Sahara Elite League

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The Sahara Elite League (also known as Zonal League) was a four team cricket competition created by Cricket Kenya featuring a Twenty20 tournament, a one day cricket tournament and finally a three-day cricket tournament. [1] For the inaugural league four teams competed, consisting of the 60 best players according to Cricket Kenya from Kenya. [2]

Contents

Tournament history

The first, and what was to be the only, edition of the competition involved four franchises, the Northern Nomads, the Eastern Aces, the Southern Stars, and the Western Chiefs. The teams were captained by National team players, Steve Tikolo, Thomas Odoyo, Kennedy Obuya, and Peter Ongondo 2008. [3] The inaugural T20 Competition, played in February 2008, was won by the Eastern Aces, [4] while the first 50 over competition was won by the Northern Nomads, [5] However the 3-day format of the competition was postponed due to unfavourable weather to June [6] Further difficulties in availability of players, many of whom were in school, meant that the first season of the three-dayers had to be compressed to two days a match. [7] The league was sponsored by South African, Sahara Computers, African Cricket Association and others. [8]

Squads

Northern NomadsEastern AcesSouthern StarsWestern Chiefs
Thomas Odoyo (Captain)
David Obuya
Alfred Luseno
Jimmy Kamande
Rakep Patel
Shashikant Sanghani
Josephat Ababu
Dominic Wesonga
Emmanuel Bundi Ringeera
Kewal Patel
Shem Ngoche
Jalat Khan Naseri
Kalpesh Patel
Anan Gore
Jagdish Khetani
Mohammed Fazal
Bernard Owino (Manager)
Joseph Angara (Coach)
Steve Tikolo (Captain)
Newton Muthee
Elijah Otieno
Alex Obanda
Anish Prabhakar
Nelson Odhiambo
Harshil Sanghani
Ramesh Mepani
Vijay Kalyan
Lameck Onyango
Charles Obuya
Amit Bhudia
Jeshani Naran
Kush Parmar
Mitesh Shanghani
Sagar Karia
Daniel Macdonald (Manager)
Shahid Bwibo (Coach)
Kennedy Obuya (Captain)
Nehemiah Odhiambo
Rajesh Bhudia
Hiren Varaiya
Peter Kituku
Ashwin Prabhakar
Alpesh Bhudia
Darshit Shah
Amit Shukla
Ashish Bhatt
Brijal Patel
Jai Trivedi
Rajesh Varsani
Stewart Kayne
Dharmendra Mepani
Zahir Abbas
Davinder Bharij (Manager)
Alfred Njuguna (Coach)
Peter Ongondo (Captain)
Morris Ouma
Moses Otieno
Collins Obuya
Ken Migai
David Maina
Harish Varsani
Pritesh Lalji
Hassan Abdi
James Ngoche
Prakash Pindolia
Malhar Patel
Jadavji Jesani
Tony Suji
Amit Bij
David Tikolo (Manager)
Martin Suji (Coach)

Results

Three-day matches

14–15 June
Scorecard
Northern Nomads
v
Eastern Aces
51/1
David Obuya 19 (38)
Elijah Otieno 1/22
  • Northern Nomads won the toss and elected to bat

14–15 June
Scorecard
Western Chiefs
v
Eastern Aces
119 all out (41.2 overs)
Collins Obuya 46 (75)
Hiren Varaiya 3/16 (6.2 overs)
249 all out
Kennedy Otieno 134* (163)
Tony Suji 3/46 (14 overs)
159 all out (67.3 overs)
Tony Suji 56 (114)
Hiren Varaiya 5/32 (21.3 overs)
22/3 (3 overs)
Dharmendra Mepani 13* (6)
Tony Suji 2/4 (1 overs)
  • Southern Stars won the toss and elected to field

21–22 June
Scorecard
Eastern Aces
v
Southern Stars
  • No toss made

21–22 June
Scorecard
Western Chiefs
v
Northern Nomads
77 all out (28.5 overs)
Harish Vekaria 31 (64)
Alfred Luseno 3/26 (9 overs)
171 all out (54.2 overs)
Shem Ngoche 51* (89)
Peter Ongondo 4/36 (15 overs)
163 all out (54.2 overs)
Tony Suji 44 (91)
Thomas Odoyo 3/14 (6 overs)
62/1 (8.3 overs)
David Obuya 28* (23)
Moses Otieno 1/28 (4 overs)
  • Northern Nomads won the toss and elected to field

28–29 June
Scorecard
Eastern Aces
v
Western Chiefs
239 all out (81 overs)
Kush Parmar 75 (160)
James Ngoche 4/63 (20 overs)
208 all out (55 overs)
Morris Ouma 63 (75)
Ramesh Mepani 5/26 (8 overs)
130/9 (36.1 overs)
Steve Tikolo 59 (99)
Peter Ongondo 3/17 (8 overs)
  • Eastern Aces won the toss and elected to bat

28–29 June
Scorecard
Northern Nomads
v
Southern Stars
246 all out (89.1 overs)
Rakep Patel 75 (119)
Hiren Varaiya 5/56 (32.1 overs)
232 all out (71.2 overs)
Kennedy Otieno 126 (144)
Dominic Wesonga 3/58 (17 overs)
29/1 (4 overs)
David Obuya 17 (11)
Hiren Varaiya 1/2 (2 overs)
  • Northern Nomads won the toss and elected to bat

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References

  1. "Chiefs, Aces start Elite Leagues in emphatic fashion". cricketeurope4.net. 24 January 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  2. "Invites out for Zonal League players". cricketeurope4.net. 24 January 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  3. http://www.cricketeurope4.net/DATABASE/ARTICLES2/articles/000027/002735.shtml, Sahara Elite League starts this weekend
  4. http://uk.cricinfo.com/kenya/content/story/339753.html, Tikolo leads Aces to Twenty20 title
  5. http://uk.cricinfo.com/kenya/content/story/342737.html, Nomads edge out the Aces
  6. https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/sahara-national-elite-league-two-day-2008-336575
  7. Cricinfo staff 9 June 2008: http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/kenya/content/story/354126.html Kenya's three-day become a two-day,
  8. http://uk.cricinfo.com/kenya/content/story/336533.html, Cricket Kenya launches elite league