•Kongonis’ middle order batsman Thomas Ojijo described their fairy-tale performance at their Nairobi Club backyard as inspiring.
•Sachin Bhudia (48 runs) and Maxwell Swaminathan (58 runs) were the main contributors for Kanbis
Image: HANDOUT
The newly promoted Kenya Kongonis finally racked up their maiden Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) 50-Overs League match victory.
Kongonis caused the season’s biggest upset so far when they dealt T20 champions Stray Lions a 5-wicket blow contrary to all expectations.
Kongonis’ middle order batsman Thomas Ojijo described their fairy-tale performance at their Nairobi Club backyard as inspiring.
Kongonis made their runs through Nelson Taylor (28), Jitendra Gariya (26) and Brian Likavu who chipped in with a valuable 26.
“The second innings was a slow start due to the nature of the pitch but our batters took their time to navigate through. It feels good to get the first win in the Super League. This coming weekend we have a bye and this gives us more time to train as we await Samaj in our next fixture,” said Ojijo.
Stray Lions won the toss and elected to bat first. Kongonis’ opening pair of Gariya and Nirav Bhudia capitalised on the overcast conditions to gather runs. Ben Sidwell was nevertheless the toast of Kongonis' outfit, capturing four quick wickets that set them on the right course.
Ojijo took three wickets whilst Shem Ngoche and Kelvin Nganga both took one apiece— which saw Stray Lions bowled out for a total of 111 runs.
Former champions Kanbis and Swamibapa maintained their dogged campaign in search of the coveted Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) 50 Overs league title following brilliant displays.
Dhwanil Patel smacked a cool unbeaten 60 off 66 deliveries as Swamibapa ‘A’ defeated Sir Ali Muslim Club by five wickets at Nairobi Jaffrey’s.
Rushab Patel immediately put Sir Ali into bat under overcast conditions after winning the bat and the bowlers responded by bowling out star-studded Sir Ali’s batting lineup. Vraj Patel was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets.
On the other hand, Kanbis beat champions Ruaraka by 52 runs in another Super League fixture at Ruaraka Sports Club. Kanbis won the toss and decided to bat first. They then put on a decent score of 249 all out in 45.1 overs.
Sachin Bhudia (48 runs) and Maxwell Swaminathan (58 runs) were the main contributors for Kanbis. In reply, Ruaraka lost wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out for 197 in 37 overs with overseas professional Gautam Waghela scoring his third half-century of the season with 87 runs.
Swamis’ new signing Sachin Gill was all smiles: “The match was good. We won the toss and decided to bowl first. The wicket was a bit helpful and we took advantage of that and got them out for 140. Even in the start, we lost a couple of quick wickets but Dhwanil and other batters got us through, such a great feeling.”