- Lugogo Oval: Aziz Damani 102/10 Saud Islam 35 off 73 balls, Manoj Sai 20 off 42 balls in 31.2 overs beat Kutchi Tigers 94/10 Hitendra Jadeja 30 off 39 balls, Dinesh Nakrani 24 not out off 29 balls. in 19.5 overs by 8 runs
- Player of Match: Isaneez Emmanuel
- Entebbe Oval: Ceylon Lions 251/10 Simon Ssesaazi 43 off 60 balls, Lawrence Ssempijja 30 not out off 29 balls in 50 overs lost to Strikers 159/5 Zephaniah 34 off 19 balls, Derrick Bakunzi 25 not out off 34 balls in 21.1 overs by 5 wickets | (D/L revised target of 157 in 22 overs)
- Player of match: Zephania Arinaitwe
Kutchi Tigers came close to crashing Aziz Damani’s party but they could never deal with fate as champions managed to close out the 2018 league crown with a nervy 8 run win.
Kutchi Tigers one of the only teams to beat Damani last season was close to repeating that feat but fell short by only 8 runs. Kutchi had bowled well to limit the defending champions to 102 all out their lowest score this season with only Saud Islam (35) and Manoj Sai (20) being the only notable contributors.
Kutchi started the chase with intent and were 45 for no loss but the wheels came off after a brief rain break that worked in the favour of Damani. Tigers who had been in a position of command most of the game lost their way with Damani picking up the wickets needed and eventually they were bundled out for 94.
The win meant non of the remaining teams can catch Damani who defend their 2017 title with 3 games left to play.
Damani have been by far the best team and have largely been untroubled enroute to their second crown. They will now focus on going through the season unbeaten as they prepare for the T20 championship.
In Entebbe, Ceylon Lions was undone by the rain after they suffered a 5 wicket loss to fellow stugglers Strikers.
In a game of small margins Ceylon Lions had set a commanding 251 for Strikers, however, due to a rain break the DLS reduced that total to only 157 in 22 overs.
The short game is a favorite for most Strikers players and they took the game to Ceylon Lions who overhauled the total with 5 balls to spare. The carnage was led by Zephaniah Katungi (39) and found a willing partner in Derrick Bakunzi (25).
The loss for Ceylon Lions means they will need to win their remaining 3 games and hope that other games can go their way.
With Aziz Damani wrapping up the title, the relegation battles remains the only interesting thing in Division 1 with 4 teams not sure of their top flight status.
