The race to the Super Four in the 2025 Edo Men’s Cricket League just got hotter and the Dolphins are right back in the swim.
After crashing to a 48-run defeat against Uniben Cricket Club over the weekend, Dolphins CC looked like a team losing grip on their Super Four dream.
But on Sunday, they rose from the canvas with the resilience of contenders, sealing back-to-back victories that catapulted them into the top three.
In their first game of the day, Dolphins edged a nervy 7-run win over the U-17 Cricket Club. Batting first after winning the toss, they scratched their way to 64 runs before being bowled out in 17.1 overs.
It looked shaky, but their bowlers came up big, choking the chase and dismissing the youngsters for 57 in 18.5 overs. A scrappy win — but a priceless one.
Their second match, against Integrity Force CC, was a bigger test. With Integrity fighting to keep their own qualification hopes alive, Dolphins again chose to bat and posted a far more convincing 109 for 9 in 20 overs.
Integrity Force pushed hard, but Dolphins held their nerve once more, restricting them to 99 all out and sealing a 10-run victory that reshuffled the standings.
The win lifted Dolphins into third place, with Integrity sliding to fourth. Meanwhile, Invictus CC and No Limit CC continue to dominate in the top two positions.
But the day wasn’t only about the Dolphins.
Young Destiny Umukoro of U-17 CC turned heads with one of the finest bowling displays of the season. His sensational six-wicket haul crippled Uniben CC, who were bundled out for 59 in 13.5 overs. Crusaders CC chased down the 60-runs target in 14.4 overs to claim a 5-wicket win, to though it wasn’t enough to drag them into Super Four contention.
The loss, however, hit Uniben CC hard. With three matches to go, they now face a must-win scenario just to stay alive in the qualification battle.
With Invictus CC and No Limit CC already booking their spots, the final two Super Four tickets will be a fierce three-way fight among Dolphins CC, Integrity Force CC, and the now under-pressure Uniben CC.
Next weekend, the stakes get even higher. The runs will matter. The wickets will matter. But the nerves? Those may matter most.
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