It was a wonderful match between two strong teams namely Jain Irrigation vs BPCL at the Sachin Tendulkar Gymkhana in Kandivali. BPCL who has a strong batting arsenal elected to bat first after winning the toss. Their aim was to make a big score and put the pressure on Jain Irrigation.
The decision of batting first went in their favor as openers gave a wonderful start of 150 runs to the innings which set the tone for BPCL. BPCL were looking all set for a big score as Akash and Eknath both scored wonderful centuries. However, it was Rahul tripathi who took the game to an another level when he arrived at the crease when it was 250/4. Right handed aggressive batsman Rahul shredded the bowlers into pieces with his swashbuckling 191 coming off just 154 balls. Tripathi’s 191 included 22 perfect boundaries and 9 glorious sixes out of which a straight six against the pacer was his personal favorite. Tripathi made a three day match look like a T20 & he fell short of just 9 runs where he gave away his wicket trying to attack the bowlers as his team was on the verge of declaring. It was because of his 191 his team reached a total of 650. In reply, BPCL were all out for 400 runs and they lost by 200 runs in the 1st innings itself. Rahul also contributed with the ball too, taking 2 wickets with his medium pace.
BPCL won the match comfortably and Rahul Tripathi was adjudged “man of the match”. Rahul who recently scored a quick half century apart from also hitting a record six sixes in an over some time ago is making the right noises to be heard & considered for IPL. Tripathi who has been playing Ranji for the past few years and is also playing consistently aggressive cricket surely shall get a call up soon from the right places. Big hitting abilities along with medium pace where he can chip in with wickets certainly are the perfect ingredients for IPL considerations & we wish he continues his good form for a long time.
The Final of the AT20 Championship Trophy saw the 2 best sides of the tournament face off against each other. SKK mavericks had been unbeaten thru the tournament while Sankalpan had only dropped one game in the Super 8 stage and that too due to the brilliance of Shahen Mistry from Dynamites. A difficult match to pick even though punters would probably favor SKK mavericks just a tad more than Sankalpan simply due to their overall strength and all round performance.
SKK Mavericks called correctly at the toss and had no hesitation in batting first on a wicket they felt would slow down as the match progressed and give their finger spinners a better chance in defending a total.
However as the match began, this decision started looking dicey as the Sankalpan pace squad exploited the early morning conditions to full effect – getting pace and seam to bog down the openers to a slow start – 32 at the end of 5 overs was possibly the slowest start SKK had got off to in this tournament.
Samrat the captain introduced himself as 1st change and straight away claimed the scalp of the Leading batsmen of the tournament – Sumit Nigade – out to an uppish stroke to a ball which held back. Sankalpan had claimed their most prized wicket for a measly 15. From their on the going was painfully slow as Pranay the captain and Karan Malushte set about building a foundation. At the end of 10 overs the score read 69/1 and Sankalpan had probably won Round 1 of this battle.
The 2 batsmen then decided to accelerate gently but in doing so the wickets also started falling with a wicket falling in overs 14,15,17 and 18 leaving the SKK Mavericks on a less than happy total of 130/5 and with just 12 balls to be bowled. At this stage a total of 150 was looking optimistic and there was a spring in the step of the Sankalpan bowlers. However no one had accounted for Vimal Hansraj who had walked in at No.5 and barely taken any strike. The last 12 balls fetched the following notings on the scorecard – 1,4,6,2,1,2, 2,4,6,4,6,6. The score at the end of 20 overs read 174/5 – Vimal Hansraj was unbeaten on 55*(20, 4×4, 5×6) and suddenly Sankalpan was staring down the barrel
Sankalpan started their response in earnest with all eyes on their best player Samrat. After a rapid start they lost Jinesh Mistry in the 6th over but then Ronith and Samrat got down to business keeping the score rolling steadily without any risks. At the 10th over the score mirrored the 1st innings – 69/1 but by the 15th over the score had moved on to 103 and suddenly 72 of 5 overs was not so difficult after all with just 1 wicket lost and 2 batsman in superb nick at the crease. A 6 and a 4 off the first 2 balls of over no.16 and the battle was well and truly joined. However Ronith against the run of play, was caught out immediately after, probably overplaying the shot and the SKK mavericks team which had till then being despairing, got their spring back. The fielding was once again attacking and the bowler bowling with renewed purpose – the match was still 55:45 in SKK ‘s favor but with Samrat at the crease, one could not rest easy. However, Sankalpan just could not get going again from there and wickets in every over (save the 19th) from thereon saw the wheels come off and the innings complete at 140/7 to give the SKK Mavericks the match and the championship. The difference was 34 runs but the match was far closer than the scorecard may suggest – the real difference in both innings came only in the last 5 overs. One could say that Sankalpan won the battle in both innings in the first 15 overs but the was was won by SKK Mavericks in the last 5 overs of both innings.
