Heartbeat rates for Charity Trust Fund’s players are now back to normal after they completed the gruesome Jazz Safari Men’s 50-Over Division Two League in second position.

And not just that, the club also sealed promotion back to the topflight with a seven-wicket victory over Africa Cricket Club (ACC) at Budo on Sunday. This sense of renewed hope comes within seven months since Charity were relegated to the lower tier in 2015. 
Many will put that demotion to the absence of experienced Jonathan Ssebanja, who was in UK for a semi-professional stint at the time. 
Even this year, Ssebanja returned to Europe but Charity management led by Patrick Luyinda were wise enough to fill his void with Singh brothers Narinder and Varinder.

“We are now a Division One outfit,” Varinder said after scoring a decisive century of 111* runs as they ably chased a target of 239 to beat 2007 topflight champions ACC. “I was unlucky for a couple of games but this time round, I took my time and avoided a run-out.” The 22-year-old’s ton, eighth overall of the season, ensured he finished the season with 396 runs from 10 innings and 20 wickets.
He hopes to snatch the MVP Award. And now back to the big stage, Varinder expects more. “We are not a bad side. A couple of new signings will make us even better,” he added.

Only a week after losing to Division Two champions Aziz Damani, Varinder (3/46) and Narinder (4/59) enjoyed their spells with the balls. But ACC’s Amos Kyazze (30 off 57), skipper Richard Lwamafa (43 off 37) and Brian Kiiza (27 off 23) stuck on the crease like gum to sneak to a respectable total.

Charity lost their openers in 5.1 overs but Varinder had other ideas. He made six boundaries and five maximums off 62 balls and shared an uninterrupted fifth-wicket combo of 176 runs with Lawrence Ssempijja (69* off 75).

Men’s div 2 results 
SKLPS 115/10 Premier 117/8 
(Premier won by two wickets)
ACC 238/10 Charity TF 240/3 
(Charity TF won by seven wickets)
Jinja SS 155/10 Aziz Damani 156/5 
(Damani won by five wickets)

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Support from their affiliate family in Kenya had Kutchi Tigers easily grab fourth place in Jazz Safari Division One 50-Over League. 
Absence of that this year made things tough for the Tigers. And skipper Alphesh Hirani easily acknowledges that.
To confirm their topflight status for 2017, Tigers needed a close 21-run victory over Nile in their final match of the season at Lugogo Oval on Sunday. 
“We are very happy and very excited,” Hirani said of the team’s ecstatic dressing room after the match. “We worked very hard today and deserve it.”

The victory was Tigers’ sixth of the season and took them to 41 points, 11 adrift of safety. But for Nile, the 2015 runners-up remain stuck in some sort of mathematics.
They retained a bonus point, moving to 33 in sixth, just three above Tornado who face Tornado Bee in the title decider this weekend. “Since we were depleted, like it has been all season, we got the point we needed,” Nile’s Martin Ondeko offered. Nile can only survive the knife if title-chasing Tornado Bee beat their sister side.
Tigers will owe their relief much to Shantilal Raghvani. After Kenneth Waiswa (2/31) had Nanji Pindoriya trapped for a duck, the right-hander Raghvani made five boundaries in a half-century of 59 off 54. 
His 68-run combination with Rharat Ghodadra (23 off 19) yielded some quick recovery.

Later, astute caution from Nehal Bibodi (38 off 58), Ramesh Gami (44 off 54) and Kanti Vekariya (18 off 26) against Aarya Parikh (3/22) and Ivan Kakande (2/32) helped them to safe 228 total in 46 overs. The start to Nile’s innings was dismantled by Narendra Halai (2/18) before Zephania Arinaitwe got out of hand with 10 fours in a 101-ball 70.
It was however not enough as Lalji Gondariya (4/45) starved the lower order of runs, leaving the Kutchi family elated.

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Tornado Bee are enjoying every bit of cricket in the National Women’s 50-Over League.
The 2015 runners-up maintained their flawless season start with a 157-run win over Charity Trust Fund at the lakeside Oval in Entebbe on Saturday. That third victory in as many games was orchestrated by a commanding display from Gertrude Chandiru.
The 22-year-old hit her first season half-ton of 56* before blowing away the opposition with the ball. 
“I was relaxed all day,” said Chandiru, the former KICC skipper. “I did a lot of work on my batting throughout the week and eventually got what I wanted.” There were a few cracks before Chandiru perfectly modeled Tornado Bee’s pot. 
Captain Naome Kayondo (1/4) departed early after 2.3 overs. Her fellow opener Saidat Kemigisha (45 off 53) and Racheal Ntono (25 off 20) combined well for a 50-run second-wicket partnership.

Charity’s pillar Martha Akello (3/47) then bothered the middle order. As scoreboard read 105-3 midway the 18th over, Chandiru struck five boundaries off 100 balls. 
She shared 73 runs with Ritah Nyangendo (25* off 36) for an unbeaten eighth wicket to set 249-6.
On picking the ball, Chandiru took impressive figures of 6/13 while Kayondo picked 3/15 as Charity’s challenge wobbled.
Their captain Joselyn Nakato resisted with a 40-ball 21 but they were bowled out in 25 overs, a second loss in as many.

