By Faith Munezero
Entebbe Cricket Oval
Ceylon Lions Vs Aziz Damani
Ceylon Lions CC 112/7 in 20 overs (Virendah Singh 29* off 24, Simon Sessazi 27 off 34 and 3/19 in 4 overs, Lawrence Ssempijja 2/12 in 4 overs) beat Aziz Damani 101/9 in 20 overs (Brian Masaba 21 off 28, Isaneez Emmanuel 20 off 13, 1/9 in 2 overs, Henry Ssenyondo 4/9 in 4 overs) by 11 runs.
Unimoni Man of the Match: Simon Sessazi (Ceylon Lions)
One of the biggest matches went down this weekend with two of the top contenders in the volatile group facing off at the lakeside oval - Ceylon Lions CC and Aziz Damani CC. Ceylon Lions took the day in an orderly fashion, defending until the very last ball to see them be them not only win the game but also be the first team to outmatch Aziz Damani since the tournament began.
The Lions won the toss and elected to bat, going on to put on 112 runs by the end of first innings. Virendar Singh made a great contribution with the bat, alongside all-rounder and man of the match Simon Sessazi who delivered with both ball and bat, despite Aziz Damani's seven wicket haul led by Henry Ssenyondo and Isaneez Emmanuel.
The second innings saw Damani face great resistance with the chase tougher than anticipated. The Lions picked all but one of their 10 wickets, with the brothers Simon Sessazi and Lawrence Ssempijja spearheading the bowling attack.
All-rounders Isaneez Emmanuel and Brian Masaba made some significant contributions with the bat, but time and perhaps wickets were low in supply as the innings end saw them finish just short of 11 runs to give the Lions not only a sweet victory but a place into the quarter finals of the tournament.
Entebbe Cricket Oval
Sunday 25th November 2018
SKLPS played the hosts to two of top contenders in its group - Kutchi Tigers and Aziz Damani. Other than winning the toss, both games ended with a less than desired results for the team.
Game one
SKLPS Vs Kutchi Tigers CC
Kutchi Tigers CC 139/5 in 20 overs (Dinesh Nakrani 62* off 37, Ankit Patel 26 off 24, Dhansukh Jesani 2/15 in 4 overs, Anup Kerai 2/15 in 4 overs) beat SKLPS CC 103/6 in 20 overs (Mansukh Gorasiya 26* off 25, Shashi Kerai 20 off 23, Dinesh Vekariya 2/33 in 4 overs, Vijay Halai 1/17 in 4 overs) by 36 runs.
Unimoni Man of the Match: Dinesh Nakrani (Kutchi Tigers)
The Kutchi Tigers had everything to gain with a win from this match, strengthening their grip in the top tier of a tough group but their hosts didn't plan to make it easy. SKLPS won the toss and elected to field. Dinesh Vekariya and Vijay Halai led the five wicket haul that the team managed to attain that day, limiting the Tigers to a score of 139 runs after 20 overs. Man of the match Dinesh Nakrani (62) finished not out with the only score above a half ton, with Ankit Patel contributing 26 runs as well.
The chase for SKLPS had Mansukh Gorasiya and Shashi Kerai display great determination but Kutchi Tigers' six wicket haul led by Dhansukh Jesani and Anup Kerai delayed their progress, having them finish under the required target by innings' end despite a spirited fight, to seal Kutch Tigers' spot in the quarter finals.
Game two
SKLPS Vs Aziz Damani CC
SKLPS 65/8 in 20 overs (Ghanshyam Hirani 26 off 38 balls, Dipak Limbani 1/18 in 4 overs) lost to Aziz Damani CC 67/2 in 11.5 overs (Saud Islam 37 off 44 balls, Brian Masaba 20 off 18 balls, Isaneez Emmanuel 3/ 11 in 4 overs, Bilal Hassun 3/7 in 4 overs) by 8 wickets.
Unimoni Man of the Match: Isaneez Emmanuel (Aziz Damani)
The afternoon brought a tougher competitor for the hosts, who were still nursing their first loss of the tournament at the same venue. They came out eager to avenge their shocking fate from the previous day. SKLPS elected to bat managing a paltry 65 runs by the end of first innings for the loss of eight wickets.
However, their fate was more or less similar to ACC who faced Damani earlier that day, with all but one of the batsmen, Ghanshyam Hirani (26), reaching double digits. The wicket onslaught saw Bilal Hassun and Isaneez Emmanuel pick three wickets a piece, with the latter earning the man of the match award for a catch as well.
Following the string of dismissals with majority caught behind and bowled, the second innings saw SKLPS determined to defend the low score. However, they managed just two wickets in openers Saud Islam and Ghulam. Saud and Brian Masaba delivered for Damani with mostly singles and occasional boundaries to slowly but steadily get to the target with eight wickets and 49 balls to spare, sealing their spot in the quarter finals as well.