Uganda Cricket Association has stepped up preparations to host the second edition of the Victoria Series set to bowl off on April 16 at the Lugogo Cricket Oval.

Five teams including Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and UAE are set to take part in this tournament that will deliver ranking points to the dominant side.

The Victoria Pearls have been undergoing drills at both the cricket oval and the hockey grounds in Lugogo as part of their preparations for this event.

“The hotels are already booked, suppliers booked. We are now working on the ground to get it ready on time,” Joshua Mwanja, the tournament director told Sports Nation.

The Series will be used as a build-up to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers set to be held in South Africa in September.

“We want to improve our ranking from 21 to somewhere lower. UAE and TZ are ahead of us. If we will all matches, especially against those two, then we’ll improve our ranking greatly.”

The Victoria Pearls will be competing for the first time since their triumph in Nairobi at the Kenya Invitational T20 in December last year.

The Uganda Cricket Association T20 Division One tournament bowled off on Sunday at the Green Oval in Entebbe.

Kenneth Waiswa was impressive for his side Challengers Cricket Club both with the bat and ball as they beat Patidar in the doubleheader.

Waiswa, fresh from a good series with the Cricket Cranes in Qatar picked two wickets in the opening game and blasted an unbeaten half-century (51) as Challengers registered a six-wicket win.

In the second game, Waiswa scored 35 off 35 balls and also picked two wickets.

Challengers take a long break and will return to action on 14th May against Nyakasura Cricket Club after the Victoria Series set to take place between April 16 and April 23.

The next Group B doubleheader will be played on Sunday in Entebbe, and it will be between the Avengers and Wanderers.

Sunday Results

Game 1

• Challengers 113/8 (20 Overs)
• Patidar 92/9 (20 Overs)
• Challengers won by 21 runs

Game 2

• Patidar 99/9 (20 Overs)
• Challengers 102/4 (17.4/20 Overs)
• Challengers won by 6 wickets

Cricket Cranes returned from Qatar with their heads up after a 2-2 draw in the four-match ODI series against the hosts.

The visitors went down by 10 runs in the first ODI losing by 10 runs after failing to chase down 250 but they bounced back to win the next two games.

The batting that has always been a problem for the Cricket Cranes was largely consistent for most of the tour.

Kenneth Waiswa was, without doubt, the stand-out batter scoring 180 runs in 4 matches with a highest score of 101 not out and an average of 85.

Wicketkeeper batter Cyrus Kakuru came of age with a contribution of 98 in the four matches.

There are lessons for the fast duo of Cosmas Kyewuta and Juma Miyagi bowling in unfamiliar conditions but the more they play the better they will get.

We had alot of soft moments especially in the first and last game and when you play against good teams you cant afford to drop your standard. However, those are lessons we take from the tour.

Kenneth Waiswa and Cyrus Kakuru have been outstanding on this tournament and we hope they keep working hard.

The bowling unit was also absolutely amazing especially in the two games we won and the consistency is what we seek going forward. We come back home to focus more on the T20I as we build up towards the Africa finals later in the year.

Laurence Mahatlane – Cricket Cranes Head Coach.

The team returned home with the series trophy after the 2-2 draw and the focus is now on T20I cricket as they prepare for a defining 2023.

Uganda has a shot at the 2024 World Cup if they finish among the top 2 sides at the Africa finals in Namibia in December.

Kenneth Waiswa knocked an unbeaten century as the Cricket Cranes registered their second tour win against Qatar on Sunday.

The Cricket Cranes won the toss and elected to bat and a decision was backed by the batters with an opening stand of Roger Mukasa (57) and Simon Ssesazi (45) putting on 99.

Ronak Patel and Ronald Lutaaya fell cheaply but Kenneth Waiswa (101 not out) took over as the Cricket Cranes put on 292 runs in their 50 overs.

In response, the chase started well for Qatar but Henry Ssenyondo who is having a great time in the desert pegged back the hosts with some tidy bowling.

Ssenyondo (3/37) and Frank Nsubuga (2/23) were the stand-out players with the ball as Cricket Cranes took a 2-1 lead in the four-match ODI Series.

