The second edition of Batball Maxx got underway in style at the Lakeside Oval on Sunday, with Warriors and Strikers grabbing early wins on opening day.
- Blasters 130/10 in 19 overs (Simon Ssesazi 46, Abubakar Tigatola 17; Darshil Dalwadi 3/28)
- Warriors 145/9 20 overs (Wasim Butt 38, Harsh Panchal 25; Pius Oloka 4/20)
Warriors won by 15 runs
Warriors started their campaign with a hard-earned 15 run victory over Blasters, defending 145 after an up and down innings.
Wasim Butt held the innings together with a steady 38 off 38 while Ronald Lutaaya added a handy 15. The real spark came late from Robert Owili, who blasted 23 off 11 to lift Warriors to 145 for 9.
Blasters bowler Pius Oloka stole the spotlight with 4 for 20, including a brilliant hat-trick, while Yashashvi Joshi added two wickets.
In reply, Blasters looked promising through Simon Ssesazi’s 46, but the chase fell apart as wickets kept falling.
Tigatola Abubakar’s quick 17 off 7 briefly kept hopes alive, but Warriors closed the game out, bowling Blasters out for 130.
Harsh Panchal (3 for 23) and Darshil Dalwadi (3 for 28) led the Warriors with tight spells, while Joseph Baguma picked two key wickets, including Ssesazi, at just the right time.
In the afternoon match, Strikers calmly chased down Titans’ 125, reaching 127 for 5 with five overs left.
- Titans 125/10 in 18 overs (Conrad Lubwama 27, Amos Ahurra 22; Hamid Munigwa 3/23, Fortunate Alijuna 3/15, Adam Kassim 3/17)
- Strikers 127/5 in 15 overs (Fortunate Alijuna 44, Robinson Obuya 19;Siraje Nsubuga 3/21)
Strikers won by 5 wickets
Fortunate Alijuna was superb with an unbeaten 44 off 23, hitting four boundaries and two sixes to make the chase look simple. Robinson Obuya and Hassan Bagaga added useful runs to keep the momentum flowing.
Earlier, Titans were bundled out for 125 inside 19 overs, with Hamid Munigwa and Fortunate taking three wickets each as Strikers kept things tight throughout.
Action continues Monday, 8 December, with Gladiators facing Royals at 10:00am, before Blasters try to bounce back against in-form Strikers at 2:00pm.
