Manicaland dominate on Day 1 in Mutare

Manicaland's batsmen dominated the first day of this inter-provincial first-class game at Mutare Sports Club yesterday with Guy Whittall unbeaten on 122 after a day of toil for Mashonaland's bowlers.

Winning an important toss, Neil Ferreira quickly elected to bat and featured in a 71-run partnership for the first wicket with 16-year-old Tino Mawoyo. Mawoyo looked assured at this level before running himself out with a half-century beckoning.

Joined by the increasingly confident Richie Sims, the pair put on 41 before Ferreira surprised everybody by misreading off-spinner Simon Seager - playing back and being bowled. Up to that point he'd looked capable of three centuries, such was his command of Mashonaland's finest. Particularly punishing off the back foot, his 71 (12x4) came up in 131 minutes off 163 balls and put Manicaland firmly on the front foot.

Back from their Zimbabwe A tour of Border and Natal - and provided with such a perfect launching pad - Sims and Whittall dominated the wilting Mashonaland attack for the next two hours. Their 135-run partnership looked set to last two days when Sims suddenly lost concentration and shouldered arms to a Gus Mackay off-cutter. Having watched a mini drama played out by tetchy Mashonaland fielders the previous over, Sims would have been forgiven for considering an appeal for willful obstruction.

Having been loudly critical of his fielders for some time, medium-pacer Darlington Matambanadzo walked off the field in disgust after being hit for successive fours in his 11th over. Not having notified the umpires of his departure nor sustained any injury, Mashonaland were unable to field a substitute in his place. This led to the non-edifying spectacle of senior players following him to the change-room to plead his return to the field.

Zimbabwean domestic cricket has seen too many bizarre things of late. Spectators can almost consider themselves short-changed to see a normal day' s play. After a delay of five minutes and echoes of "Dry your eyes, it's all part of the game," Craig Evans and Donald Campbell led Matambanadzo back onto the field - followed shortly thereafter by the uprooting of Sims's off stump.

Whittall offered no chance in his 121 (12x4) and it came in 144 minutes off 170 balls. On reaching 50 and 100 he acknowledged the applause of the nine clubhouse spectators by raising his bat mischievously to the empty stands and hills - perhaps thinking of the thousands he might be playing to in Dehli. With no talk of a recall to the Test team and little prospect of him keeping his own counsel, he seems destined to remain excluded for non-cricket reasons.

Most effective bowler in unhelpful conditions was veteran Gus Mackay (two for 46), whilst schoolboy Simon Seager's (two for 68) eye-popping arm action raised no concerns for Test umpires Ian Robinson and Kevan Barbour.