NPCA: Ruaraka slip in title race
Kanbis 'A' bowler Emmanuel Bundi follows through his bowling during their Nairobi Province Cricket Association (NPCA) 50 Overs league match against Stray Lions 'A' at Peponi School on August 29, 2021.
What you need to know:
- Ruaraka would have been crowned the competition’s new champions with a match to spare had they defeated hosts Kanbis at Eastleigh High School
- After playing 13 matches, Coach Francis Otieno’s side top with 44 points, four above Kanbis and Stray Lions Cricket Club “A”, who have also played the same number of matches
- Ruaraka will on Sunday visit Sikh Union “A” while Kanbis and Stray Lions will square it out at Eastleigh High School
The title race for the 2023 Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) Super Division 50 Overs League will go down to the wire after leaders Ruaraka Sports Club “A” lost by 52 runs to second-placed Kanbis Sports Club “A” at the weekend.
Ruaraka would have been crowned the competition’s new champions with a match to spare had they defeated hosts Kanbis at Eastleigh High School.
Ruaraka have not won the title in over a decade.
After playing 13 matches, Coach Francis Otieno’s side top with 44 points, four above Kanbis and Stray Lions Cricket Club “A”, who have also played the same number of matches.
The league champion will now be determined over the weekend.
Ruaraka will on Sunday visit Sikh Union “A” while Kanbis and Stray Lions will square it out at Eastleigh High School.
“It was just another bad day in office for us. I still believe we will win the title this time around. We will keep on training and backing each other up ahead of the last match,” said Ruaraka coach Otieno.
It was the second time this season that Ruaraka suffered a defeat after Swamibapa Sports Club "A" stunned them by 59 runs on August 27.
With five wickets to his name from six overs where he conceded 43 runs, Kanbis all-rounder Emmanuel Bundi was crowned man-of-the-match, where Ruaraka won the toss and elected to field first.
Kanbis set a target of 207 runs all-out in 45 overs of their innings.
In reply, Ruaraka hit 155 runs all-out in 37.3 overs of their innings.
Chandresh Hirani, Pushkar Sharma, Sachin Gill, Pankaj Bhudia and Neelakash Tambe who batted for Ruaraka in that order were all dismissed from Bundi’s bowling.
Kanbis opening batsman Pushpak Kerai top-scored with 49 runs while his compatriots Aezaz Kothariya and Dhiren Gondaria delivered 47 runs each.
Lower-order batsman Purshotam Vekariya was Ruaraka’s top scorer with 42 runs off 20 balls.
To remain in the title race, Stray Lions beat Swamibapa Sports Club “A” by nine wickets at Jaffery Sports Club. Stray Lions hit 180 runs for the loss of one wicket in 30.3 overs of their innings.
Swamibapa, who won the toss and elected to bat had set a target of 178 runs all-out in 37.3 overs of their innings.
For Obuya Academy “A” who are placed bottom, their woes persisted after they lost by 62 runs to Shree Cutchi Leva Patel Samaj “”A” at Lenana School.
Obuya have garnered eight points from 12 matches.
