Zimbabwe Cricket Online volume 4, issue 18, 17 January 2003
This past week has seen the start of the first official limited-overs inter-provincial competition in Zimbabwe
John Ward
17-Jan-2003
This past week has seen the start of the first official limited-overs inter-provincial competition in Zimbabwe. Some may remember that there was an attempt to hold such a tournament several years ago, but it was treated so lightly that in one match, when Matabeleland arrived in Harare with one player missing, they borrowed one of the Mashonaland players to make up numbers. This time it is taken seriously.
Contents
- Faithwear Inter-provincial limited overs competition:
- National League Round 7, Scorecards and Averages
- CFX Academy 2003
- Biography: Dan Peacock, updated
- First-class career record: Guy Whittall
- Letters
It has been sponsored by the local clothing company Faithwear, who have also provided coloured clothing for the teams. The Zimbabwe Cricket Union are very enthusiastic about this competition, but at usual it seems to have been poorly marketed in Harare. In the first-round matches, Manicaland took on Mashonaland in Mutare in a match that was very well supported. Few spectators came to Harare Sports Club where Matabeleland played Midlands, despite the return of Heath Streak after injury and the presence of well-known national players in both teams. Further judgement can be made after the next two rounds, to be played on Friday 17 and Sunday 19 January.
Games have traditionally been well marketed and well supported in the smaller provinces of Manicaland and Midlands; the local authorities have rarely bothered in Mashonaland and Matabeleland. With the new administrative set-up in the provinces, with full-time provincial general managers appointed this season, we wait to see what effect this will have on attendances for domestic cricket.
Reports and scores of the first round of these matches can be found in this issue. We also include a list, with brief profiles, of the CFX Academy intake for 2003, and an outline of the programme at the Academy this year, with thanks to Stephen Mangongo.