Tornado Bees Cricket Club are the new kings of Uganda’s National 50-Over League after defeating JACC by 78 runs on Sunday at the Jinja SSS Oval to secure the Gold Group title.
The victory ended Kutchi Tigers’ dominance of the competition and lifted Tornado Bees to 12 points, enough to seal the championship with matches still to play for Kutchi Tigers.
Even though the Tigers defeated Mukono Warriors by five wickets in Entebbe, their tally of eight points left them unable to catch the leaders.
Tornado Bees built their title winning performance on a strong batting display. After losing two early wickets, Anas Baig counterattacked with a quick 66 off 46 balls before Roger Galiwango Mukasa took control of the innings with a brilliant 83 from 64 deliveries. Jonathan Ssebanja added 43 as the Bees posted a challenging 296 all out in 47.5 overs.
- Tornado Bees 296/10 in 47.5 Overs
- JACC 218/5 in 50 Overs
Tornado Bees CC won by 78 Runs
Faced with a target of 297, JACC struggled to keep pace. Captain Kenneth Waiswa led the resistance with 63 while Nyiiro Johnathan contributed 45, but regular wickets and disciplined bowling kept the chase in check.
Jonathan Ssebanja completed an impressive all-round performance with two wickets as Tornado Bees restricted JACC to 218 for five in their 50 overs.
The result crowned a season of consistency for Tornado Bees, who have been among the league’s strongest sides throughout the campaign. Their triumph marks a changing of the guard in Uganda’s domestic cricket, with the Bees finally replacing Kutchi Tigers.
Elsewhere, fourth-placed SKLPS Cricket Club defeated second-placed Avengers Cricket Club by four wickets in the Silver Group.
