Southerns Women – 122-6 in 20 overs (Kellies Ndlovu 52, Modester Mupachikwa 47, Beloved Biza 6; Nomvelo Sibanda 3/13, Kelly Ndiraya 2/8)
Northerns Women – 91 all out in 19.4 overs (Pellagia Mujaji 22, Sharne Mayers 18, Mary-Anne Musonda 8; Kellies Ndlovu 3/25, Precious Marange 2/8, Esther Mbofana 2/15)
Southerns Women won by 31 runs
A magnificent partnership of 86 for the second wicket in 13 overs between Modester Mupachikwa and Kellies Ndlovu paved the way for a 31-run victory by Southerns Women over Northerns Women in their third regional T20 match at Old Hararians Sports Club on Friday.
They were put in to bat by Northerns Women, who took the wicket of Precious Marange second ball, caught off the bowling of Nomvelo Sibanda.
But after that it was one-way traffic for a long time, as Mupachikwa and Ndlovu put the bowling to the sword for almost the next hour.
Mupachikwa, who had opened, was the more fluent of the two, scoring 47 off only 40 balls before she was bowled by Kelly Ndiraya at 86 for two in the 14th over – she had hit eight fours.
Ndlovu stayed until the final over, which was just as well, for the next four batters made only nine runs among them in the remaining overs, with Beloved Biza taking 18 balls to score six.
Ndlovu reached her fifty before Sibanda had her caught for 52 off 54 balls, with five fours and a six.
Three wickets fell in that final over, for only three more runs, so the Southerns Women total was eventually 122 for six wickets.
Sibanda was much the best of the Northerns Women bowlers, taking three wickets for only 13 runs in her four overs, while Kelly Ndiraya had two wickets for eight runs in two overs.
Northerns Women made a fair start, with Mary-Anne Musonda and Sharne Mayers putting on 24 for the first wicket before Musonda was run out for eight in the fourth over.
Mayers played the best innings of the team, scoring 18 off 19 balls before she was out lbw to Esther Mbofana in the fifth over at 32 for two.
After that the Northerns Women innings steadily fell away, with Pellagia Mujaji the only batter to reach double figures – she held the innings together with a steady 22, but it took her 35 balls.
None of her partners ever came to terms with the bowling, and when she was caught off Marange the score was 76 for six after 16 overs and the match was as good as over.
Northerns Women were all out for 91 in the final over, losing by 31 runs.
Ndlovu picked three wickets for 25, including that of Nyasha Gwanzura, whom she trapped lbw without scoring, and there were two wickets each for Mbofana and Marange.
