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RUARAKA SKIPPER NITISH PREDICTS EXCITING FINISH TO 50-OVERS LEAGUE AFTER 105-RUN WIN OVER SWAMIBAPA

By Samson Ateka

Ruaraka A skipper Nitish Hirani believes his “Thika Road troops” are still a force to be reckoned with in Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) 50-Overs League following an emphatic 105-run victory over longtime leaders Swamibapa A in a home match.

Nitish reckons that their recent past performance shows that they are enjoying top form, and indeed well prepared for the challenges ahead.

Nitish nevertheless admitted that the culmination of the 50-Overs season in October will be a cliffhanger like no other, “as it’s shaping up to be an exciting finish among the frontrunners”.

“We’re focused, determined, and ready to give our best in the coming matches,” quipped Nitish after their win over the Swamis.

–Kanbis A in Cruise control–

As Swamis lost the scintillating Thika Road derby, Kanbis Sports Club A took control of the NPCA 50-Overs Super League log with verve and vigor. Kanbis Coach Jimmy Kamande attributed their win to awesome batting skills from his boys. When asked about their victory,

Kamande, an ex-Kenya international and immediate former Tanzania cricket head coach quipped: “Very solid batting from the middle order batters. Most important was showing no panic at any given moment of the game.” Kanbis racked up an exhilarating 4-wickets advantage over tailenders Stray Lions A despite late scares in another high scoring match.

Stray Lions top order batsman Kavi Dosaja on his part said: “Our batters did a good job to get us over 300. So, 72 from me and 81 from Neil Mugabe meant we had a great start in our innings and then Upendra Yadav (80) came in and batted well to get us to 307. But unfortunately, we weren’t very good in the field and that cost us.”

Eastleigh troops leapfrogged to the log summit on a scintillating weekend of action with 32 points ahead of Ruaraka who moved to second as longtime leaders Swamibapa A dipping to third spot.

Ruaraka skipper Nitish was all smiles: “We went into the toss with a plan to bowl first, but unfortunately, we lost the toss. However, we weren’t too disappointed, as the wicket was good, and we knew the pitch would remain consistent throughout both innings.”

Nitish added: “Heading into the second innings, we felt we might be 30-40 runs short, but our bowlers stepped up remarkably. Viraj Deepak Jadhav led the attack, taking 3 crucial wickets and turning the game in our favor. It was a complete team effort that led to our victory.”

Despite batting first, Ruaraka managed to post a strong target of 340 runs, thanks to key contributions from Neel Akash Tambe with 87 runs, Pushkar Sharma with 66, Gautam Waghela with 66, and Prasad Abhayankar with 44.

The innings were game-changing for Ruaraka and set a solid foundation.

Swamibapa won the toss and elected to field first.

Ruaraka went on to hit 340 for 8 in 50.0 overs. I reply the Swamis were bowled out for 235 in 46.2 overs.

Sachin Gill, playing against his former team, was Swamibapa highest scorer with a decent mark of 82 off 100 deliveries.

Meanwhile, Sikh Union maintained their winning streak as they dealt visitors Shree Cutchi Leva Patel Samaj A 38-run blow. Nairobi Gymkhana defeated Sir Ali Muslim Club A by 117 runs at their Gymkhana backyard.

SUPER LEAGUE RESULTS-WEEK 11

  1. SIKH UNION A 339/5 (50.0 ov)-SAMAJ A 301/9 (50.0 Ov)-SU won by 38 runs
  2. Ruaraka A 340/8 (50.0 Ov)-Swamibapa A 235/10 (46.2 Ov)-Ruaraka A won by 105 runs
  3. SIR ALLI GROUNDS: Nrb Gymkhana A 291/9 (50.0 Ov) –Sir Ali A 174/10 (27.0 Ov)- Gymkhana won by 117 runs
  4. NAIROBI JAFFERY’S: Stray Lions A 306/6 (50.0Ov) -Kanbis A 308/6 (46.3Ov)-Kanbis won by 4 wickets

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