coast pitch progress 3: Coast Gymkhana

Top Left: Taken July 28 2009,
top right:Taken July 28 2009,
Bottom Left:Taken May 17 2009
Bottom Right: Taken may 7th 2009

Once again, this looks like pretty good progress to me. How given this obviously visible progress can the ICC possibly say the grounds will not be ready. Looking at the most recent picture, this is a far better ground condition than we have seen from many sub-continent Test matches. Once again a different rule for the full members to the associates. Poor form ICC!

Progress on pitches at coast 2: MSC

photo on left taken on May 17 by CCA, photo on right taken 28 July 09 by CCA.
Again, this is looking pretty good to be ready by Feb...

Progress on pitches at coast 1: Aaryans (practice venue)

Aaryan Ground (was to be used as a practice pitch)
right photo taken May 17 2009 by CCA
left photo taken June 28 by CCA

Looks like it will be more than ready by February 2010 to me

NPCA 50 Overs League fixtures week 3

Super	Swamibapa 'A'	Kanbis 'A'	Premier Club
Super	Kanbis 'B'	Telca	Eastleigh High
Super	SCLYL 'A'	Sir Ali 'A'	Pindolia Academy
I	Kongonis Dev	Nbi Gymkhana	Nairobi Club
I	Nbi Jafferys	Nbi Nookers 'A'	Nbi Jafferys
I	Ngara	Premier	Ngara Sports Club
I	Ruaraka 'A'	Swamibapa 'B'	Ruaraka Club
II	Golden XI	Aga Khan	Highridge Primary
II	Qutbis	Goan Institute 'A'	Seifee Park
II	Sir Ali 'B'	SCLYL 'B'	Sir Ali Club
II	Stray Lion 'B'	Simba Union 'B'	Peponi School
III	Goan Institute 'B'	Nairobi Nookers 'B'	Goan Institute
III	Parklands	Ruaraka 'B'	Parklands Sports
III	Aaryan	Oshwal XI	Nairobi School
III	Women's XI	Bye	Bye
Super	Simba Union 'A'	Kanbis 'A'	Simba Union

NPCA 50 Over League week 3 Preview

It will be an interesting week in the Super Division with two of the title holders facing off when Swamibapa 'A' host long time rivals Kanbis 'A'. Both teams are in fine form and will be looking to put an early season dint in their opponens title hopes. Whoever wins this game will sit clear at the top as Stray Lions 'A' are not scheduled to play this weekend, their match from this round vs Simba Union 'A' not being played until the 6th of September. Thomas Odoyo's Telca will look to break into the top four with a win over Kanbis 'B'.

In Division 1 the game of the round will be at Ngara who host early leaders Premier Club. A home win will bring Ngara level on points with Premier, but should the visitors dominate, they will consolidate their lead at the top of the table. If Premier stumble, both Kongonis Development and Ruaraka have games they should win which could keep the battle wide open.

Stray Lions 'B' come up against a stiff challenge to maintain their unbeaten start to the season as they meet Simba Union 'B'. Their early challengers for top spot, will probably have little trouble also making it three from three even if their opponents, Qutbis actually show up. Full fixture list to follow shortly.

On an individual basis, the early runners for the highest season score or top figures in their respective disciplines are as follows:

Batsman	Score	club	week
Steve Tikolo	175	Stray Lions A	1
Rakep Patel	138	Kanbis A	2
David Tikolo	123*	Swamibapa B	1
Duncan Allen	120	Kongonis Development	1
Kalpesh ?	103	Aaryan XI	1
Nehemiah Odhiambo	101	Swamibapa A	1
John Mariga	100	Ngara	1

Bowler	wkts	runs	Club	opposition	Week
Keval Patel	7	39	Aga Khan	SCLYL B	1
Nehemiah Odhiambo	6	26	Swamibapa A	Kanbis B	1
Nadeem ?	5	18	Stray Lions B	Golden XI	1
Saleem C?	5	27	Goan Institute A	Simba Union B	2
Darshit Shah	5	72	Stray Lions A	Simba Union A	1

