INNOCENT Kaia scored a whirlwind 102 from 124 balls, while Brendan Taylor and Graeme Cremer announced their return to domestic cricket with a half-century and a four-wicket haul, respectively, as National Premier League (NPL) defending champions Takashinga Patriots 1 opened their title defense with a 134-run win against Queens Sports Club at Kwekwe Sports Club yesterday.

Takashinga Patriots 1 scored 263/6 in their allotted 45 overs before bundling out Queens for 129 inside 23.4 overs.

Queens may have regretted their decision to field first after winning the toss, but either way, it was always going to be a difficult task to evade defeat given the depth in the defending champions’ bowling attack.

Kaia, who was watching the leather ball like a soccer ball, seized the opportunity, starring in 252 runs of Takashinga Patriots 1’s total. The right-hander first featured in an 83-run first-wicket partnership with opener Joylord Gumbie, who scored 42 from 45 runs. Kaia was then joined by Taylor in a 102-run partnership for the second wicket. Taylor, coming back after a three-and-a-half-year sabbatical, showed no signs of rust. He scored 61 off 66 balls, including six boundaries and a six.

But Kaia was still not done yet and, together with his sibling and team captain Roy, added 39 runs for the third wicket. Roy went out for 17 runs off 21 balls, leaving Takashinga Patriots 1 on 224/3 after 40 overs. Innocent eventually went out for a well-played 102 at death. Queens seamer Chris Mpofu picked two wickets for 54 runs from seven overs, while skipper Tanatswa Bechani, Isheunopa Musekwa, Vusi Kasipani, and Petros Sithole took a wicket each.

Queens’ batting met a rampant Patriots bowling attack that hit the deck with precision as if they were too determined to wrap the match up in time and travel back to the capital. Sithole was Queens’ top scorer with 24 runs from 17 balls, Mpofu scored an unbeaten 19 off 37, while Jeffrey Mhuriyengwe and Craig Moyo contributed 15 and 12 runs, respectively. Cremer, back in the spin, tormented the hosts’ batsmen, taking four wickets for 43 runs from eight overs. The dynamic seam duo of Kundai Matigimu and Nigel Mupurura took two wickets apiece, with Usher Garwe and Michael Blignaut claiming a scalp each.