Jinja SSS crowned winners of Sky View Boys’ Cricket Week champions

Jinja, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Jinja Senior Secondary School have been crowned as the Sky View Boys’ Cricket Week champions. They defeated Busoga College Mwiri on Saturday at the Jinja cricket oval.

Jinja SSS excelled with a difference of 50 runs after beating Mwiri with 130/8 against 80/10.

This marked Mwiri’s first-ever decisive loss, where they had claimed bragging rights in the sport for the last 20 years.

The victory earned Jinja SSS their fifth title in this tournament, whereas, the Mwirians were unable to win their 20th trophy in the tourney.

Mwiri’s team captain, Gerald Olipa, who was also crowned as the most valuable player of the tournament blames their loss on inconsistencies by key players, which offered their opponents with clear opportunities of making more runs in the shortest time possible.

Olipa says that this wide margin created pressure on the team, with most of them making avoidable mistakes, which cost them today’s game.

Olipa also says that most of the senior players on the team are in candidate classes and were unable to feature in this year’s tournament offering room to debutants, with limited exposure to high-intensity games.

Olipa further shared a light moment about the opportunity of facing off with his fellow U-19 cricket crane teammate, Paul Mulongo, who captained Jinja SSS, arguing that, they both share experiences as promising career cricketers and offering them an opportunity to challenge each other is essential for their tenacity in the sport.

Mulongo attributed their victory to exposure and the ability of the players to embrace the instructions from the coaches. “The Jinja cricket oval is hosted at Jinja SSS here, offering us daily training opportunities, coupled with exposure to largely veteran cricketers, frequenting the oval for mini-tournaments. These opportunities have daily created boldness within us to challenge any opponent irrespective of their stature in the sport,” he says.

Mulongo notes that, as he ages out of school cricket, he is hopeful that, such victories inspire young students in lower classes to embrace the mantle of developing the sport to greater heights.

Meanwhile, the Uganda Cricket Association’s development manager, Davis Turinawe says that the Boys’ Cricket Week is gaining momentum with this year’s tournament attracting a total of 18 schools and 288 players on one ground to compete.

Turinawe says that, during the assessment, they have been able to identify improved butting and balling capabilities amongst the young players, which is key in transforming the nation’s cricket into a money-minting sport.

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