Mutare Sports Club has again proved a poor location for first-class cricket. Following the Logan Cup washout disaster of last season, another high-profile match has been abandoned at this vulnerable ground. Two of the three scheduled days in the Northern Titan's B/Zimbabwe Board XI three-day game and an entire limited-overs game were lost last weekend due to inadequate pitch protection. It is incomprehensible that the ZCU can endanger its relationship with the South African Cricket Association with derelict planning of this magnitude.

The Manicaland Cricket Association has been pleading with the ZCU for years to upgrade its infrastructure in general and 16-year-old covers in particular. When 55 millimetres hit the ground the evening before match day, the holey plastic covers merely distributed the rain to different locations of the table. It was easy to understand the visitors' frustration having travelled to Durban the previous weekend to face another washout. The difference was that in Mutare play should have been possible. Throughout the match the days were clear and the nights rainy. In Pretoria they would have expected better covers at most club grounds and their refusal to complain or head-shake displayed rare diplomacy.

Some share of the blame rests with the Manicaland Cricket Association for agreeing to host this expensive fixture in the middle of the wet season with full knowledge of its inability to cope with anything but perfect weather conditions. The willing but inexperienced ground staff failed to come to terms with the deteriorating situation and the absence from the ground of a decision-making official from the Manicaland Association was critical. Conservative estimates put the ZCU bill at Z$750K, the UCB's at Rand35K giving a combined (incinerated) total of US$7500. It was therefore perversely appropriate that the Titans picked up 4.1 bonus points to Zimbabwe's one during the 85 overs that were played.

The modern-era professionals refuse to play on anything but perfect surfaces. Twice after declaring the ground unfit, the umpires offered to officiate if player consensus was reached. Recreational cricketers would have needed no second invitation. One disgruntled spectator was heard to mutter `professional girls' as the team buses joined the early morning traffic out of town.

During the 85 overs played on the second day, the Titans hit 262 for four before inserting Zimbabwe B for one over before bad light stopped play. Batting conditions were friendly all day and the two former Zimbabwe seamers Pommie Mbangwa (one for 49 off 17 overs) and Brighton Watambwa (none for 42 off 11) did little to advance claims for Test recalls. Left-arm spinner Ray Price was the best on display (one for 56 off 31), which included a five maiden-over spell for one wicket. A. Paleker hit 104; A. Smith 41 and Q. Still 54 not out as the Titans second-stringers displayed scant regard for Zimbabwe's finest.

Visiting neutral umpire Laurence Matroos from Muizenburg (Cape) enjoyed his first visit to Zimbabwe, but along with the bulk of the Titans team was astonished to discover Mutare was not a suburb of Harare. He and local umpire Chris Nyazika were subjected to boundary-line abuse from Titan's coach Chris Van Noordwyk -- for perceived failure to use the light meter prior to offering the light to the Zimbabwe batsmen.

Decisive management will be needed from the ZCU if big cricket is to return to Mutare as the local authorities are clearly unable to stage matches on existing budgets.

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