In the final played on Monday, September 29 at Lugogo Cricket Oval, Sippi Trekkers beat Bujagaali Rafters by 4 wickets to win the inaugural Women’s Super 20.
Bujagaali Rafters batted first, losing 3 wickets in the opening 4 overs, but managed to bat for 20 overs, though being restricted to 66 runs.
In the second inning, Trekkers managed to chase Rafters’ score in 18 overs for a loss of 6 wickets. Melissa Ariokot picked up 5 in the 17th over, denying the Trekkers a win by 9 wickets. They kept from the 4th over to reach the 16th with 62 for a loss of one.
Following the loss, Rafters’ assistant captain and coach, Consy Aweko, praised the character showed by his team, “This has been fantastic, the girls have been brave for this. Losing is not a big deal, but the big heart, the resilience of the girls, is the most important takeaway from the game.”
“We have enjoyed playing with these youngsters. As national team players, we have got chances to interact more with them, and either side has learned from each other, and for us We also had a chance to guide these young players as we test for our coaching and leadership skills, and they have been good listeners, willing to learn from us,” Aweko added.
Earlier in the morning, the Trekkers first took on Itanda Kayakers, winning by 15 runs as the Kayakers failed in chasing, though Ritah Musamali played brilliantly, powering 59 runs from 35 balls faced.
In the Eliminator first inning, the Trekkers set up 124 runs, which was successfully defended. The game proved to be a turning point, having only won one game and points from a washed-off game earlier in the tournament.
With the Trekkers winning the team event, Rita Musamali, playing for Itanda Kayakers, became the best batter of the tournament, making 237 runs. Melissa Ariokot won the best bowler’s award, having picked up 14 wickets with an economy of 3.2, while Immaculate Nakisuuyi was the Most Valuable Player, rumbling with 272 points.
Richard Okia, the head of High Performance, revealed the purpose of the tournament and its future: “As we look to track exceptional cricket talents, we decided to come up with this tournament aiming to bring female of tinder age giving them experiences with senior players, for this time.” The performance has been great.
We hope to hold this in each holiday, as we hope in the future to attract players from outside countries, since in the concept we also look at amplifying tourism in Uganda’s best sceneries like Bujagali, and it is the reason behind the team’s naming,” he added.
