- Strikers 82/10 in 14 overs (Robinson Obuya 33, Fortunate Alijuna 25; Aziz Abdul Tandia 5/4, Edwin Nuwagaba 2/12)
- Gladiators 83/6 in 14.1 overs ( Paul Mulongo 39, Edwin Nuwagaba 15; Yunus Sowobi 2/10)
Gladiators won by 4 wickets (DLS)
Gladiators kept their unbeaten run alive on Wednesday afternoon, holding their nerve in another rain hit contest to beat the Strikers by four wickets with two balls to spare at the Lakeside Oval in Entebbe.
Three games in, and they remain flawless in the Batball MAXX Challenge Cup.
In a 14 Over match, the Strikers started brightly through captain Robinson Obuya (33 off 25) and opener Fortunate Alijuna (25 off 19), reaching 70/2 in the ninth over. But the innings fell apart as seven wickets crashed for just nine runs.
Edwin Nuwagaba opened the door in the 13th over, and Aziz Abdul Tandia stormed through it, tearing up the middle and lower order for extraordinary figures of 5 for 4 in three overs.
The Strikers were bowled out for 82, a score that still looked challenging on a tricky surface.
Chasing 83, the Gladiators also slipped. They were 11/3 and later 31/5 as the Strikers sniffed an upset.
But Paul Mulongo stood firm with a composed 39 off 28, timing his shots and boundaries perfectly.
Lower-order support from Nuwagaba (15) and Jonathan Kizza (9*) steadied things, before Mulongo steered a fine-leg boundary with three needed in the final over to finish 83/6 in 14.1.
The win keeps the Gladiators top of the table on six points and shows they can grind out results under pressure, an encouraging sign as the competition tightens.
Action continues tomorrow with Warriors facing Titans, before the in form Gladiators meet the Blasters in the afternoon.
