Defending champions Kanbis ‘A’ have returned to the apex of Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) 50-Overs League for the first time this season following a stress-free 5- wicket advantage away to Kenya Kongonis A at Nairobi Club.
The “Eastleigh Giants” tie with last year’s runners up Swamibapa A on 12 points, albeit a superior Net Run Rate (NRR) of 2.932 after Week 3 proceedings which treated fans to some exhilarating displays.
On form Swamibapa A ended Nairobi Gymkhana A’s unbeaten run with a massive 154 -run victory, thanks to swashbuckling Sachin Gill’s century in what turned out to be a high- scoring thriller for the victors.
Opener Onkar Jadhav led the batting onslaught with a brilliant half century (86 runs off 68 deliveries only).
It was a bad day at the office though for Swamis’ skipper Rushabh Patel who was dismissed by Krishil Patel for a ‘golden duck’ via a Leg Before Wicket (LBW).
But fears of Gymkhana disorienting the T20 Champions evaporated soon enough when man- of-the-match and best-batter Sachin filled the void left behind by Rushabh, smacking a cool 135 off 118 balls. He was well supported by Yash Chavan in the middle order who also scored a fine half century (74 runs off 80 deliveries).
Nairobi Gymkhana ‘A’ won the toss and elected to field first setting the tone for Swamis’ incredible score of 347 for 7 in 50.0 overs. In reply, Gymkhana A could only manage 193 for 9 in 50.0 overs.
At Nairobi Club, it was smooth sailing for Kanbis ‘A’ who finished the job in just 13.5 overs with Dhruvam Patel being named the man of the match. Dhruvam collected 4 wickets but was dismissed by Duncan Harambee for a golden duck. Kanbis’ star batsman Sachin
Bhudiya was also dismissed for a duck with Keval Bhuva and Dhiren Gondaria scoring 35 and 10 respectively.
Kanbis won the toss and elected to field fast as Kenya Kongonis A were bowled out for 60 in 21.1 overs. Kanbis ‘A’ carried the day with a score of 61 for5 in 13.5 overs.
–Satyalasksha Smacks Century–
Sublime Satyalasksha Jain scored a century to enable home team Ruaraka A decimate Shree Cutchi Leva Patel Samaj (SCLPS A) by 6 wickets. After a disastrous start to the season, the former champions have now registered back-to-back victories to get back into the title race.
Sikh Union A recovered from their loss to Ruaraka A last weekend to defeat hosts Ngara ‘A’ by 5 wickets, thanks to skipper Sukhdeep Singh’s contribution of 90 runs off 71 balls. Sukhdeep notched 7 boundaries and 4 sixes.
Elsewhere, home team Sir Ali Muslim Club A racked up back-to-back wins after they handed Stray Lions ‘A’ a 7-wicket blow. Krishna Babu captaining Sir Ali this season once again scored another half century (52 runs off 51 balls) to lead his side to a comfortable victory over Stray Lions who seem not to have recovered from last season’s poor outing. They need to get their act together fast if they aim to finish the season in a respectable position.
It was double celebration for the Thika Road outfit as their B team defeated Obuya Cricket Academy A by 6 wickets in NPCA Division One 50 overs match at Viraj International Academy, Katani.
Home side Samaj B made up for the A team’s undoing, beating Ngara B by 39 runs. In another Division One match, Swamibapa B beat Sikh Union B by 117bruns at
Simba Union grounds.
