course, and the new Academy pavilion is in the process of being completed. Because of the golf, and since there is also a gymnasium there, it is difficult to tell how many of the hundred or so spectators at the close were genuinely there for the cricket, but the fine Academy fightback seemed to have won some converts.

Mashonaland fielded a strong team, captained by Warwickshire professional Trevor Penney, while the Academy team, in the absence of Mluleki Nkala, recently departed on tour to the West Indies, borrowed Paul Strang, recovering from his arm injury, to captain them. Wicket-keeper/batsman Tatenda Taibu, due to visit the West Indies when the one-day tournament starts, was due to make his first-class debut for Mashonaland, but arrived late at the ground due to a misunderstanding, to find the match had already started and he had been demoted to twelfth man.

Strang won the toss for the Academy and decided to bat on a damp pitch but in warm and generally sunny conditions. Openers Alester Maregwede and Ryan King made a solid start against the bowling of Everton Matambanadzo and Brighton Watambwa, who both bowled well. Matambanadzo showed some deceptive variations while Watambwa found considerable seam movement off the pitch; the first ball he bowled reared off a length and knocked a chunk out of the pitch.

With the score on 18, King was caught by Dirk Viljoen at slip off Watambwa, but then John Vaughan-Davies, after an uncertain start, played well in partnership with the confident Maregwede. They added 60 before Vaughan-Davies was caught sharply at slip by Penney off the flat left-arm spin of Viljoen, and Greg Lamb was shortly afterwards adjudged lbw to the same bowler without scoring, immediately before lunch.

Maregwede was playing some fine strokes, including two pulls for six off short balls by off-spinner Dan Peacock, and ran to his fifty immediately after lunch, when he lost Travis Friend, bowled by a darter from Viljoen, the fourth wicket down at 100. Maregwede had a lucky escape when he snicked a four just past his stumps to the boundary, but otherwise had looked very sound and determined to build an innings. But then, just before one o'clock, heavy rain began and the players fled the field with the score on 103 for four (Maregwede 58, Colin Delport 2).

The rain continued for some time and water running off the covers soaked part of the outfield. Although it was not really fit to play, everybody wanted to get on with the game, so play was resumed at 4.30pm and continued until 6.00, as half an hour was made up. Maregwede added only one to his 58 before being yorked by a faster ball from Viljoen, the latter's fourth wickets in succession. He bowled a mixture of loopy left-arm spin and much faster deliveries that he calls his 'arm balls', and the inexperienced Academy players had difficulty in picking them. When Colin Delport was caught and bowled off a hard drive for 3, the Academy were in trouble at 111 for six.

Paul Strang was there, though, and he received excellent support from all-rounder Jason Young, who started very nervously but grew in confidence, later playing some fine drives for four. Penney persisted with Viljoen and Peacock, but when they had no further effect recalled Matambanadzo. The batsmen handled him well, though, Young at one stage driving and pulling him for two successive fours, and by the close had added 83 together for the seventh wicket without being parted, Strang having 37 and Young 38.