Manicaland fight back in Mutare

Honours were even at the end of the first day of this Logan Cup first-class match that started at Mutare Sports Club yesterday. Batting first, the visitors stumbled, recovered and finally dominated an attack unable to match its captain's attacking strategy.

After an hour and a half Manicaland had sent five Academy batsmen back to the pavilion for less than a 100 runs and had every right to anticipate a sub-200 score. CFX captain Andre Hoffman, coming in at five, turned the match around with 46 off 47 balls - blowing Manicaland off course for the rest of the day. Finally miss hitting a sweep off part-timer Went onto his stumps, Hoffman hooked and pulled his side into the advantage zone. Opening bowler Aleck Taylor - who had started with five excellent overs of inswinging seamers - used the wrong tactics by persistently digging the ball in at him. The Mutare Sports Club pitch is very unforgiving to fast bowlers and Taylor lacked the pace for this strategy.

At the Vumba end Leon Soma had meanwhile sent down eight overs of searching away-swingers, netting two victims and conceding few runs. New batsman Conan Brewer survived a confident caught-behind appeal - ruled a bump-ball by the umpire - before making 66 (12x4) and forging a big partnership with hard-hitting Glen Barrett. Barrett was dropped first ball to a lunging dive by wicketkeeper Ferreira before humiliating the Manica bowlers with a 56 ball/101-minute century (11x4, 7x6). Four times play was held up as players and ground staff searched the surrounding bush to recover six-hits. In all the umpires allowed 12 minutes to be deducted from the day's playing time for lost balls. One flew into adjoining Park Road and a replacement ball was used until a team of schoolboy spectators found it.

Twice more Barrett was dropped and persistently found spaces to land his lofted miss-hits - helped to a large degree by imperfect field placements. Too often fielders were neither stopping the single nor defending the boundary. On one occasion left-arm spinner Ian Coulson was forced to double back to mid-off to attempt a catch whilst the fielder stood 15 yards closer to the bat. Coulson bowled well with drift and flight to pick up three for 55 off 11 overs. Strike bowler Justin Lewis came into the game with an injury, seemed off the pace and realistically should only have been used in a defensive role. For most of his 11 overs he had five slips and gullies, resulting in wide gaps frequently punished. Went was used in an expensive unsuccessful plan to buy Barrett's wicket - suggesting crisis rather than planned management.

In reply Manicaland were 162 for four at stumps with Kingsley Went having run himself out for a fluent 57 and Neil Ferreira unbeaten on 69. Ferreira was lucky still to be there, having snicked one low to the wicket-keeper's left in the last over, but batted with composure and restraint - in contrast to early casualties Mawoyo, Soma and Sheth. Nicholle bowled with zip and aggression but it will be the spinners on days three and four who have the most to look forward to.