East Africa wrap: Round 3

The Ugandan Warriors and Kenya's Kanbis Tigers continue to lead the way in both the East Africa Premier League (EAPL) and East Africa Cup (EAC) competitions. With three games played so far, the two sides sit pretty at the top of the tables, with the Warriors ahead thanks to a better net run rate. Here is a breakdown of the past weekend's action:

Knights v Kongonis – Entebbe

Once again, just like last year, the unpredictable weather played spoilsport to Kongonis' EAPL tie against the Knights in Entebbe.The rain came down in the second innings, with the tie being abandoned as a "no-result", which meant the two sides got two points each.

Mother Nature was kinder on the Sunday for the EAC tie, with a truly interesting match taking place. The Kongonis batted first with Nicolas Olouch and Alex Obanda opening for the Kenyans. However it didn't take very long for the Knights to strike, with Ivan Baidhu trapping Olouch leg before with only seven runs on the board.

This brought player/coach Kennedy Obuya to the crease, and saw the start of a 44-run partnership alongside Obanda. It was Deusedit Muhumuza who sent Obuya packing for eight runs, and the next batsman, Maninder Singh, followed soon after.

The Knights bowlers took wickets at regular intervals, and at one point had the Kongonis struggling on 78-5. It was the introduction however of Farouck Ochimi, that brought an end to the Kongonis innings. The youngster finished off with figures of 5-13, while teammate Frank Nsubuga chipped in with 3-23 as the Kongonis were bowled out for 102 runs.

What should have been an easy chase for the Warriors turned into a nightmare, with danger-man Arthur Kyobe the first to go, bowled by Emmanuel Bundi for 12.

The Kongonis bowlers performed incredibly well, with spinner Shem Ngoche finishing with figures of 2-11, however the pick of the bunch and man of the match was Elijah Otieno who took 7 wickets for 23, ensuring the Kongonis won the match by 35 runs.

Warriors v Coast Pekee – Kyambogo

Coast Pekee were the victims of another rain-affected match that took place in Kampala. The Coast side batted first in their EAPL match against the Warriors, and it was a Kenyan legend who was the star for the Ugandans. Steve Tikolo, who is the player/coach for the Ugandans, finished off with figures of 6-12, as the Kampala side bowled out the Kenyans for 89 runs, with Irfan Karim top scoring with 36.

The Ugandans' run-chase was ended after seven overs when the heavens opened, with the score on 38-1. With the game unable to continue, the Duckworth/Lewis rule had to be used, with the Warriors winning the match by 12 runs.

Sundays EAC game was not affected by rain, and Coast performed considerably better, scoring 206-9 inside their 50 overs, with Irfan Karim once again on form with the bat, scoring and unbeaten 83. Skipper Morris Ouma chipped in with an innings of 62. This time round, it was a Kenyan spinner who did the damage, with Raj Savala taking 5-11 in his 10 overs, as the Warriors succumbed to their first defeat of the competition. Michael Ndiko top-scored for the Ugandans with 38, as they were bowled out for 132 runs, giving the Mombasa team a 74-run victory.

Rift Valley Rhinos v Kanbis Tigers – Nakuru

The all-Kenyan tie between the Rhinos and Tigers took place at Greensteads school in Nakuru. The Rhinos, who batted first on a very low-scoring wicket, could only manage to get 71 runs on the board in their 20 overs.

Tigers bowler Rajesh Bhudiya posted the superb figures of 4-6, while Harish Varsani chipped in as well, finishing with 2-15.

Kanbis skipper Rakep Patel and youngster Dhiren Ghondaria each scored 19 runs, as the Tigers struggled in their run-chase, but eventually reached their modest target with 10 balls to spare, winning by two wickets.

Sunday's EAC tie turned out to be another low-scoring match, with the Rhinos bowled out for 154 runs. Skipper Hiren Varaiya (28), Rushab Patel (20) and Harrison Ambani (21) were the best batsmen for the hosts.

Kanbis started off their chase in fine form, however they lost three quick wickets with the score stuck on 33. Only a stand-out performance from batsman Ramesh Mepani (48*) ensured that the Tigers reached their total, but with just two balls to spare.

Special mention must go to Rhinos bowler James Ngoche, who took 5-26 in 10 overs.

This week, all of the action takes place in Kenya. Kongonis and Warriors will lock horns at the Nairobi Club, while the Rift Valley Rhinos host the Uganda Knights in Nakuru. The final match will see the Kanbis Tigers hosting Coast Pekee at the Nairobi Gymkhana.

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