da imperador bet： CFX Academy: T Duffin, AJC Neethling, +WT Siziba, BG Rogers, GM Croxford,*SM Ervine, RE Butterworth, NB Mahwire, LJ Soma, MW Townshend, N Chari, IMCoulson
John Ward23-Mar-2001CFX Academy: T Duffin, AJC Neethling, +WT Siziba, BG Rogers, GM Croxford,*SM Ervine, RE Butterworth, NB Mahwire, LJ Soma, MW Townshend, N Chari, IMCoulson.Manicaland: *+NR Ferreira, GB Brent, MG Burmester, AL Taylor, JA Young, KPRWent, PK Gada, S Matsikenyeri, BW James, TG Denyer, AD Soma.Close of play score: CFX Academy 224 all out; Manicaland 122/4 (Gada 67*,Brent 0*).The first day’s play in the match between the CFX Academy and Manicalandfinished with the sides evenly balanced. The standard of cricket wasperhaps not high, between two inexperienced teams, but it was always ofinterest. The best individual performances were four wickets from GaryBrent and fifties by Barney Rogers and Patrick Gada.The conditions were damp but the rain had stopped, so play started on timeat Alexandra Sports Club in Harare. Both teams announced new captains. TheAcademy, whose policy it is to give several players a chance, appointed SeanErvine, who is actually making his first-class debut after missing the firstthree matches after injury. For Manicaland, Mark Burmester announced hisresignation as skipper, standing down to give a younger player a chance.Neil Ferreira took over, although he will also be keeping wicket andopening the batting.The Academy won the toss and batted first on a pitch in remarkably goodcondition after so much rain over the past few months. Andre Neethling andWisdom Siziba gave them a steady start against steady bowling, withoutalarms or fireworks.They put on 43 together in just under an hour with Siziba for once the dominant partner, before he lost Neethling (11) and Guy Croxford (16), both caught in the slips off the seamers. The consistent Barney Rogers enjoyed three lives in the same area early in his innings, while Siziba himself fell to a low catch at backward point for 34. Everybody had made a start but nobody capitalised on it.The ball was not moving around much, so there seemed to be no realexplanation for the tendency to snick slip catches. Ervine (1) fell in thesame way, Brent’s third wicket, just before lunch. Afterwards RyanButterworth kept the deep leg-side fielders in constant anticipation withhis compulsive hooking, but it was in fact an uppish cut to gully thatbrought about his downfall after an enterprising 34.Rogers’ fourth “innings” (after being dropped three times) was a greatimprovement, although he did not emerge from his shell until leg-spinnerTerry Denyer came on, and Rogers hit him for two sixes in an over. Finally,though, he fell to a stroke that he perhaps thought was safe, slashing aball from Brent into the slips to be caught for 69. Nyasha Chari played afew bold strokes to score 23 before the innings closed at 224, when tea wastaken.Ferreira, who has failed to match his prolific form of last season, wasthe first Manica batsman out, bowled by a vicious yorker from last season’sManicaland player Leon Soma for eight. Soma followed it up with the wicket ofBurmester (4), caught at mid on, and Manicaland were 30 for two.At this stage Stuart Matsikenyeri joined opener Patrick Gada and steadiedthe ship. Gada, although playing a few risky aerial drives, ran to his 50off the same number of balls, but then went right into his shell.Matsikenyeri (20), trying to force the pace, went down the pitch to beyorked by left-arm spinner Ian Coulson playing across the line. Coulson thenchanged ends and bowled Jason Young (10), also swinging across the line,just before the close.