Newly crowned Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) 50 Overs League Champions Stray Lions want to finish the season on a high despite attaining unassailable 60 points on the standings.
They beat Swamibapa 'A' by four wickets to recapture a title that has eluded them since 2017. With an apparently insatiable appetite for success, the Lions want to win their last match against immediate former champions, Kanbis 'A' to stretch their final tally to 64 points.
"We now want to win our last match match against the immediate former champions Kanbis next weekend to finish the competition on a high. Our next focus is the T20 tournament in which we are going for nothing less than the title," team manager Thota Sreenivas said.
Stray Lions, who won back-to-back league titles in 2016 and 2017, achieved the feat following their away win to Swamis today.
And with the title already in the already gone, focus now shifts to the tussle for second place between Swamibapa 'A' and Kanbis 'A'. Although Stray Lions still have to play one more game, they are 12 points clear of their weekend match adversaries Kanbis. This cannot be surpassed by either Swamis or Kanbis.
Should Kanbis beat the Lions in their last fixture and the Swamis win their remaining two fixtures, then they will both tie on 52 points, forcing the positions to be decided on run rate.
Thota attributes their general success to team work, cohesion and dedication. Thota explained: "Looking at the games we have played so far, all players have come through in every game and we were not really dependent on individual performances. All in all, team work was the key to success."
"Shem Ngoche has been outstanding as the highest wicket taker in the league while Krishna Babu has been awesome. He is currently the second highest run scorer. We also can't forget contributions from the others," Thota added.
"Hiren was one of the top five wicket takers in league and Alex Obanda's batting in the latterstages of the league, with back to back centuries against Sir Ali and Sikh Union and another half century to cap his season in style against the Swamis. Our bowling was great through and through and so was the fielding. Batting initially didn't click much but as League wore on, it picked up very well."
NPCA SUPER 50 OVERS2021,
Swamibapa A 206/10 (41.4 ov)Stray Lions A 210/6 (40.2 ov)Stray Lions A - Won by 4 wickets
Ruaraka A 241/9 (50.0 ov)Nairobi Gymkhana A115/10 (23.3 ov) Ruaraka A - Won by 126 runs
Obuya Academy A 239/10 (49.5 ov)Kanbis A 240/5 (33.5 ov)Kanbis A - Won by 5 wickets
