Rounders can breathe now, Kutchi Tigers escape
Brian Masaba snared two wickets to curtail Aboojo's charge. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
Sigh Of Relief. After months of pressure and fearing the worst, Rounders finally broke free from relegation worries with a crucial bowling performance to restrict Aboojo, winning a nail-biter at Entebbe Oval to move from eighth to fifth on the log.
Rounders Cricket Club finally exhaled on Matchday 13 of the 2025 UCA National Men’s 50-Over League after a tense and dramatic victory over Aboojo CC at Entebbe Cricket Oval.
The Rounders, who had been dogged by relegation fears all season, were forced to face the harsh reality of containing Aboojo’s fast start — a daunting 50 runs inside the first seven overs — before clawing their way to a vital 3-wicket win.
Aboojo looked on course for a big total thanks to a rollicking top-order blast featuring Brian Asaba (20 off 16) and Joseph Baguma (31 off 34), but Rounders’ bowlers Siraje Nsubuga (2/19), Brian Masaba (2/7), Tembo Zubair (2/36), and Narinder Singh (2/2) turned the tide, triggering a collapse that saw Aboojo bowled out for a modest 111 in just 22.2 overs. Their fears of Aboojo running away with the game proved real, and curtailing that flying start was the decisive moment.
Chasing 112, Rounders were rocked early when captain Narinder Singh was dismissed for a duck, and at 46/6, it seemed the pressure might overwhelm them again with only Calvin Watuwa (20) standing tall.
But a crucial 54-run partnership between Steven Wabwose (34*) and Siraje Nsubuga (10 off 60) steadied the innings. Wabwose’s calm finish guided Rounders home by the 32nd over, handing the team their first breath of fresh air outside the relegation zone. The left hander also took the Player of Match (POTM) Award.
Kutchi steer clear
Kutchi Tigers continued to assert dominance at the top of Division I with a well-earned win over Jinja Army Cricket Club (JACC) at Jinja SS Oval. After posting 128/6 in a rain-shortened 22-over innings anchored by opener Avnish Vekariya’s unbeaten 61, Kutchi’s bowlers, led by Dhansuk Jesani’s devastating 5/21, dismantled JACC’s chase.
JACC’s resilient captain Kenneth Waiswa scored 49 but wickets tumbled at crucial stages, leaving the side 30 runs short under the revised DLS target. The Tigers took full advantage of a washed-out match between Ceylon Lions (14 points from 9 matches) and Tornado Bee to stretch their lead at the summit to 18 points after 11 matches, putting clear daylight between themselves and the chasing pack.
Nile fire & weather
In Division II Group A, Nile CC powered past Kutchi Tigers B with a 54-run win in another rain-affected match at Entebbe Oval.
Posting 143 all out on a tricky pitch, Nile’s all-rounder Robinson Turinawe starred with both bat (21) and ball (3 wickets). The disciplined bowling effort ensured Kutchi Tigers B limped to 89/9 in their 35 overs.
The persistent rains in Kamengo disrupted two fixtures, with the Ceylon Lions vs Tornado Bee and SKLPS vs St John’s SS matches abandoned without a ball bowled.
UCA NATIONAL LEAGUE
Results – Div I - Premiership
Aboojo 111/10 |Rounders 112/7
Rounders won by 3 wickets
Kutchi Tigers 128/6 |JACC 133/9 [158]
Kutchi Tigers won by 30 runs (DLS)
Ceylon Lions vs. Tornado Bee
Match Abandoned (Rain)
Division II – Championship
Nile 143/10 Kutchi Tigers B 89/9
Nile won by 54 runs
SKLPS vs St John’s SS
Match Abandoned (Rain)
