Jinja Secondary School completed a memorable SkyView Boys Schools Cricket Week campaign by defeating Shree Sahajanand Uganda.
The eight-wicket victory at the Nyakasura School ground saw them secure their sixth title, bringing an unbeaten Shree Uganda campaign to a dramatic end.
Shree Uganda won the toss and elected to bat first, hoping to repeat the approach that had served them well in their semifinal victory over defending champions Busoga College Mwiri.
With the Nyakasura outfield offering plenty of value for shots, Shree appeared to have their sights set on a total in the region of 170, which could have provided a challenging target in a final.
However, Jinja SS produced a disciplined bowling and fielding performance to prevent Shree from building the innings they needed.
Jinja followed their game plan closely, relying exclusively on their pace bowlers against a Shree side that had shown vulnerability against seam bowling on a lively surface.
Shree captain Het Pindoria led the resistance with 33 runs, while Uganda Under-19 player Devansh Patel added 39. They shared a second-wicket partnership of 64 from 50 balls.
However, they struggled to accelerate and lost wickets at crucial moments as Jinja tightened their grip on the innings.
Juma Ssenyondo was the standout bowler for Jinja, claiming 3 wickets and conceding only 18 runs from his four overs.
Enock Muwanguzi added a wicket, while Jinja’s sharp fielding proved equally decisive with five run-outs, turning pressure into wickets and restricting Shree to 130 all out in their 20 overs.
Jinja’s response was aggressive from the outset, with Hariom Dudharejiaya anchoring the chase with an unbeaten 50, while Michu Faizo contributed 22 before being run out.
Player of the Match Juma Ssenyondo then produced the decisive acceleration, smashing a rapid 48 to keep the chase firmly in Jinja’s control.
Despite losing two wickets through run-outs, Jinja never allowed Shree to recover, reaching the target in just 15.2 overs to finish on 131/2.
Hariom’s unbeaten half-century and Ssenyondo’s explosive 48 completed a commanding eight-wicket victory in front of a vibrant and vocal crowd at Nyakasura School.
Despite Jinja SS opening the tournament with a loss to Soroti SS, they recovered to deliver their sixth Schools Cricket Week championship.
Earlier, hosts Nyakasura School signed off their home tournament in style, defeating Gulu High School by six wickets in the placement final.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:
MVP: Trevor Azikiriza (580 points) — Busoga College Mwiri
Best Batter: Marvin Ouma (270 runs) — Gulu High School
Best Bowler: Derrick Matte (16 wickets) — Jinja Senior Secondary School
Best Wicketkeeper: Areeb Faiz (11 dismissals) — Shree Sahajanand Uganda
Best Fielder: Abdulai Yusuf (10 catches and 6 run-outs) — Soroti SS