The prize ceremony saw all the sponsors gather together to hand out the awards to the deserving recipients – the 5th edition of the AT20 was possibly also it’s most memorable.
The man of the match was a difficult one to select and in the end it was awarded jointly to Vimal Hansraj (SKK) for his match changing innings of 55* and Samrat Nakhwa (Sankalpan) for his valiant 62 runs and 3 wickets.
SKK Mavericks won the batting and bowling honors
Sumit Nigade – Best Batsman – 456 runs
Swapnil Joshi – Best Bowler – 23 wickets
Sankalpan took home the fieling honors
Samrat – Best Fielder 7 catches and 2 run outs
Dynamites too home 2 deserving awards courtesy Shahen Mistry
Most Valuable Player – Shahen Mistry – 84.7 points
Maximum 6s – Shahen Mistry – 18
Sankalpan Runner up Team in AT20 Championship trophy 2016-17
It was a wonderful day in the office for PJ Hindu Gymkhana at PJ Hindu Gymkhana Cricket Ground. The pitch was good for batting and that was the reason Amar CC elected to bat first after winning the toss with an aim of making a big score.
However, PJ Gymkhana bowlers showed their merit and each one contributed well in their capacity. Left arm spinner Pratham wagh was the pick of the bowlers taking 3/25 while Nutan Goel also chipped in with 2 wickets. Right arm medium pacer Vedant Deshmukh also bowled well where he conceded only 7 runs in 4 overs though he could not take a wicket. Amar CC managed only 93/7 in 25 overs and it was smooth sailing for PJ Gymkhana batsman.
Right handed Harsh Tathare & Aryan Agle completed the chase in style. Aggressive Harsh scored a match winning 46* off 36 balls while his partner Aryan supported him with an unbeaten 37* of 42 balls. Opener Harsh started counter attacking the bowlers right from the start and hardly did any bowler was able to ruffle the feathers of both these batsman.
PJ Gymkhana comfortably won the match by 10 wickets and 12 overs to spare which is surely a big win going forward in the tournament. It was a wonderful team performance where the bowlers and the batsman both did their job for PJ Gymkhana & Harsh Tathare was adjudged “man of the match” for his blazing 46* off 36 balls. The whole team will certainly be in a lot of confidence in their next encounters.
It was an entertaining match between M.C.G.M security vs Godrej staff (“C Group”) at Central Maidan cricket ground in Thane. The wicket was a little wet and Godrej rightly elected to bowl first to make the most of the wicket favoring bowlers.
MCGM were off to a shaky start and they kept on losing wickets at regular intervals. As a result they were not able to post a big score on the board. MCGM managed only 155 in 35 overs and it was some really good bowling from the Godrej Bowlers. Right arm leg spinner Dinesh Juvekar completely dismantled the opposition with his confusing leg spin. Dinesh Juvekar took 5/31 and it was a spell which played a huge part in restricting the opposition to a low score. What’s more Dinesh also took a hat-trick which was a big blow for the MCGM batsman. The other bowlers of Godrej also supported him nicely and Godrej took the full advantage of fielding first.
Chasing 155, even Godrej lost wickets at regular intervals and it was a tough fight displayed by the MCGM bowlers. Hemant Harad from MCGM showed a lot of determination taking 4/36 & being pick of the bowlers for MCGM. Eventually Godrej chased the target (156/6 in 27.2 overs) & won the match by 4 wickets and 7.4 overs to spare. It was Dinesh Juvekar’s day as he also scored an unbeaten 30* with the bat and finished of the chasing in style for his side.
Dinesh Juvekar was awarded “man of the match” for his all round brilliance and he will certainly be a player to look out for in the tournament.
When it comes to training and competing in sport, are you a ‘plodder’? Do you find yourself running on the spot while others seem to be able to repeatedly fly past you? If this is the case, you need to read this post!
