ASHLEY DUBE
Gladiators win by 177 runs
Gladiators achieved a resounding victory over Bulawayo Athletic Club, winning by a massive margin of 177 runs in the latest round of the National Premier League matches. The Gladiators' impressive batting performance, led by Tony Munyonga and Milton Shumba, played a crucial role in their triumph.
Despite losing Wessly Madhevere early on, their middle order stepped up, with Munyonga scoring a well-executed 74 off 56 balls. Shumba and Clive Madande then formed a fifth-wicket partnership, contributing exactly as many runs as the number of balls they faced, which amounted to 111 runs in less than 19 overs. Madande scored 56, while Shumba remained unbeaten at 75. The Gladiators finished with a total of 282 runs for the loss of five wickets. In response, Bulawayo Athletic Club could only manage to score 105 runs within 30 overs before being bowled out. Tafara Mupariwa top-scored with 35 runs for BAC.
Takashinga Patriots 1 win by eight wickets
Takashinga Patriots 1 secured a convincing eight-wicket win against Mbizo in their home ground match, thanks to impressive half-centuries from Timycen Maruma and Tinashe Kamunhukamwe.
Mbizo put up a decent batting performance, scoring 207 runs for the loss of six wickets. Surprisingly, all of their top seven batsmen managed to pass 20 runs, but none of them were able to reach the 40-run mark, which would have posed a greater challenge for Takashinga Patriots 1. Clifford Takaedza top-scored with 36 runs before getting run out. Tapiwa Mufudza was the standout bowler, conceding only 20 runs and taking two wickets in his nine overs.
Takashinga Patriots 1 lost an early wicket in their chase, but Kamunhukamwe displayed aggressive batting, smashing 76 runs off just 26 balls. He hit six sixes and eight fours before getting dismissed at the team's total of 86 for two. Maruma then took charge and guided his team to victory with an unbeaten 85 runs off 52 balls. His innings included five sixes and nine fours.
Tanatswa Bechani instrumental in Queens triumph
Queens secured an impressive victory over Scorpions by a great margin of 105 runs, thanks to an outstanding performance by Tanatswa Bechani. The match was played at Queens' home ground in Bulawayo.
Both teams struggled to score runs, and Queens, who were asked to bat first, managed to post a modest total of 183 runs. Dalu Mboyi top-scored with 40 runs, while Chris Mpofu took a patient approach and scored 44 runs off 90 balls. Nyasha Dube was the most successful bowler for Scorpions, taking four wickets for 29 runs.
Scorpions made a decent start to their run chase, with Blessed Muzite and Gabriel Jaya adding 40 runs for the first wicket. However, Muzite's dismissal, caught by Bechani off his own bowling, triggered a collapse in the middle order. Only Costa Zhou was able to resist Bechani's off-spin for a significant period, scoring 16 runs. Scorpions were eventually bowled out for just 78 runs, with Bechani taking an incredible seven wickets for only 13 runs in 7.2 overs.
Westside match abandoned by bad light
Unfortunately, Westside had a disappointing end to their match against Takashinga Patriots 2 at Mutare Sports Club. Westside put up an impressive total of 304 runs for eight wickets, with Tinashe Chiorah scoring a century. However, the match had to be abandoned due to bad light just after Takashinga Patriots 2 began their reply.
Westside faced some early setbacks, losing two wickets and Chiorah being forced to retire hurt. But Kevin Kasuza played a crucial innings of 77 runs off 61 balls to revive the team's spirits. Chiorah later returned to the crease and went on to score an outstanding 105 runs off 83 balls, remaining unbeaten till the end of the innings. He hit a six and 12 fours during his innings.
Westside finished their innings with a commendable total of 304 runs for eight wickets in their allocated 45 overs. Ryan Simbi was the standout bowler for Westside, conceding 38 runs and taking two wickets in his nine overs.
Takashinga Patriots 2 faced a challenging task in their run chase, but unfortunately, after just one over where they scored six runs, the light conditions worsened and the match had to be abandoned without any further play.
Uprising trounce Mutare Sports Club
Uprising emerged victorious with a 46-run win over Mutare Sports Club in their NPL game. The highlight of the match was Ryan Kamwemba's impressive innings of 64 runs off 46 balls. Uprising, after being put in to bat, got off to a solid start with Tariro Makauyo scoring 57 runs off 70 balls.
Kamwemba's innings included five sixes and three fours. In total, nine batters for Uprising reached double figures as they finished with a total of 276 runs for nine wickets in their allotted 45 overs. Donald Tiripano was the standout bowler for Mutare, taking four wickets for 30 runs.
Mutare put up a good fight, particularly with Spencer Magodo's unbeaten 81 off 91 balls. However, after losing their second wicket at 70 runs in the 12th over, they struggled to maintain the required run rate. They eventually finished with a total of 230 runs for seven wickets in their allotted 45 overs.
Shane Chigumbura hits ton in Bulls loss
Rainbow secured a convincing victory by 62 runs in their NPL match against Golden Bulls at Kwekwe Sports Club. The match saw an impressive opening partnership of 154 runs in less than 22 overs, setting the tone for Rainbow's success.
Shane Chigumbura emerged as the standout performer for Golden Bulls, taking a hat-trick and scoring a century. However, his efforts were not enough to secure a win for his team.
Mathew Campbell played a crucial innings of 90 runs off 90 balls, while Mohammad Zaheer Tufail was even more aggressive, scoring 76 runs off just 58 balls. Their partnership helped Rainbow reach a strong position at 239 for three.
However, Rainbow's batting lineup struggled to maintain the same momentum, and they lost quick wickets, collapsing from 239 for three to 275 all out. Chigumbura's hat-trick played a significant role in this collapse, as all three wickets were caught in the field.
Golden Bulls faced a challenging task in their run chase, but Chigumbura led from the front with his remarkable century of 115 runs off 114 balls. He formed a solid partnership of 85 runs with Tendai Tapera (30), but they couldn't maintain the required run rate.
Daniel Jakiel's three wickets in four balls brought an end to Golden Bulls' innings at 213, securing a comfortable victory for Rainbow.
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