- Gold Division: Winners – Tornado Bees, Runners Up – Kutchi Tigers
Tornado Bees copied the mantra “be known by works” in their charge to win a fifth 50 Over league crown.
Tornado Bees was the last side to win the league before the dominant years of Aziz Damani and ended the two-year reign of Kutchi Tigers.
Tornado Bees flew under the radar, but while the attention was on defending champions Kutchi Tigers, newcomers GM Sugar and perennial candidates Ceylon Lions, they made sure they took care of the business they had to and with a slice of fortune, some results were in their favour even if they were not part of that fixture.
The side got off the mark in the season with a win against Ceylon Lions, and that should have been a warning of things to come. Cosmas Kyewuta and Suleman Shariff were added to the team for the 2026 season, but the core of the group largely remained the same, led by Jeremy Kibuuka Musoke.
The only failure for Tornado Bees this season was in the game where both Anas Baig and Roger Mukasa failed to score runs, but throughout the season, both were reliable with bat in hand. Mukasa wound back the years with a season high 260 runs with an average of 65 and a strike rate of 130, including one century and three fifties.
Tornado Bee only failed against contender GM Sugar, but once they put the defending champions Kutchi Tigers to the sword, it opened up the race to at least four teams.
Their win against Kutchi Tigers became more important after the defending champions failed to win on the road in Jinja against JACC.
The Kutchi Tigers were the sliding moment for Tornado Bee, who sealed the title against the same opponent in Jinja in a season of marginal proportions.
The patience finally paid off for the five-time winners, and a reward for staying true to their purpose. Tornado Bees had a close shave with relegation last season, but with some additions, they were able to touch the sky with minimal resources expended.
Once they had the confidence, the other results were a formality against sides that were fighting for survival. Aboojo failed to win a game in the top flight, while Rounders was more obsessed with those close to them than reaching out to those at the top.
The side had some luck on their way, with GM Sugar failing to mount a challenge due to the unavailability of some of their key players due to national team commitments, thus failing to get victory in some games they needed to win for them to keep up.
Ceylon Lions fell along the way as well, and in a one-round league format, a loss can set you back and leave you so far behind the others, especially if they keep winning.
The success of Tornando Bees is a great testament that you can achieve more with less. Tornado Bees is one of the member clubs of Cricket Uganda that has won the league in the past 10 years and has been consistent despite being relegated three years ago. A fifth title to add to their collection from the dominant years and a sign that the sting is still very potent.