The vast majority of current literature in the Strength and Conditioning industry is pointing towards the major benefits that anaerobic (short and fast) training has on sporting performance. When you think about it, almost every sport you can imagine requires the participants to conduct repeated high intensity efforts. One of Australia’s current Strength and Conditioning icons conducted a study on Under 18 Draft Camp participants in order to discover which physiological performance measures related to future success in sport. The results of this research suggested that the greatest indicator of sporting success was an individual’s ability to be able to repeatedly perform sprinting efforts! This literature defines a sprint as any effort that exceeds 20km/h for at least 2 seconds or more.
Based on this information, it is clear to see just how important speed is in today’s sporting environment. Gone are the days in which athletes are judged on how well they are able to run at a medium intensity over long distances.
So what is the best way for you to improve your speed???
Although there are a number of ways you can make yourself faster, SQUATS are going to be the most influential part of your training. When talking about squatting, the greater ‘relative squat strength’ (weight that you squat divided by your bodyweight) you can achieve with correct technique, the faster you are going to get.
There has been an abundance of studies looking into the link between squat strength and sprint performance in recent years and the vast majority seem to reach similar conclusions. The consensus is that the absolute amount of weight an individual can squat does not have links with speed, however, as mentioned before it is all about the percentage of your bodyweight that you are able to lift! For example if we have Person A who can squat 110kg and their bodyweight is 95kg, compared to Person B who can squat 100kg and their bodyweight is 75kg, based on research it is more than likely that Person B (relative squat strength= 100/75= 1.33) will have a faster sprint speed than Person A (relative squat strength= 110/95= 1.15). Some studies that produced these conclusions can be observed from Baker & Newton (2008) who investigated the links between physiological measures and playing rank in Rugby athletes, as well as Ingebrigtsen & Jeffreys (2012) who looked at strength vs. speed variables in relation to Handball athletes. A number of the studies that drew these conclusions also suggest that incorporating plyometric training into the training program will also aid in the quest for a greater speed. For those of you who are unaware, plyometric training is all about fast and explosive movements. Jumping, throwing and hopping are all movements classified as plyometric and aid in teaching your muscles to switch on as fast as possible.
Now you know that a both strength and plyometric training are beneficial to sprint speed, you will be wondering just how to combine the two in order to achieve the best results? Do you train for both strength and power at the same time? Do you split it up so that you complete strength and power programs separately? Loturco et. al (2014) conducted a study that looked at various training periodizations and their relation to sprint speed. The results showed that completing a block of strength training, immediately followed by a block of plyometric training proved to show the most significant increase in speed.
So get into a gym and get squatting! If you need some further advice or would like a specific program to improve your sprint speed, get in contact with the PEAQ team now!
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The Calendar has flipped yet another page to welcome the new year and so has the Mumbai local cricket. As we have read in some of the previous articles on cricketgraph.com about Cricketgraph and Fireblaze working in collaboration to recognize the local cricketing talent at junior or under 16 level, here is the list of first Cricketgraph-Fireblaze award winners for the new year.
Out of the six solid performances, the expert panel, which boasts of umpires, IPL players and former Ranji players, picked up the top three performances in the form of Vedprakash Jaiswal, Aayush Jethwa and Suryansh Shedge. The panel brainstormed to reach at a consensus and finally chose the terrific three.
Needless to say, these boys have played some excellent cricket in the last 15 days (from 01 Jan 2017 – 15 Jan 2017) which was considered as the period of judgement. The lads have not only done themselves proud but also made a good name for their school in cricketing sphere. All these three players will be showered with accolades and appreciation for their wonderful accomplishments in the form of cricket merchandise, discount vouchers and certificates of acknowledgement.
Vedprakash Jaiswal who bagged the first prize for his jaw dropping performance in the last fortnight will secure an attractive cricket bag from Fireblaze , a cricket equipment shop. In the last five matches, Vedprakash has some splendid scores of 176 and 209 (45 Overs Format), 224, 214 and 236 (2 Day match). He has been a true run machine for IES VN Sule School, Matunga.
Aayush Jethwa and Suryansh Shedge won the second and third prize in the inaugural Cricketgraph-Fireblaze Junior Performance Cricket Awards. Both these players will be bestowed with discount vouchers which can be used to buy cricket equipments from Fireblaze at a flat 40% discount. They are also awarded the certificate of appreciation along with cricket discount vouchers.
