The opening season of Batball Open 2022/23 came to a close on Saturday, April 8, 2023 in Kamengo at the Serenity Oval with the West edition that also doubled as the fifth edition of the campaign.
In the recent past, the Batball Open was held in the East, Nile, North and Central regions of the country with all being played under a common vice in the region with “Keeping Persona Hygiene” being attached to the West leg.
For the West edition, the first day of the competition had five great games on the scorecard that saw at least each team pick up a win with Kanyonza going above the line with two wins before Oruyongoyongo booked a final spot in the morning game after edging Enyawawa by 10 runs.
Oruyongoyongo went on to record a 27 run win in a well-deserved final against Kanyonza to join the respective regional champions such as Ejibat (East), Buutu (Nile), Agak (North) and Akasumagizi (Central).
The tournament attracted 56 players in four teams named after common birds attached to the region as they showcased their talent globally on Batball.tv.
Unlike other editions, the West edition saw a number of boundaries in most of the games with most games registering scores above 60 runs.
Yusuf Nanga, who was Chairman LOC West Edition says that the tournament has helped showcase talent in the region.
“This tournament is a sign that the Western part of Uganda is capable of producing talent and such opportunities will help the players and coaches to reflect on the talent at hand,” said Nanga.
16 best players from this region will go on to represent the region at the upcoming Batball X this June in what one could refer to as inter-regional tournament.
Martin Ondeko who is the COO Batball Uganda Limited says that the Batball Open will be an annual event going forward as they seek to broaden the wings of cricket throughout the nation.
“Such tournaments will not be a one off. Competitions will be seen in different regions of Uganda yearly as we continue to carve pathways for the young talent to take off with our partners,” said Ondeko.
*Individual Awards
MVP – Lugasa Abdulakim (Enyawawa)
Best Bestman – Ignitious Tumusiime (Entuha)
Best bowler – Rayan Tendo (Kayonza)
Best Wicketkeeper – Blair Nyesigamukama (Kayonza)
Best Fielder – Ronald Bwambale (Enyawawa)
