By Lawrence Trusida
Sport Editor
DEFENDING 50-50 Challenge Cup champions Mountaineers will relinquish their title this season after failing to win all of their four matches so far in the women’s interprovincial competition currently on in the capital.
Lady Chevrons vice-captain, Josephine Nkomo scored her second consecutive unbeaten fifty as she powered Rhinos Women to another crushing victory over Mountaineers Women at Old Hararians Sports Club this Saturday.
The latest result means the defending champions have not won any of their matches in the second edition of the women’s inter-provincial one-day championship and are out of contention to retain the crown.
The defending champions did not have the best of starts after losing Evelyn Chisingarambwi with only six runs on the board, in the fourth over.
Pellagia Mujaji, came in to join Loryn Phiri and their second-wicket stand yielded 43 runs before the Phiri fell for 10.
There followed the team’s biggest partnership as Mujaji and Precious Dzvifu added 53 runs up until they were parted in the 33rd over, with the skipper Mujaji agonisingly falling just one short of what would have been a well-deserved half-century.
After her departure Mountaineers crumbled to 178 for eight with Josephine Nkomo being the chief destroyer after taking three wickets for 27 runs.
In response, Rhinos reached the target after losing only two wickets with Josephine Nkomo finishing the match at 61 not out and bagging her second consecutive player of the match award.
Elsewhere, the Alliance Health Eagles Women stormed into the Fifty50 Challenge final without losing any of their four round-robin matches to date in the women’s inter-provincial one-day championship.
They handed their latest victims, Tuskers Women, a 78-run hiding at Sunrise Sports Club, the margin of victory could probably have been much bigger had Eagles Women not given away 30 extras, including 22 wides.