The team will take a break tomorrow (Monday) and play their final ODI match on Tuesday before returning home.

Match Summary

Uganda 292/6 50 overs

• Kenneth Waiswa 101 not out
• Roger Mukasa 57

Qatar 154 all out 39/50 overs

• Kamran Khan 31
• Dharmang Patel 33

 

• Henry Ssenyondo 3/37
• Frank Nsubuga 2/23

Uganda won by 138 runs

Cricket Cranes started their tour of Qatar with a 10-run defeat to their hosts at the Doha University of Science and Technology Ground.

Uganda’s captain Brian Masaba won the toss and chose to field, a decision that did not pay early dividends as Qatar’s opening stand put on 77.

The fast bowlers Juma Miyagi and Riazat Ali Sha picked no wickets but the slow options of Alpesh Ramjani (4/38) and Henry Ssenyondo (2/13) gave Uganda a chance as Qatar ended at 250/9 in their 50 overs.

In the chase, openers Simon Ssesazi and Ronald Lutaya were dismissed early with Roger Mukasa following suit inside Powerplay.

However, Ronak Patel and Riazat Ali Shah steadied the ship putting on a 64-run partnership before Ronak fell. Kenneth Waiswa who came in was dismissed shortly after but Alpesh Ramjan alongside Ali Sha gave Uganda a fighting chance.

The tail of Kakuru, Masaba, Miyagi and Ssentondo fell short of the total by ten runs with just over six overs to spare.

Teams take Friday off. The 50-Over series resumes on Saturday, and the Cricket Cranes will look to make amends.

 Match Summary

Qatar 250/9 in 50 overs

• Alpesh Ramjani 4/38
• Henry Ssenyondo 2/13

Uganda 240 all out in 43 overs

• Riazat Ali Shah (84)
• Alpesh Ramjani (65)
• Ronak Patel (33)

Uganda lost by 10 runs

Cricket Cranes are set to travel to Qatar for a four-match series against the hosts scheduled for 14th-25th March 2023.

The tour is intended to prepare the team for ODI cricket and therefore the team will play 4 ODI games against Qatar.

A 14-man side has been named and there are three changes from the team that toured Rwanda in December last year.

Joseph Baguma misses out due to school commitments, Emmanuel Hasahya is unavailable and Bila Hassun is away due to family commitments. The trio has been replaced by Riazat Ali Shah who returns from injury, Ronak Patel and Alpesh Ramjani.

The team will depart in the wee hours of Tuesday and will play their first game on Thursday.

Full Squad

Brian Masaba (Captain), Kenneth Waiswa, Pascal Murungi, Riazat Ali Shah, Ronak Patel, Alpesh Ramjani, Juma Miyagi, Frank Nsubuga, Henry Ssenyondo, Simon Ssesazi, Ronald Lutaaya, Cyrus Kakuru, Cosmas Kyewuta, Roger Mukasa.

Micheal Nuwagaba retained his seat as the chairman of the Uganda Cricket Association after going unopposed at the Elective Annual General Meeting held at Kati Kati Restaurant on Saturday.

Nuwagaba starts his two-year second and last term with a slight change in his Executive as Jackson Kavuma takes up the Honorary secretary role replacing Alvin Bagaya Mboijana.

Meanwhile, Rita Tinka retains her Women’s Representative seat.

“We will have a lot of focus on the national teams. As we push that, we will push for a higher ranking and get close to ODI.

“The other thing is the issue of facilities. We’ve been pushing for land, and this is something we’ve maintained. It is something that is key for us,” Nuwagaba said.

Paraminder Garcha and Enoch Barumba were elected as new trustees replacing Steven Luswata and Ranmal Keshwala. The duo joins Steven Lumonya who is serving his last term on the Trustees’ board.

Uganda Cricket Association has awarded contracts for 12 players on the Victoria Pearls squad.

The gesture is intended to ensure that the ladies commit more time to the game given other competing needs.

The introduction of contracts guarantees some financial security which allows the girls to commit more time to the game.

The contracts will allow the core of the Victoria Pearls side to focus on preparation with their coach on a full-time basis as they prepare for a busy 2023.

The 12 players have been put into two categories A and B and the contracts will be reviewed annually.

