Tuesday, April 18
Game 1
UAE v Kenya
UAE 84/9
Kenya 69 all out
UAE won by 15 runs
Game 2
Uganda v Rwanda
Rwanda 61 all out
Uganda 62/3
Uganda won by 7 wickets
Wednesday, April 19
*Morning: UAE v Tanzania
*Afternoon: Kenya v Rwanda
The national women’s cricket team, the Victoria Pearls found little resistance in dispatching Rwanda in their opening game of the Victoria Series at the Lugogo Cricket Oval on Tuesday.
Having seen UAE defend an 85 run score against Kenya in the morning in the opening game of the tournament, Rwanda through their captain Diane Marie Bimenyimana went for the bat first after winning the toss hoping to emulate the Arab nation.
Bimenyimana during the toss had said that her decision was so they can set a score they can ‘defend easily’, but as it turned out, the decision went terribly wrong.
Consy Aweko, the captain who lost the toss, led from the front dismissing two wickets including her opposite number Bimenyimana. Opening batter Irene Alumo also sent two packing as well as Janet Mbabazi and Stephanie Nampiina who each picked one as Uganda restricted their South Western neighbors to 61 runs.
Rwanda might’ve believed the score was defendable because when the host’s innings arrived, Bimenyimana and her team came out all guns blazing. Uganda’s fiercest batter Proscovia Alako was sent back to the dugout with the second ball, and before the fifth Over clocked, Alako’s fellow opening batter, wicket keeper Kevin Awino was bowled out too.
But Janet Mbabazi (28 runs off 33 balls) and Stephanie Nampiina (18 runs off 25 balls) steadied the ship and although the latter was stumped in the 11th Over, Mbabazi and Immaculate Nakisuyi (*4 runs) saw of the game with 7 wickets left untouched.
Mbabazi the current reigning USPA Player of the Year walked away with the Player of the Match accolade that came with UGX 100k.
In the earlier game that bowled off the tourney, UAE beat Kenya by 15 runs. Kenya were brilliant with their fielding, but UAE proved a notch higher in that same field plus their bowling ensuring the East Africans came 15 runs shorter.
Kenya will now focus their attention on tomorrow’s game that has Rwanda on the menu in the afternoon game, while UAE will play Tanzania in the morning.
