Chuis lose out to Ugandan side Rwenzori Warriors as Ndovu trample Sameer Simba

Tanmay Mishra playing for  I&M Nyatis team bats against Rising Stars Chuis team in the East African Cricket Competition at the Nairobi Club yesterday. [PHOTO: MARTIN MUKANGU/STANDARD]

By ERICK OCHIENG’

Ugandan franchise Rwenzori Warriors Thursday stunned tournament favourites Rising Stars Chuis of Kenya with a 24 run victory in the ongoing East African Cricket Competition at the Nairobi Club.

At the same time, Express Ndovu beat Sameer Simba, who had lost their first match to Nile Knights from Uganda on day one by 51 runs at the Simba Union ground.

Batting first, Rwenzori amassed an impressive 160 all out in their allotted 20 overs. Roger Mukasa led from the front smashing 43 runs off 21 balls before he was caught out by Hiren Varaiya.

Abu Seguya and Naim Bardai left in quick succession to leave the tourists reeling at 70 for four.Hamu Kayondo and Jonathan Sebanja rescued Rwenzori with a 70 run partnership that led to them reaching 160 runs.

Abdul Razzaq, Alfred Luseno and Captain Collins Obuya bagged two wickets for the Rising Stars. Man of the match Sebanja sent to the pavillion danger man Kamran Akmal caught out for one run and Abdul Razzaq for a duck.

Obuya only managed 11 runs with Irfan Karim’s 80 runs not good enough. Karim faced 61 balls hitting three sixes and six boundaries. The pick of Rwenzori was Ssebanja whose two big wickets had him finish on two for 21.

At Simba Union grounds, Express Ndovu continued their impressive run as they registered their second successive win against Sameer Simba who are struggling to get their footing in the event. Ndovu batsmen led by Pakistan national team opening batsman Imran Nazir and Kenya Under-19 opener Gurdeep Singh, who hit half centuries before the bowlers put on a good show to restrict Sameer to 135.

Singh was the top scorer and quick with his bat as he made 68 runs off 47 balls. He shared a stand of 134 runs with Nazir. This stand got them to a total of 136 after Nadeem Ahmed had trapped Abraham Vadada for a golden duck in the second over.

Singh and Nazir patnership was oustanding  as they helped drug out their side from the hole going for the boundaries easily.

Their partnership was finally broken when Singh was caught by Ken Owino off Ahmed Ahmed ball and later on got two wickets quickly including that of Nazir for 66 runs from 44 balls.

But this seemed to have made matters worse for them as Rakep Patel made the ground look smaller with a cameo 40 off 15 balls. Eugene Ochieng ‘Maneno’ was the biggest culprit of Patel brutality when he went for three sixes in one over.

By the time of  Ochieng’s dismissal Express had made 172 runs. Sameer Simba’s chase was not the best one as they lost two wickets for 23 runs. Even the third wicket stand between Francis Otieno and Morris Ouma was not enough to salvage a draw. Ouma made 49 before he was caught by Patel in the fourth over.