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Mid West Rhinos

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Mid West Rhinos
Personnel
CaptainPrince Masvaure & Peter Moor
Team information
Founded2009
Home groundKwekwe Sports Club, Kwekwe
Capacity1,400
History
First-class debutMatabeleland Tuskers
in 2009-10
at Kwekwe Sports Club
Official websiteMidwest Rhinos

The Mid West Rhinos is one of the four cricket Zimbabwean cricket franchises.[1] They are a first-class cricket team, based in Midlands Province and the Mashonaland West area. They play their home matches at Kwekwe Sports Club in Kwekwe.[2]

History

In 2009 Zimbabwe Cricket announced a major restructure of domestic cricket in Zimbabwe[3] and the traditional provincial sides were replaced with regional franchises. Midlands was renamed Mid West Rhinos and based in the mining town of Kwekwe. With the new franchise system in place the season got under way on 14 September 2009. Current captain Vusimuzi Sibanda was the first person to score a hundred under the new 'Mid West Rhinos' name as they convincingly beat the newly titled Matabeleland Tuskers by 135 runs. Sadly for the Rhinos the season ended in a tense draw that saw the Mashonaland Eagles triumph narrowly.

The 2010/11 season was a promising one as the Rhinos retained the services of a number of top Zimbabwe players. Once again they failed to win any trophies despite winning 4 games and only losing 2 in the newly branded Castle Logan Cup. Throughout the following seasons the Rhinos have had many successes but failed to win any trophies.

Despite a delay to the start of the 2014/15 season,[4] the season began with the Mid West Rhinos tipped to be one of the stronger sides in both the four day and one day competitions. However, off field issues affecting both the Rhinos and Zimbabwean cricket as a whole meant that the first part of the season saw mixed results. The only win for the Rhinos in the Logan Cup before Christmas came as a result of a poor performance by the Mashonaland Eagles[5] in the season opener. After the Christmas break the Rhinos showed some strong performances, bolstered by Vusi Sibanda and Malcolm Waller both of whom did not travel to the 2015 World Cup, but the One Day performances were abysmal.[6] At the end of the season the Rhinos won just 2 Pro50 matches but finished 2nd to Tuskers in the Logan Cup by only 3 points.[7]

Ground Facilities

History

Kwekwe Sports Club has hosted cricket since 1952.[8] The ground has been developed into one of the finest cricketing venues in the country and has hosted First Class cricket since 1999. The one and only One Day International at the ground was played on 11 December 2002 between Zimbabwe and Kenya which Zimbabwe won by 47 runs. The ground has however played host to a number of touring teams including West Indies, Australia, South Africa and Bangladesh.

Facilities

The Kwekwe Sports Club square has space for 5 pitches, the centre of which is used only for First Class games. The dimensions of the playing field vary depending on the game being played. For First Class the boundary extends to 75 yards straight down on the pitch and 71 yards square of the wicket. The boundaries are reduced for List A, Twenty20 and club cricket.

The practice facilities at the ground are among the best in the country. There are 16 grass nets used for practice that run in an unusual east-west direction. There are also 3 artificial turf nets that are used primarily for throw downs and training on bowling machines.

Ongoing Projects Within the Community

The Mid West Rhinos have engaged in several projects within the surrounding community.

Midlands Black Rhino Conservancy

The Mid West Rhinos maintain close links with the Midlands Black Rhino Conservancy. The conservancy is made up of several adjoining farms that give free rein to a number of the severely endangered Black Rhino. Each year the Mid West Rhinos stage the Midlands Black Rhino Conservancy T20 tournament. The tournament has grown from humble beginnings and now boasts participating teams from South Africa and Zambia. The proceeds from the tournament and other fundraising activities go directly to the conservancy.

Mbizo Cricket Centre

The largest venture by the Mid West Rhinos is the ongoing Mbizo Cricket centre project. Aimed at developing cricket in the underprivileged high density suburb of Mbizo, the cricket centre was part funded by the Australian Embassy and Indian auto mobile manufacturer Mahindra. The project has been vital in increasing awareness and knowledge of cricket in the area and has resulted in producing a number of decent cricketers. The project stalled in 2014 but in 2015 the Australian Embassy and prominent businessmen John and Charles Gardiner of the Cold Chain Group provided funds to complement the existing facilities with a large pavilion. Still under construction, the pavilion will include changing rooms, kitchen, running water, electricity and meeting areas.

Whilst the project was slow to gain ground, the support from the local community was immense. When club cricket was played at the centre it would not be unusual to see 60 players arriving on match day vying for a place on the team. Many of the cricketers who played for Mbizo have gone on to represent other local league teams and some have even appeared for the Rhinos.

League Cricket

The Mid West Rhinos are solely responsible for all cricketing activity within the region. As part of their efforts to develop the game the Rhinos introduced a league. The league includes the teams;

The strongest of the sides is Kwekwe Cricket Club who consistently beat their opposition convincingly. Whilst League cricket in the area faces numerous difficulties due to the lagging local economy the standard of cricket is fairly high with a number of the clubs fielding professional players.

Street Cricket

The Mid West Rhinos are embarking on another project to bring "Street Cricket" to the suburb of Mbizo. The project which was started by Sporting Chance aims to give young people an opportunity to play a simple version of cricket within their community. Street Cricket can be played with just a bat and ball and it is hoped that by operating this project, the young people will be able to learn new skills and will encourage them to take up the full version of the game. The project is in the very early stages of development but it is hoped that the project will begin in September 2015.