Category A: 1. Consy Aweko, 2. Kevin Awino, 3. Janet Mbabazi, 4. Evelyn Anyipo, 5. Immaculate Nakisuyi, 6. Rita Musamali, 7. Sarah Akiteng.

Category B: 1. Stephanie Nampiina, 2. Irene Alumo, 3. Phiona Khulume, 4. Patricia Malemikia, 5. Gloria Obukor.

This move should help Victoria Pearls to be among the key teams at the T20 World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa in September.

Harshal Panchal feels he is on course to represent the national team on a more permanent basis after winning the MVP award for the men’s Uganda Cricket top-flight league last season.

Panchal started playing for Avengers in the local league in 2019 and has developed a reputation for being a nagging line and length bowler.

He has taken lots of wickets every time he was on the pitch and caught the eye of national team coach Laurence Mahatlane who invited him to be part of the Uganda Select squad for the series against Kenya in the first edition of the Pearl of Africa Series in 2019.

In 2022, he finished among the top 10 batters in the league with 201 runs from 8 innings, with two half-centuries to his name and had the most sixes (14) of any batter the whole season.

His improvement also allowed him to finish the season with 15 scalps, 3 wickets behind the best bowler Yash Joshi with an economy of 3.93 from 8 matches.

Harsh believes his performance should catch more than just the eye of Laurence Mahatlane but it should translate into getting a permanent spot in the national team.

My inspiration last season was my Mum and Uncle Nirav Sewak who is the also the manager of Avengers. I want to make sure that I keep improving in all aspects of my game this year and hopefully I can finally get my chance in the Cricket Cranes yellow.

Harsha Panchal, 2022 Division 1 MVP

Harsha Panchal is looking forward to the 2023 season and this time he hopes he can win something with Avengers.

Aziz Damani took home all the team awards for the 2022 season in both the men’s and women’s leagues as Uganda Cricket Association awarded the season best.

Damani has five teams competing in the Uganda local leagues, and three took home the trophies at the event held at Lugogo Cricket Oval on Saturday.

Men’s League

The senior men’s team won their 5th title in a row after finishing the season in the Men’s top-flight league unbeaten. The defending champions could’ve won the league unblemished, had they not been made to drop points against Wanderers in a game that was declared a no-result.

Newly promoted Ceylon Lions gave Damani a run for their money, but could only manage to finish second.

In the Men’s Division 2, Aziz Damani Development was heads and shoulders above their competition en route to the division triumph and promotion to the top flight.

Nyakasura managed to keep off Patidar and gain promotion to the top flight as the second side from Division 2.

Women’s League

In the women’s division, Aziz Damani cruised to their fourth 40-over league title in a row without dropping a point.

The return of Immaculate Nakisuyi, Proscovia Alako, and Stephanie Nampiina gave an already strong side more firepower as they kept off the challenge of Wanderers and Olila High.

Olila High edged Wanderers to the second position due to a better run rate as both teams finished with the same number of points.

In Division 2, the return of Habib Mugalula as a coach gave Jinja SSS a fresh breath as they went on an unbeaten run that saw them clinch the title and also promotion back to the top flight.

Aziz Damani Development was hot on the heels of Jinja SSS but failed to catch up with the side which meant they settled for second place.

Individual Winners

Division 1 (Men)

• Best Batter: Simon Ssesazi (Aziz Damani)
• Best Bowler – Yashashvi Joshi (Avengers)
• MVP – Harsh Panchal (Avengers)

Division 2 (Men)

• Best Batter – Ronald Lutaaya (Aziz Damani Development)
• Best Bowler – Chintan Kerai (Patidar)
• MVP – Chintan Kerai (Patidar)

Division 1 (Women)

• Best Batter – Stephanie Nampiina (Aziz Damani)
• Best Bowler – Franklyn Najjumba (Best Bowler)
• MVP – Stephanie Nampiina (Aziz Damani)

Division 2 (Women)

• Best Batter – Whitney Nassuna (Jinja SSS)
• Best Bowler – Irene Mutonyi (St John’s SSS Mukono)
• MVP – Irene Mutonyi (St John’s SSS Mukono)