Avengers CC 60/10 in 20.3 overs (Girish Nasta 16 (19), Collins Okwalinga 6/18 in 9.3 overs) lost to Africa CC 61/1 in 7 overs (Daniel Batuwa 27* (22), Aggrey Kintu 20 (14), Shree Patel 0/8 in 1 over) by 9 wickets at Jinja Secondary School Oval.
Avengers will wake up on Monday morning hoping that their 9-wicket loss to Africa Cricket Club on Sunday was a nightmare.
But as the day wears on and week grows older, they will also come to terms with their no-show at Jinja Secondary School Oval.
They will continue to learn the lessons the hard way as the team’s hierarchy will have preached to the players that the Jazz Safari National Cricket League is not a sprint but a grueling marathon with so many kilometers of rough terrain for those looking to short-cut their way to glory.
Disillusioned and disjointed
From the highs of two weekends ago when they showed a stomach for a fight to edge seasoned campaigners Wanderers Cricket Club by two runs at the same oval, Avengers were left disillusioned by their own disjointed display on Sunday (April 22).
They won the toss and opted to bat first on the astro-turf wicket that does give some additional lift to seamers, who are willing to bend their backs and young Collins Okwalinga, a student of Masaka Secondary School, took advantage of the morning conditions for a six-wicket haul that cost only 18 runs in 9.3 overs.
Okwalinga’s brutal spell was backed up by another incisive one from Emmanuel Odeng (3/21 in 8).
It was entirely a seamers’ show with Amos Kyazze cashing in with one wicket before Okwalinga clean bowled last man Girish Nasta for a luck-filled knock of 16 as Avengers collapsed for a basketball score of 60 in 19.3 overs.
Ruthless chase
Looking to seize the initiative, ACC took no chances with the chase as they aimed to bag victory before any rain-interruption as per the unpredictable weather forecasts lately.
Young Trevor Kapere was run out early for one run but if there were any jitters in the ACC dugout, the men in the middle quashed them very fast.
Daniel Batuwa, playing his first game of the season, and bowling all-rounder Aggrey Kintu were in a hurry and showed their urgency with their cavalier batting styles.
Batuwa and Kintu finished unbeaten on 27 and 20 respectively as ACC bagged their second successive win of the campaign to reach 61 for 1 in seven overs to maintain 100 per cent start.
“We were vicious on the day,” is how ACC Team Manager Sylvester Rokani summed up the teams shift against Avengers.