Suji to coach team in Canada

With the new national coach yet to be chosen, it is understood that Martin Suji will travel in that capacity when Kenya tour Canada next month. According to a report in today's Nation it will now not be until September that the new coach is named. This is a frustrating delay in some ways as it may well be almost half way through the current Intercontinental Cup campaign before he takes charge. Given that there will then be a settling in period, Kenya's fate in the competition may well be as good as sealed by the time his influence kicks in. According to the article, 5 shortlisted coaches will be invited travel to Kenya for one-on-one interviews in August. It is not clear who will be footing the bill for this.

While the delay is frustrating, it gives further experience to Suji who could possibly be the man to step permanently into this role in the future, or sooner should he be able to get results while he is in charge. Ultimately, a home-grown coach would be ideal for Kenya provided they were of sufficient standard.

With most of the current national team also in fine form in the NPCA league, it looks unlikely that there will be much change to the team when it is announced next week. On current form, the one player outside the national squad who is returning exceptional figures is Stray Lions bowler Darshit Shah. Another good weekend ahead and it would surely make it hard for the selectors not to at least consider him. He is the only bowler to have so far picked up 4+ wickets in both weeks, though Nehemiah Odhiambo does match his 9 wickets so far for the season.

NPCA 2009 50 Over LeagueTables Week 2

SUPER
TEAM	P	WIN	DRAW	BAT	BOWL	BON	PEN	TOT
Kanbis 'A'	2	24	0	7	8	0	0	39
Swamibapa 'A'	2	24	0	7	8	0	0	39
Stray Lions 'A'	2	24	0	4	8	2	0	38
Telca	2	12	0	6	8	0	0	26
Simba Union 'A'	2	12	0	0	8	2	0	22
Kanbis 'B'	2	0	0	3	7	0	0	10
SCLYL 'A'	2	0	0	0	5	0	0	5
Sir Ali 'A'	2	0	0	0	1	0	-1	0
DIV I
TEAM	P	WIN	DRAW	BAT	BOWL	BON	PEN	TOT
Premier	2	24	0	2	8	2	0	36
Kongonis Dev	2	12	0	4	7	0	0	23
Ruaraka 'A'	2	12	0	3	8	2	0	23
Ngara	2	12	0	2	4	2	0	20
Nbi.Nookers 'A'	1	12	0	2	4	0	0	18
Swamibapa 'B'	1	12	0	3	3	0	0	18
Nbi.Gymkhana	2	0	0	0	7	0	0	7
Nbi.Jafferys	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	2
DIV II
TEAM	P	WIN	DRAW	BAT	BOWL	BON	PEN	TOT
Goan Institute 'A	2	24	0	4	8	2	0	38
Stray Lions 'B'	2	24	0	0	8	4	0	36
SCLYL ' B'	2	12	0	1	2	8	0	23
Simba Union 'B'	2	12	0	0	1	8	0	21
Golden XI	2	12	0	0	4	2	0	18
Aga Khan	2	12	0	1	4	0	0	17
Sir Ali 'B'	2	0	0	0	5	0	0	5
Qutbis	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
DIV III
TEAM	P	WIN	DRAW	BAT	BOWL	BON	PEN	TOT
Parklands	2	24	0	1	8	2	-2	33
Aaryans XI	2	12	0	5	6	0	0	23
Nbi Nookers ' B'	2	12	0	3	6	0	0	21
Goan Institute 'B'	1	12	0	0	0	8	0	20
Ruaraka 'B'	1	12	0	0	4	2	0	18
Oshwal XI	2	0	0	0	7	0	0	7
Women XI	2	0	0	0	4	0	0	4

