Avengers Cricket Club and Chennai Cricket Club shared a win apiece in their Group C double-header of the men’s UG20 Tournament at the Lakeside Oval in Entebbe on Sunday.
Avengers won the morning fixture by 14 runs after bowling Chennai out for 92 while defending 106. Chennai responded in the afternoon, chasing 112 to win by four wickets with two balls to spare in an 18-Over contest.
Already top of Group C, Chennai wanted to extend their lead and did so despite the morning defeat. They have played more matches than their group rivals but remain favourites to reach the knockout stage.
Joshi leads Avengers to morning victory
Chennai won the toss and elected to bowl, restricting Avengers to 106 for nine in 20 overs.
- Avengers CC 106/9 in 20 Overs
- Chennai CC 92 all out in 18.2 Overs
- Avengers CC won by 14 runs
Joshi Yashashvi anchored the innings with 45 off 44 balls, hitting five fours, but received little support as Chennai kept taking wickets.
Timothy Kawanguzi fell for one, Drishank Ranjeeta Khatnani made five, and Christopher Kidega scored two as Avengers slipped to 52 for three.
Rohan Singh added nine before Joshi’s dismissal left Avengers at 72 for five. Atul Rana contributed 13 off 13 balls, while Nasta Girish scored 10 off 11 deliveries.
Avengers lost four more wickets but managed to reach 106, with Namidala Shafic unbeaten on two and Sahil Aman on one. Extras contributed 17 runs, including 10 wides.
Aneef Sha Mohamed, Naga S Mallula and Barath Balakrishnan took two wickets each, while Sivaganesh Perumal claimed one. Ratheesh S Pillai was Chennai’s most economical bowler, conceding nine runs in four overs.
Chennai’s chase of 107 never settled. Barath fell for one, Zakir Hussain Mirza made seven, and Ratheesh scored one as the visitors slipped to 29 for three. Aneef’s dismissal for a duck left them at 29 for four.
Mohammed A K L Hakkem scored 27 off 33 balls, while Santosh Kumar added 26 off 26 deliveries to revive the chase. However, both fell before Chennai could take control.
Kamlesh Meghlani chipped in with 10 off six balls, but Avengers continued to take wickets, bowling Chennai out for 92 in 18.2 overs.
Joshi led the bowling with three wickets for 11 runs in four overs. Kidega also took three wickets, Girish claimed two, and Drishank added one.
Chennai respond in the afternoon
Chennai won the toss again and chose to bowl, restricting Avengers to 111 for eight in 18 overs.
- Avengers CC 111/8 in 18 Overs
- Chennai CC 112/6 in 17.4 Overs
- Chennai CC won by 4 Wickets
Joshi provided the early impetus with 33 off 24 balls, including four fours, before falling at 68 for three. Kidega then held the innings together with an unbeaten 37 off 40 balls, striking two fours and a six.
Kawanguzi scored six, while Rohan Singh made seven. Rana added five, Girish scored one, and Solomon Otim managed two. Hariom Dudharejiya made one, while Drishank was dismissed for a duck. Namidala finished unbeaten on one, and Sahil Aman did not bat.
Extras contributed 18 runs, including 11 wides. Aneef led Chennai’s bowling with two wickets for 19 runs in four overs. Naga, Narendra S.c Sekar and Barath took one wicket each, while Muhammad Waqas Mujahid and Ratheesh went wicketless.
Chasing 112, Chennai relied on Hakkem and Barath, who both scored 33 to put their side in a strong position. Hakkem struck two fours and a six in his 34-ball innings, while Barath hit two boundaries off 35 balls. Their dismissals came at 43 for one and 89 for two, respectively.
Emetu Paul added 15 off 20 balls, but his dismissal at 89 was followed by a collapse that saw Chennai lose four wickets for just seven runs to slip to 96 for six.
Kamlesh Meghlani, unbeaten on 10 off nine balls, and Santosh Kumar, who struck an unbeaten 10 off five, steadied the innings and took Chennai to 112 for six in 17.4 overs.
Joshi again led Avengers’ bowling, taking three wickets for 28 runs in four overs. Sahil Aman and Kidega claimed one wicket each, while Rana conceded 13 runs in 3.4 overs, including a maiden.
The afternoon victory gave Chennai a valuable response after the morning defeat.
Chennai lead Group C
Chennai top Group C with 12 points from eight matches and are favourites to advance to the knockouts. Avengers are second from bottom with two points from four outings and need a stronger run to revive their qualification hopes.
Elsewhere in Group D, JACC swept Iganga SS Cricket Club at the Jinja Oval, winning both matches by nine wickets.
GM Sugar also completed a double over Africa Cricket Club at the New GM Sugar Oval, winning the morning fixture by 96 runs and the afternoon match by 175 runs.
Group D remains the most competitive pool, with the top three teams all on 14 points. JACC have played two more matches, leaving the qualification race finely balanced.
In Group B, Pak Shaheens swept Mukono Development at the Florida Oval, winning the morning fixture by 127 runs before taking the afternoon match by four wickets.
Mukono Development remain without a point and have no chance of progressing from the group. Pak Shaheens, meanwhile, are on six points alongside Ceylon Lions and Wanderers, with all three having played four matches.
Defending champions Ismaili Community Cricket Club also swept their double-header in Group A at the GM Sugar Oval. Ismaili won the morning fixture by nine wickets before claiming the afternoon match by 86 runs.
Despite playing only four matches, the defending champions sit second, three points behind leaders Kutchi Tigers, who have played eight games. The two sides have emerged as the early favourites to progress to the knockout stage.