Midlands v CFX Academy report

TClose Day 2: CFX Academy 200/8 declared; Midlands 89/3.

After a comparatively dry night, the Midlands officials and ground staff, who spared no effort to get this match going against almost insurmountable odds, worked hard again to repair the outfield. A submersible pump had been used on the first day to drain the field, and finally play started in extremely soggy conditions at 11.10 on the second morning. Fortunately the pitch had been well covered and was probably the only dry patch of ground in this part of Africa.

The Academy won the toss and not unnaturally put Midlands in to bat; the most likely way for an uncontrived result in what has now become a two-day match is for the side batting first to collapse. Batsmen and bowlers alike struggled with the conditions, and Academy opening bowler Campbell McMillan twice slipped and bowled balls high over the batsman's head. John Vaughan-Davies (7) and Ray Price (14) played positively but did not last long, with Nyasha Chari dismissing the latter to a low gully catch with his fourth ball in first-class cricket.

Then came a 118-run partnership between Colin Delport and Craig Wishart, the latter with a point to prove after being dropped from the Board XI. Both batted well despite the handicap of a sodden field that was too wet to cut, and Wishart ran to his fifty off 95 balls. He took heavy toll of Ian Coulson's left-arm spin until he tried once too often to hoist him over the square-leg boundary and holed out to Blessing Mahwire; 145 for three.

Delport soon followed with his maiden first-class fifty, but after that wickets fell regularly. Captain Doug Marillier (9) pulled a hard low catch to midwicket and then Delport (55) holed out on the leg boundary. Justin Lewis, who comes from the Midlands, was the fielder, and he had a hand in the next two wickets as well, catching Craig Grant first ball at silly mid-off and running out Doug Hondo as the batsmen tried to steal a single. With the score 186 for eight at tea, the Academy had wrested back the initiative. But attacking batting and inconsistent bowling, despite good fielding, enabled the batsmen to keep the scoring rate at about three runs to the over.

A quick flurry of runs after tea, mostly in steady drizzle, enabled Midlands to declare at 200 for eight. Most of the bowling was done by spinners Ian Coulson (left-arm, three wickets) and Barney Rogers, captain for the match (off-spin, two wickets).

Friend, still recovering from his stress fracture incurred in Australia, is playing as a specialist batsman, so Vaughan-Davies achieved the rare feat of opening both batting and bowling in the same match. Terry Duffin and Wisdom Siziba struggled to survive, but held firm to put on 44 before Siziba was unluckily adjudged lbw to Colin Sanders - who incidentally runs the local hotel where the visiting teams stay - for 20.

Duffin (22) and Andre Neethling fell before the close, play continuing apparently by mutual agreement well into the twilight. Midlands finished at 89 for three.