Swamibapa A ended Ruaraka's nine-match unbeaten run in a pulsating Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association 50 Over League match at Nairobi Jaffery grounds on Sunday.
Ruaraka were hoping to extend their lead at the top of the NPCA log on match day 10 and possibly seal the league title race in style, but not before the Swamis recorded a 59-run win on home soil to spoil Ruaraka's early celebrations.
After the dramatic end to the 10th League weekend, the gap between league leaders Ruaraka and second-placed Stray Lion has now been reduced to 4 points, not a comfortable zone for the leaders going into their final four matches, which could complicate matters for the Thika Road side should they falter in any of their remaining fixtures.
Swamibapa A captain Rushabh Patel breathed a sigh of relief despite losing four matches and slipping to fourth on the log.
At Jaffery, Ruaraka's game plan began to collapse when two of their best batsmen of the series, Pushkar Sharma (67 from 60) and Sachin Gil (32 from 29), were sent back to the pavilion.
The Swamis won the toss and elected to bat first on a dry and flat wicket, scoring 300 for the loss of 9 in their allotted 50 overs.
Chasing a decent target, Ruaraka could only manage 241/9 in their 50 overs and were under immense pressure as their wickets continued to fall.
Skipper Rushabh (70 from 60 deliveries) and his namesake Dhwanil (76 from 92) were the outstanding performers for a well-oiled Swamibapa side who showed resilience despite their current league status.
At the Eastleigh ground, Vinod Rabadia (87 from 64), Rakep Patel (81 from 50, including 7 boundaries and 5 sixes), Jignesh Kerai and Sachin Bhudia both scored impressive half-centuries as Kanbis A decimated Nairobi Gymkhana by a massive 107 runs.
Gymkhana's Purohit Bharat was the match's highest scorer with a 97 off 78 balls, comprising 13 boundaries and 3 sixes.
Shubham Jadhav's century at the Lenana School ground didn't just give the ruthless Stray Lions a 7-wicket win over Obuya Academy A, it also saw him leapfrog Sachin Gill (500) from the run leaderboard. Sachin has only held the top spot for a week after dismissing perennial leader Dhiren Gondaria, who is now fourth on 455 runs.
After 10 innings of brilliant play, Jadhav now tops the run charts with 547 runs after scoring 128 off 86 balls. Today's score was Jadhav's third century of the season.
Stray Lions won the toss and elected to field first. Ab-hishek Sharma (112 from 138 deliveries) and Rakesh Kumar Meena (50 from 71) were the standout performers for the Obuya Academy side, who posted 223 all out in their 50 overs.
In reply, Stray Lions chased down the slim target with ease, chasing down 224 for the loss of 3 in 34.2 overs. Stray Lions opening batsman Irfan Karim managed just 5 runs before he was bowled by Steve Biko.
Nehemiah Odhiambo’s (47 off 49) fine batting effort helped Sikh Union ‘A’ defeat SCLPS YL ‘A’ by 17 runs in another Super Division match played at Cutch Leva ground in Nairobi West.
Sikh Union won the toss and opted to bat first and were bowled out in 44.2 Overs with the scoreboard reading 158.
Chasing the slim target, hosts Samaj A were also bowled out for 141 in just 29.0 Overs to hand the Sikhs a slim 17-run victory.
Darsh Panchani was the hosts’ highest scorer with 49 runs off 62 deliveries while his teammate Niraj Patel managed 30 off 27 balls.
It was a bitter pill for Cutchi Leva A to swallow exactly a week after they handed Swamibapa A 60-run blow in matchday 9’s biggest upset at the same venue. Et..
