MSC, OCC introduce own cricket league
MD Syed Asif Gillani (C) after winning title last week
Mpingwe Sports Club (MSC) and Oriental Cricket Club (OCC) will today kick-start a cricket league to run parallel to the one organised by Malawi Cricket Union (MCU), MSC chairperson Akhbar Bhana has confirmed.
This comes few months after the two clubs refused to be affiliated to MCU following their disagreements with the union’s executive committee, which was ushered into office last December.
Bhana said the new league will be contested for by the two clubs’ 10 teams. It will run for two months at the MSC and the OCC.
“Our league will not be associated with the MCU as it is an event jointly established by the MSC and the OCC. Currently, we are not sponsored, but we hope to get corporate support along the way,” he said.
According to the league’s organising committee chairperson Saeed Limdawala, the competition will kick-off today with four games on the cards.
“MSC Purple will face MSC Black at the MSC in the morning before MSC Orange battle it out against MSC White in the afternoon. At the OCC, MSC Silver will take on MSC Gold Fattani from 8:30am to pave the way for an afternoon encounter between the hosts and MSC Blue,” said Limdawala.
Before this league, MSC and OCC organised a Kips’ Restaurant sponsored inter-club contest, which MSC Grey won last week after beating MSC Silver 138-135 runs in the finals.
Apparently, MSC and OCC shunned MCU affiliation because the body’s newly adopted constitution bars more than one team from a particular club to have a say at executive meetings and vote during MCU elections. MSC has nine teams while OCC has one outfit.
