Manicaland report

Manicaland fell 13 runs short of their rearranged target last Sunday against Old Georgians to lose the league cup final. It was a disappointing end to the league season and a toss captain Neil Ferreira probably regrets winning.

In overcast conditions at Harare Sports Club, where bowlers traditionally expect help in the first hour, he had no hesitation in asking OGs to bat. It proved to be the best half of the day for batting with the ball flying unhindered to the boundary. After the rain, when Manicaland were chasing, the ball was heavy, slippery and difficult to propel in any direction.

In reaching 248 from their 50 overs, Manicaland's chief tormenters from the Logan Cup defeat a fortnight ago came back to rub salt in the wound. Craig Evans hit 53 and Angus Mackay 87, with only Richie Sims (10-0-32-3) and Jon Brent (10-0-42-2) making meaningful inroads.

Requiring five an over, Manicaland were on track at 99 for one after 21.2 overs (Ferreira 31, Andre Soma 25) when rain and Duckworth-Lewis dictated a revised target of 115 in 15 overs. This they almost achieved with Richie Sims (84) and Jon Brent (17) going well with 33 to get off the last three overs. Their consecutive dismissals signalled the end of a game played in good spirits and watched by a festive crowd of OG supporters. Evans rounded off his match-winning day by cleaning up Guy Whittall and the rest of the middle order with 8-0-43-4. To boost the crowd OGs' cricket section had laid on free lunch and invited all club members.

The team now heads off to Harare and Kwekwe to play four-day Logan Cup matches against Mashonaland A and Midlands before returning to Mutare for the final game of the season against Matabeleland, starting on Thursday 5 April.

The ZCU has announced that all league and school cricket will be returning to `straight' declaration cricket next season. Since the early eighties when Zimbabwe's future was thought only to be limited-overs cricket, all domestic cricket has been geared towards producing successful ODI sides. The national team's dismal run at Test level has brought about a change in thinking.

School cricket will be played over 110 overs with the team batting first required to declare after 60 overs. National league will be played over 120 overs with 65 being the first innings cut-off. Fielding and bowling restrictions will no longer apply and no game will finish before 1630 hours. It's evident - particularly at school level - that one-day shots are favoured and coached to the detriment of innings-building efforts. Logan Cup first-class cricket will revert from fourto three-day games - played over two rounds when national team members are not away touring. Games will start on Thursdays with 50-over ODI-type games on the Sunday.

In a fortnight's time during the upcoming school holidays, Hillcrest College will host the first Zimbabwe Under-14 inter-provincial tournament. Set to run from 2 to 4 April, it is part of a new countrywide selection initiative that sees the Under-16s playing in Bulawayo, the Under-19s in Harare and the Under-13s in Hippo Valley/Triangle. Four teams will compete, two from Harare, one from Matabeleland and one from `Zimbabwe Districts'. Manicaland players will have to force their way into this Districts team drawn from Peterhouse, Watershed, Lomagundi, Highveld and all the Midlands schools.