NPCA 50 Over League Results Week 2

NPCA LEAGUE SUMMARISED RESULTS - 50 OVERS - Week 2
26th.July 2009
DIVISION SUPER
Kanbis 'B' v		Kanbis 'A'	at Eastleigh: Kanbis ‘A’ Won by 48 runs
254 All Out		302 All Out
Dhirendra - 56		Rakep - 138
Jitendra - 45		Rajesh B - 64
Harish - 3/31		Jagdish - 3/43
Alpesh - 3/34		Harish V - 3/56
Super SCLYL ‘A' v		Telca	at Pindolia: Telca Won by 193 runs
124 All Out		317 / 7 Wkts Runs
Snehal - 37		Thomas O - 60
Sunil - 24		Newton - 59
Luseno - 4/16		Kanti R - 2/41
Thampy - 3/27		Lalji V - 2/69
Super Stray Lions 'A' v		Sir Ali 'A'	at Peponi: Stray Lions 'A' Won by 9 Wkts
98/1Wkt		94 All Out
J.Kamande - 31*		Faraz Butt - 37
David O - 34		Aslam - 14
Shiraz - 1/41		Darshit Shah- 4/22
		Hiren Varaiya 4/24
Super Simba Union 'A' v '		Swamibapa 'A	at Simba: Swamibapa 'A' Won by 228 Runs
130 All Out		358 All Out
Runish Shah - 51		Mitesh S - 80
S.Gore - 11*		Tony Suji – 67
Shem Obada - 3/13		Runish Shah -3/69
Nehemiah Odhiambo 3/15		Karan K - 2/25
Division One
Ruaraka 'A' v		Kongonis Dev	at Ruaraka: Kongonis Dev Won by 69 Runs
177 All Out			246 All Out
Luv Hirani – 40		William Rudd -74
Rikesh G – 25		Chris Childs - 49
Duncan Allen -3/35		Manoj A - 3/30
Bernard O - 3/42		Aashit - 3/38
Premier v		Nbi Gymkhana	at Premier: Premier Won by 168 Runs
244/9 Wkts		76 All Out
Brijan Patel - 61		Nihir Patel - 20
Saishav Patel – 56		Hiraj Parmar - 13
Murtaza - 3/45		Brijan Patel - 4/9
Dil Patel - 2/33		Sanjiv Patel - 2/21
Ngara v		Nbi Jafferys	at Ngara: Ngara Won by 6 Wkts
125/4Wkts		122 All Out
Karan Patel - 45		Charles Obuya - 70
Harsh Patel - 39		Shoeb - 13
Shanuabbas - 3/21		Bharat P - 4/16
Tahseen - 1/27		Siddarth - 2/21
DIVISION TWO
Aga Khan v		Stray Lions ' B'	at Jafferys: Stray Lions 'B' Won by 9 Wkts
89 All Out		90/1 Wkt
Sir Ali 'B' v		Golden XI	at Sir Ali: Golden XI Won by 7 Wkts
132 All Out		137 / 3 Wkts
Tariq – 25		Kamlesh - 29
Zeeshan – 22		Mitesh - 23
Kamlesh - 3 Wkts		Mahmood - 2/9
Sanish - 2 Wkts		Bilal - 1/15
Qutbis v		SCLYL 'B'	at Seifee: SLCLY 'B' awarded Walk-Over
Qutbis did not turn up.
Goan Institute 'A' v		Simba Union 'B	at G.I: Goan Institute 'A' Won by 7 Wkts
89 For 3 Wkts		88 All Out
Charles - 37*		Purohit - 24
Ritesh P - 36		Rahul - 13
Raju L - 1/6		Saleem C - 5/27
Jagga - 1/11		Ritesh P - 3/24
DivisionThree
Parklands v		Nbi Nookers 'B'	at Parklands: Parklands Won by 5 Wkts
51/5 Wkts		50 All Out
Oshwal XI v		Ruaraka 'B'	at Highridge: Ruaraka 'B' Won by 3 Wkts
100 All Out		104/7 Wkts
Josephat - 29		Mitesh - 33
Hitesh - 13*		Sandeep - 10
Sandeep - 3/1		Jay - 2/11
Mitesh - 3/50		Ketul - 2/13
Aaryan XI v		Women XI	at Nbi: Sch Aaryans XI Won by 142 Runs
217 All Out		75 All Out
Bernard - 42		Aimeen Maria - 10
Ramesh - 39		Kalpesh - 4/20
Ruth - 4/41		Hiren - 2/17
Belinda - 3/43
Goan Institute 'B'		Bye