Sponsorship

Whilst the funding of local cricket comes from Zimbabwe Cricket there is still a requirement for sponsorship from external sources. The majority of funding for League cricket comes from the Cold Chain Group. The other sponsors include Lays, Bokomo, Castle and local sponsors such as Steel Makers, Cricket Tours Africa and Vinyl Stikka Signs.

Notable Former Playing and Coaching Staff

Despite having never won any trophies, the Mid West Rhinos have had a number of star players and coaches.

Players

Player Team
Dylan Higgins Zimbabwe
Gary Ballance England
Graeme Cremer Zimbabwe
Paul Franks England
Friday Kasteni Zimbabwe
Jaik Mickleburgh Essex
Mluleki Nkala Zimbabwe
Ed Rainsford Zimbabwe
Ollie Rayner Middlesex
Darren Stevens Kent
Shaun Tait Australia
Brendan Taylor Zimbabwe
Mark Vermeulen Zimbabwe
Lou Vincent New Zealand
Brian Vitori Zimbabwe
Rikki Wessels Nottinghamshire
Vusimuzi Sibanda Nottinghamshire

Coaches

Coach Team
Andy Waller Zimbabwe
Jason Gillespie Australia
Grant Flower Pakistan

Current Coach

Coach Team
Robin Brown Zimbabwe

Current squad

Players with international caps are listed in bold.

No. Name Nat Birth date Batting Style Bowling Style Notes
Batsmen
Prince Masvaure Zimbabwe (1988-10-07) 7 October 1988 (age 36) Left-handed Left-arm fast-medium First Class and List A Captain
Bothwell Chapungu Zimbabwe (1987-11-22) 22 November 1987 (age 36) Left-handed Right-arm off break
Remembrance Nyathi Zimbabwe (1986-12-10) 10 December 1986 (age 37) Right-handed Right-arm leg break
Takudzwanashe Kaitano Zimbabwe (1993-06-15) 15 June 1993 (age 31) Right-handed Right-arm off break
Anthony Moor Zimbabwe (1993-05-04) 4 May 1993 (age 31) Right-handed Right-arm leg break
Larvet Masunda Zimbabwe (1992-07-23) 23 July 1992 (age 32) Left-handed Right-arm off break
All-rounder
Neville Madziva Zimbabwe (1991-08-02) 2 August 1991 (age 33) Right-handed Right-arm fast-medium
Vusi Sibanda Zimbabwe (1983-10-10) 10 October 1983 (age 41) Right-handed Right-arm off break
Ryan Burl Zimbabwe (1994-04-15) 15 April 1994 (age 30) Left-handed Right-arm leg break
Malcolm Waller Zimbabwe (1984-09-28) 28 September 1984 (age 40) Right-handed Right-arm off break
Solomon Mire Zimbabwe (1989-08-21) 21 August 1989 (age 35) Right-handed Right-arm medium-fast
Christophe Masike Zimbabwe (1998-06-05) 5 June 1998 (age 26) Right-handed Right-arm off break
Wicket-keepers
Peter Moor Zimbabwe (1991-02-02) 2 February 1991 (age 33) Right-handed Right-arm off break Twenty20 Captain
Nyasha Mayavo Zimbabwe (1992-10-01) 1 October 1992 (age 32) Right-handed Right-arm leg break
Bright Njanji Zimbabwe (1992-09-26) 26 September 1992 (age 32) Right-handed Right-arm leg break
Bright Matsiwe Zimbabwe (1996-05-25) 25 May 1996 (age 28) Right-handed Right-arm off break
Spin Bowlers
Tendai Chisoro Zimbabwe (1988-02-12) 12 February 1988 (age 36) Left-handed Slow left-arm orthodox
Brandon Mavuta Zimbabwe (1998-03-04) 4 March 1998 (age 26) Right-handed Right-arm leg break
Graeme Cremer Zimbabwe (1986-09-19) 19 September 1986 (age 38) Right-handed Right-arm leg break
Pace Bowlers
Michael Chinouya Zimbabwe (1986-06-19) 19 June 1986 (age 38) Right-handed Right-arm fast-medium
Carl Mumba Zimbabwe (1995-05-06) 6 May 1995 (age 29) Right-handed Right-arm fast-medium
Tafara Chingwara Zimbabwe (1987-12-12) 12 December 1987 (age 36) Right-handed Right-arm fast-medium
Hussain Bhola Zimbabwe (1996-05-25) 25 May 1996 (age 28) Right-handed Left-arm fast-medium

References

  1. ^ http://search.espncricinfo.com/zimbabwe/content/story/761019.html
  2. ^ Price, Steven (8 May 2009). "Zimbabwe rips up domestic structure and starts again". Cricinfo. ESPN. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
  3. ^ http://www.espncricinfo.com/zimbabwe/content/story/403564.html
  4. ^ http://www.espncricinfo.com/zimbabwe/content/story/798263.html
  5. ^ http://www.espncricinfo.com/zimbabwe-domestic-2014-15/engine/match/793677.html
  6. ^ http://www.espncricinfo.com/pro50-2014-15/engine/series/791513.html?view=pointstable
  7. ^ http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/series/791517.html?view=pointstable
  8. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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