ACC cement bond with Hima
Tandem partnership. Hima Cement’s Mugasa hands over a set of new jerseys for the season to ACC’s manager Rokani (R). PHOTO BY EDDIE CHICCO
What you need to know:
- ACC team manager Sylvester Rokani underscored the importance of Hima Cement sponsorship’s timing and vowed to pay the latter’s faith.
KAMPALA. Africa Cricket Club (ACC) will hope they can finally exorcise the demons and earn promotion back to the topflight of the Jazz Safari National Cricket League at the end of this season.
ACC’s newfound belief stems from the renewal of their partnership with Hima Cement, who came on board last season with a promise to keep funding the oldest club in Uganda, if they secured progress back to Division One.
But for the fifth successive season, ACC fell agonisingly short of regaining their topflight status courtesy of some ‘malice’ from Jinja SS who did not show up for the last game of the season to deny the 2006 and 2007 league champions a chance to earn a bonus point victory that would have made certain their place in Division I this term.
Charles Mugasa, the Marketing and Pricing Manager at Hima Cement, however, disclosed to this reporter that despite ACC’s near miss they had decided to stay together with the club because of the resolve exhibited by the management and players.
“ACC can only get better with our brand,” said Mugasa, whilst declining to disclose the actual figure of this season’s sponsorship package.
“It is not about just money injected. Our package is obviously bigger and better than last season.
“We look to associate with ACC in many more ways and believe our partnership will give the team added impetus and motivation to bounce back in a stronger way to the top division.”
Importance of Hima sponsorship
ACC team manager Sylvester Rokani underscored the importance of Hima Cement sponsorship’s timing and vowed to pay the latter’s faith.
“Hima have kept faith in us because we have showed that we are a strong batch over the last three seasons,” said Rokani, also a former national U-19 international.
“We have continued to grow stronger together and not lost a single player in the last three seasons which speaks well of team cohesion. Senior players like Amos Kyazze, Emmy Odeng and Richard Lwamafa have provided the base to guide the younger players. Another season is upon us and the hunt for the elusive promotion to the elite league will be at the top of our minds.”
But ACC must start the season on a high after Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) released the schedule for the 2018 season yesterday indicating that Richard Lwamafa and his men take on Shree Kutch Leva Patel Samaj (SKLPS) in their opening fixture on March 25 in Jinja.
The club’s much-vaunted organisational skills will be put under an immense test throughout the season with their sponsors keenly following proceedings.
