- Gold 61/6 (Obuya Robinson 31, Kenneth Waiswa 7)
- Ruby 36/7 (Fred Achelam 12, Brian Asaba 10)
- Gold won by 25 runs
Ruby’s struggles continued as they wrapped up their round-robin phase with a disappointing 25-run loss to Gold in a high-paced MAXX showdown at the Lugogo Cricket Oval on Thursday morning.
Despite their previous record chase against Sapphire, Ruby failed to find the spark needed to overcome Gold’s aggressive batting display.
Gold, batting first, came out firing, posting 61 runs in just five overs despite losing six wickets. The charge was led by Obuya Robinson, who smashed 31 runs off just 9 balls, including five sixes, before falling to Mathew Musinguzi.
However, Ruby’s bowlers, especially Juma Miyaji (2/13) and Mathew Musinguzi (2/8), kept the damage somewhat contained. Juma struck twice early, dismissing Wasim Butt and captain Kenneth Waiswa, while Musinguzi cleaned up Steven Wabwose in a crucial over.
Despite these wickets, the rapid scoring from Obuya and some late contributions from Olipa Gerald (6) ensured that Gold set an imposing target.
Chasing 62, Ruby needed a strong start but stumbled right from the beginning. Kenneth Waiswa (2/15) struck early, dismissing Roger Mukasa (4) and Anas Baig for a duck.
Things only got worse as Zappy Maurice Bimenyimana (1/12) and Jonathan Ssebanja (3/2) ripped through the middle order.
Despite a brief counterattack from Fred Achelam (12), Ruby couldn’t build momentum, losing wickets at regular intervals. Brian Asaba (10) and Edwin Nuwagaba (7) tried to salvage the chase, but it wasn’t enough. Ruby limped to 36/7 in their 5 overs, falling 25 runs short.
This defeat means Ruby finishes the round-robin phase with just one win, which came in a record chase against Sapphire.
Meanwhile, the tournament continues in the afternoon, with Emerald set to take on Sapphire in a crucial fixture that will finalize the round-robin phase ahead of the semifinal matchups on Saturday, March 22nd.
