Kongonis victory gives Kenya boost

Kongonis gave the local support something to celebrate with victory over Uganda's Nile Knights in the final of the inaugural East Africa Cup. Originally scheduled for November, heavy rain had twice caused the game's postponement.

The Ugandans sides had dominated the two East Africa competitions, and the Twenty20 final the previous day had been between the two of them. Nile Knights, who defeated Rwenzori Warriors in that game, came back to the Gymkhana ground looking for a weekend double, but Kongonis, who had won the league stage of the event and boasted several internationals in the starting XI, held firm.

The Knights won the toss and chose to field, a tactic which worked well a day earlier, but their spinners, who had been stingy then proved far more expensive in the longer format. Duncan Allan, whose form in the past few months has been superb, led the Kongonis charge with an 84-ball 65, adding 100 for the third wicket with Rakep Patel who went on the make 92 off 79 balls. Even though wickets regularly fell once the pair had been separated, the run-rate did not and the Kongonis total of 280 for 7 always looked enough.

Kononis opened with an offspinner, Abdul Rehman, and the tactic worked as he took 4 for 32 to leave the Knights almost beaten on 78 for 5. A captain's innings of 68 not out from Davis Arinaitwe kept the match going the full distance but it came far too late to change the outcome.