By The Arusha News Reporter
Telugu and ACC registered convincing wins in their respective opening matches of the Arusha Cricket League (ARCC) T20 last week at the St. Constatine grounds.
In the first match, Telugu won the toss and elected to field, sending Kilimeru in to bat. Kilimeru managed 127 for nine wickets in their allotted overs with Aliabbas Somji top-scoring with 40 runs. Telugu bowlers maintained consistent pressure with captain Vinay Kumar claiming two wickets for 20 runs while Sandeep picked up three wickets for 24 runs.
In reply, Telugu lost wickets at regular intervals with Hamza Saajan returning figures of three wickets for 17 runs. Despite the setbacks, Telugu successfully chased the target in 15 overs, finishing on 128 for seven wickets. Captain Harshil Patel scored 38 runs while Wilbert added a crucial 40 in the middle order to secure the win.
In the second match, ACC stunned TCA by seven wickets in their tournament opener under overcast conditions. After winning the toss, ACC opted to bat first. Their seamers dominated early proceedings, led by Karimu, whose short-pitched bowling unsettled the TCA top order.
TCA openers Justine and Mbawana started cautiously, reaching 26 runs by the fourth over before Mbawana was dismissed by Parimal, ending a 45-run opening stand. The loss triggered a slowdown in scoring with TCA struggling to rotate the strike through the middle overs. By the 10th over, TCA had reached 69 runs for the loss of two wickets.
ACC rotated their bowling attack, using eight bowlers in total. TCA scored only 28 runs in eight overs bowled by Manan, Jaimin Bapu, Gaurav Pandey and Risabh. The middle order failed to accelerate and TCA closed their innings on 103 for five wickets. Issa took two wickets, while Parimal, Manan and Karimu claimed one each.
ACC’s chase began steadily with openers Jaimin and Shyam Soni scoring 11 runs in the first two overs. Soni later accelerated, striking boundaries and a six, but was dismissed in the fifth over as ACC reached 38 for two. Issa and Amit then added 35 runs for the third wicket before Issa was caught at the boundary for 35.
Gaurav Pandey joined Amit and struck two sixes to maintain momentum. The pair remained unbeaten, adding 35 runs off 18 deliveries to guide ACC to victory with several overs to spare.
The league continues this weekend at the same venue.