Weekend results 
DIVISION ONE
Tornado Bee 249/6 Charity TF 92/10
(Tornado Bee won by 157 runs)
DIVISION TWO
Nile vs. Olila 
(Nile earned a walkover).

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Jazz and cricket. A marriage between two complex disciplines from the sports and music world. 
No wonder many scribes were left in awe as Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) unveiled Jazz Safari as the new National Men’s 50-Over Cricket League official sponsors yesterday. 
The two entities put pen to paper in a five-year deal worth Shs500m with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) giving a provision for a review after three years. But how did these two meet. “We have been on the search for a partner for some time now,” UCA CEO Justine Ligyalingi told the full house of journalists that turned up at Guvnor, arguably Kampala’s Premier nightspot and Uganda’s finest nightclub.

“Jazz Safari is a big brand and the package will help us grow because it is long. Every year, we shall get Shs100m, Shs30m cash and the rest will be used for umpires, statistics and to develop the game further.”
Tshaka Mayanja, the Jazz Safari founder, said choosing cricket was a cakewalk as they sought to exercise their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). “Many people will be surprised but this was an easy pick,” said reggae artiste Mayanja. “We have lots of friends from the cricket fraternity and we thought we could start there. In other countries where jazz is big like South Africa, jazz concerts are held at cricket parks and are major partners.”

And Mayanja is committed to make the partnership work. “When we began promoting jazz, we were like outsiders which are the same with cricket now. Cricket has grown over the years here and a man of my reputation will work to ensure more talents are bred from the league into the national team.”
Guvnor proprietor Charlie Lubega and UCA chairman Richard Mwami attended the signing of the landmark deal.

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By Innocent Ndawula & Darren Allan Kyeyune

For the past five months, Challengers’ opening batsman Arthur Kyobe has been struggling to get runs on board in the National Men’s Division One 50-Over League.
At worst, the bragging left-hander became a laughing stock among some of his peers and fraternity. But somehow, he’s steadily recovered and show marks of what to expect from an opening Cricket Cranes batsman. 
On Sunday, Kyobe struck a decisive unbeaten half-ton of 75 runs as his side wrapped up the season with a five-wicket win over Kutchi Tigers at Lugogo Oval.

“Well, glory be to God,” a relieved Kyobe told Daily Monitor after his second half-century of the season. 
The 29-year-old’s first - a 91-ball 86, had come against the same opposition during Match Day 2 of the season on January 31. “It is only God and coach Steve Tikolo who have helped me recover,”
“Simply, I kept the ball down, took on advice he has offered me in the national team training sessions and results are impressive.” added the man who finished the season with 293 runs from 13 innings.
The win kept Challengers atop the eight-team log on 70 points after 14 matches, but can only win the league title if second-placed Tornado (61 points) fail to win their remaining two matches.

After Kutchi Tigers’ captain Alphesh Hirani opted to bat first, Nanji Pindoriya (34 off 38) and Bharat Ghorasia (22 off 36) combined well for an opening 72-run partnership. 
This crumbled at the hands of Derrick Bakunzi (3/12), Fahad Sadiq (2/41) and Henry Senyondo (2/13). Nandi Kishor (32 off 59) and Kanti Vekariya (30 off 59) then pushed Tigers to set 178 after 44.4 overs. 
Requiring to score about four runs per over, Kyobe smashed nine boundaries off 66 balls and, had a decisive 124-run second-wicket partnership with blazing Hamu Kayondo (63 off 52). 
The 2014 National Twenty20 Champions were home in 25.1 overs.

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Student-packed Wanderers stunned holders Pioneer in their opening tie of the National Women’s 50-over League, winning by a wicket at the University Oval in Kyambogo on Saturday.

“This is a good way to start the season,” Wanderers legendary coach Sam Walusimbi said after the game in which his side were viewed as underdogs. “Considering the size and experience of my girls, it is a deserved result,” said Walusimbi, the 1975 World Cup player. Devoid of team leader Janet Mbabazi (preparing for the World Softball Championships), it is Sadick Shakira (3/18) and Dorothy Losike 2/17, who fought to keep Pioneer batsmen at bay.

However, they failed to contain Pioneer skipper Barbara Mukankusi (29 runs off 68 balls), who shared a 50-run stand with Lelia Namaganda (17 runs) for the second wicket. Later, Caroline Namugenyi added 27 off 25 as they set 127 in 36-4 overs. “We should have had a bigger score,” Mukankusi said. 
Namugenyi, last season’s best bowler with 41 scalps, began off in similar style here. She picked figures of 3/25 to clinch the Player of Match award. 
But even with Prossy Tiko’s (3/17) contribution, Evelyn Anyipo (24 off 49) and Jennifer Nabwana (18 off 30) delivered under much pressure. The job was done midway the 37th over.

Women’s Div 1 results 
Pioneer 127/10 Wanderers 128/9
(Wanderers won by one wicket)
DIVISION TWO
Olila HS 161/9 JACC 24/10 
(Olila won by 137 runs)

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