By lunch on the third and final day at Alexandra Sports Club, Manicaland had crowned a determined all-round performance with a nine-wicket victory over the CFX Academy.

The Academy began the day 89 runs ahead of Manicaland but with only two tail-end wickets in hand, an unlikely position from which to try to win a match. Manicaland began the attack with their spinners, while the Academy tail-enders batted positively but without real conviction. It took 26 minutes to dismiss the last two batsmen, for the addition of 17 runs, leaving Manicaland 108 to win. Leon Soma, unusually becalmed for most of his innings, finished unbeaten with 28. Six of the wickets to fall went to lbw decisions, a regular problem this season for the young Academy batsmen whose footwork is as yet very limited.

The Academy seized an early wicket as Blessing Mahwire, given the new ball for the first time, had Patrick Gada (4) caught in the gully off a rising ball; 10 for one. But after that it was one-way traffic, as Neil Ferreira and the promoted Gary Brent took the runs as they came. Ferreira enjoyed a sharp chance at slip, but otherwise is was a matter of steady accumulation mixed with increasing aggression.

With the lack of a detailed scoreboard, neither batsman was fully aware that he was on the verge of a fifty, and in fact their team-mates had to signal to the players and umpires in the middle to indicate when victory had been achieved. Ferreira finished unbeaten on 49 and Brent on 48.

There were perhaps two main problems with the Academy players, a simple lack of confidence and an evident lack of experience in three-day cricket. Few of their number have played many matches lasting longer than the one-day, 50-over variety.

Coach Dave Houghton is no doubt fully aware of the deficiencies, and there is still most of the year available for him to work on them. He is very keen for the Logan Cup competition in future to comprise two rounds of matches rather than one. It is most unfortunate that this Logan Cup should come at the start of the Academy year as they are just beginning their apprenticeship.

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