Challengers Vs Kutchi Tigers

Results Summary

KUTCHI TIGERS CC  131/7 in 20 overs (Ankit Patel 31 off 29, Nandikishore Patel 18 off 16, Anup Kerai 1/23 in 2 overs) lost to CHALLENGERS CC 132/1 in 15 overs (Shehzad Kamal 78* off 42, Hamu Kayondo 40* off 33, Tymcen Maruma 4/16 in 4 overs, Shingi Masakadza 2/27 in 4 overs) by 9 wickets

Unimoni Man of Match: Tymcen Maruma (Challengers CC)

Like the famed battle between Xerxes of Persia and Leonidas of Greece at Thermopylae in ancient Greece, both Challengers and Kutchi Tigers matched into Lugogo knowing there would only be one victor.

Kutchi Tigers won the toss with the hope of winning the game with the bat but Challengers was at hand to throw a spanner in their works. Zimbabweans Tymcen Maruma (4/16) and Shingi Masakadza (2/27) set the Tigers camp ablaze with their wealth of experience to see their opponents crash at 131/7 in the allotted 20 overs.

Only Ankit Patel (31) and former Ugandan international Nandi Kishore Patel (18) managed to starve off the Challengers bowlers. Ugandan star all-rounder Dinesh Nakrani was easily bundled out with little impact on the scoreboard.

Choosing to bat first eventually proved to be their undoing when the Tigers failed to defend the 131 runs they set. The batting trio of Arthur Kyobe (09), Hamu Kayondo (40*) and Shehzad Kamal (78*) later proved that when they only required 15 overs to chase down the target.

Arthur Kyobe did not trouble the scoresheet as much as he would have loved to but it was the other left hander Shehzad Kamal, who did the damage with the bat getting an unbeaten 78 not out to steer his team through to the semis.

Challengers will take on K.I.C.C in the semifinals of the Unimoni T20 cup on Sunday, 9th December to determine who gets to play in the final later in the day.

K.I.C.C v STRIKERS CC

Results Summary

K.I.C.C 158/7 in 20 overs (Irfan Afridi 31* off 34 & 7/15 in 4 overs, Frank Nsubuga 42 off 22) beat STRIKERS CC 123/9 in 18 overs (Derrick Bakunzi 35 off 20, Perry Wazombe 30 off 21, Odoi Alousius 2/13 in 2 overs) by 29 runs (D/L REVISED TARGET)

Unimoni Man of Match:  Irfan Afridi (K.I.C.C)

The fairytale run for the youthful Strikers CC came to an abrupt end at the quarter finals of the Unimoni National Men’s T20 Cup when they faced off against K.I.C.C and gracefully lost.

K.I.C.C won the toss and chose to bat well knowing Strikers are a side more than capable of chasing down any score. As such they had to bat with caution, for the Strikers bowlers were equal to the task of stopping them.

Returning from international duty, hard hitting Irfan Afridi (31*) and veteran Frank Nsubuga (42) put the Strikers bowlers to the sword to see that they got to the 150 mark. True to their word, they managed to get to 158, losing seven wickets in the allotted 20 overs they had.

Strikers did not get off to the best of starts, losing Zephaniah Arinaitwe early who managed a quick 17 in just seven balls. The task of getting runs then fell upon the other batsmen as opener Perry Wazombe managed to get 30 before he was bowled out by Irfan. Derrick Bakunzi (35) and Ivan Thawithemwira (23) made their solid contributions but could not carry the team past the finish line.

With the rain disrupting the game and a revised score being used, the Strikers who had lost many wickets (09) were outdone by K.I.C.C who had Irfan Afridi (7/15 in 4 overs) to thank for the quick wickets he picked in his man of match winning spell.

The win guaranteed them a place in the semifinal against a Challengers side who comfortably dispatched of Kutchi Tigers in the other quarter final game of the day.