Cricket team earn Uspa nod as best in February

Cricket. Uganda endured a good run, winning seven games in a row which was halted by Kenya on the last day

The national senior cricket team didn’t have to retain their African Premier League (APL) title last Friday to earn sports journalists’ nod as the best in February.

A runners-up place and progress to the ICC Twenty20 Global Qualifier scheduled for Dubai in November this year were just enough. Uganda were tied on 14 points with winners Kenya, who took the title courtesy of better Net Run Rate of 0.733.

In a month littered with winners from different elite disciplines, the journalists under the Uganda Sports Press Association (Uspa) umbrella and backed by Nile Speical awarded the cricketers 400 points.

Ndejje University, who won the eighth edition of the East Africa University Games after collecting 57 medals including 19 gold, came second with 360 points.

Beach volleyball pair of Prossy Alobo and Hafsa Nakalema were third in the closely contested polls with 275 points. The pair defeated Josephine Nammanda and Diana Agaba to notch the first circuit of the year held at Lido Beach.

“That’s nice,” Davis Karashani, the national team skipper, who claimed the tournament’s Best Bowler’s gong with 14 wickets, told the Daily Monitor yesterday.

“Previously the team has won and not be rewarded by Uspa. But the fact that we finished second and have been noticed goes to show the amount of effort we put in.”

“This award is also proof that the journalists understand the type of tournament we took part in. It was a continental tourney and not just a regional or national event like the rest competed in.”
Karashani whose best bowling figures were 4 for 5 in four overs against Nigeria in the first round also saluted the fans for the undivided support.

“The fans made it so much worth for us. Whereas tournaments help us build our careers as sportsmen, we play for them and without them it wouldn’t matter so much.
“We, as a team, don’t have where to start and stop in terms of thanking them for the support.”

Athletes Viola Chemos and Moses Kipsiro were both commended for winning the senior women (8km) and men’s 12km titles at the National Cross Country Championships respectively held in Jinja last month.

Rugby youngster Phillip Wokorach, Ponsiano Lwakataka, who won the Mbarara Pine Ridge Rally after clocking one hour, 44 minutes, Kampala International University (KIU) and Kampala University (KU) also got deserved mentions.

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