Odhiambo again the man for Swamibapa

Super League:

Nehemiah Odhiambo turned in another fine all round performance as Swamibapa trounced Simba Union by 228 runs in their second convincing win of the NPCA season. Batting first, Swamibapa scored an imposing 358 with several batsmen chipping in with Half Centuries: Maurice Ouma 62, Nehemiah Odiambo 66 and Tony Suji 67 while Mitesh Sangani top scored with 80. Odhiambo then took 3 for15, Shem Obado 3 for 13 and Elijah Otieno 2 for 19 as Simba Union were bundled out for 130, only Runish Shah (51) making an impression with the bat. Shah earlier stood out with the ball for Simba picking up 3-69.

Report – Joseph Angara

Stray Lions(18 points) captained by Jimmy Kamande registered their second win this season when they beat Sir Ali Sports Club by nine wickets at the Peponi School Ground on Sunday in their NPCA Super League match which was umpired by Subhash Modi and Daniel Macdonald.

Sir Ali Sports Club won the toss and elected to bat first and were soon in trouble against the tight bowling of Darshit Shah (4-22) and Hiren Varaiya (4-24). Sir Ali Sports Club were bowled out for 94 runs in 35.3 overs. Their top scorers were Faraz Bhutt 37 and Aslam 14.

Stray Lions did not have much problem in scoring the required runs - 98 for 1 wicket in 11.5 overs thanks mainly to David Obuya 34, Jimmy Kamande 31 Not Out and Peter Kituku 23 not out.

Rakep Patel meanwhile showed why he should be given more responsibility for the National Team as he stroked a chanceless 138 in the battle between the two Kanbis sides, the only century of the round. Kanbis A went on to win by 48 runs, Rajesh Bhudia also chipping in with 60 runs.

Telca recorded their first win of the season as they coasted to a 193 run thumping of Sir Ali. Thomas Odoyo (60) and Newton Muthee (59) were the stars with the bat while Alfred Luseno took 4-16 and Vikram Thampy 3-27 in an easy run in the field.

Division 1:

Kongonis Development side turned around their first week loss with a solid 69 run win over Ruaraka. Batting first, Kongonis made 246 with the main contributors being William Rudd (76), Chris Childs (49), Duncan Allen (21), dominic Wesonga (19) and Hugo Norman (18). Manoj (A...?) 3-30 and Aashit (...?) 3-38 were the best bowlers for Ruaraka. In restricting Ruaraka to 177, Allen was the pick taking 3 for 35 off 9 while Bernard (O...?) took 3 for 42 off 9.3 and Wesonga was most economical with 2 for 20 off 10.Luv Hirani top scored for Ruaraka with 40.

Report – Dominic Wesonga

Division 2:

Golden XI won yesterday against Sir Ali 'B'. Sir Ali won the toss and elected to bat, they scored 132 all out with Tariq top scoring on 25. in reply Golden X1 easily reached the target with some aggressive play from the opening batsmen Mitesh(24) and Kamlesh(29)

Report - Charles Kariuki

The Ladies XI cricket side lost their opening match of the season by 143 runs to Aaryans on Sunday. But despite the loss the girls put a spirited fight to resctrict the hosts to 220 despite being on 76 for 0 at one stage. Ruth Mwihaki stared with 4 wickets. But the batting was the let down once again. Hope we will see improvement in the next match when they face Ruaraka. Report - Dun Okinyo

Keep the results coming in please, we will update as we can - Full results are out and will follow in a separate post