Jethwa of Swami Vivekananda, Borivali, has played some pivotal role for his team in the last couple of matches where he shined with both bat and ball. In one of the Giles Shield matches, Aayush made a magnificent 117, which was followed by even better innings of 154 in the next match. He also scalped two important wickets in the same match.
Suryansh Shedge was recently in the news for scoring a record 326 runs off 170 odd balls in a 45 over Giles Shield Tournament. Fireblaze Junior cricket awards got initiated from 01 Jan 2017 and hence this record was not considered for awards. However Suryansh continued with his form and scored a fighter knock of 97 runs for Sunil Gavaskar eleven against Sachin Tendulkar eleven in Under 14 IDBI Federal Insurance cup.
The other three contenders who were fighting for this prestigious Cricketgraph-Fireblaze Junior Performance Cricket Awards were Jeevan Karlekar of Al Barkat Malik English School, Musheer Khan of Dilip Vengsarkar XI and Mihir Gawade of Swami Vivekanand school.
CricketGraph team will be back soon with new set of top 3 performers for FireBlaze Junior cricket awards. If you wish to nominate any performance please email to info@cricketgraph.com or call on 887941 7291.
It was a tough encounter between two equally strong sides namely Abhyudaya Bank vs Mumbai Fire Brigade at Central Maidan in thane. Abhyudaya who has a strong bowling line up elected to field first after winning the toss.
Mumbai Fire brigade were off to a decent start but the middle and the lower order could not continue the momentum as they were all out for just 144 runs in 31.2 overs. Abhyudaya bowlers did a fantastic job with the ball not allowing the batsman to score freely. Medium pacer Sanju Raut yielded magic with the ball as he picked up 5/25 in his 6.2 overs. It was because of his tight bowling the opposition was not able to score big. Sanju gave important breakthroughs and did not allow any partnerships to create thus creating a dent in the Mumbai Fire Brigade’s batting line up.
Chasing 145, Abhyudaya bank chased the score quite comfortably in 28.4 overs and won the match by 5 wickets. Satish Rane & Pradeep Kanchan played important cameos of 44 & 32 respectively. Sanju raut also chipped in with the bat too scoring a 37 ball 20.
Abhyudaya team won the match & Sanju Raut was adjudged “man of the match” for his splendid performance. Considering the form Sanju is in, he will surely be a player to look out for in the coming matches of the Thane Vaibhav Tournament.
It was a crucial League encounter between WNS & Diebold systems at MB Union Cricket Ground, Cross Maidan in Mumbai. The pitch was damp and it was favoring bowlers, hence Diebold elected to field first after winning the toss and making the most of the damp pitch conditions. WNS wanted to do the same thing but they were made to bat first.
WNS openers Dyansagar and Aditya gave a solid start to lay the foundation for the rest of the batting line up. Aditya scored a quick 24 while the right-handed Dyansagar made a 24 ball 31. The middle order players like Arif Khan(46 off 26), Mandar Garude(51 off 27) & Nikhil Chavan(40 off 25) continued the positive momentum left behind by the openers and it was the collective perfomance of these boys which took their team total to 210/6 in 20 overs.
Chasing 211, Diebold system could not live up to the pressure of chasing such a big target and they managed to reach only 133/9 in 20 overs. Once again the man of the moment was Dyansagar as he took 5/15 in 2 overs with his raw medium pace. Dyansagar was completely effective in his short spell and made the most out of it taking 5 wickets in 12 balls he got to bowl. He consistently broke partnerships and Shashank More’s LBW was his personal favorite wicket of the lot.
WNS Team comfortably won the match by 77 runs and Dyansagar Patil was adjudged “man of the match” for obvious reasons! We certainly wish his good form continues and he helps his team to lift the trophy.
The Payyade Cricket Ground was set ablaze by this right handed batsman called Amar Bhuta. He gave us a déjà vu of Brendon Mccullum’s 158 (73 balls) in the 2008 IPL. It was a very important match for Royals from Nil Yog because a loss would immediately take them out of the tournament. This was a do or die league match for them after 2 losses in their first 2 matches.
Winning the toss, KSG thunders elected to field first as they wanted to restrict the Royals to a low score and chase it comfortably. However, things were not the way they wanted as Royals were off to a good start. One down batsman Amar Bhuta changed the entire complexion of the game with his match winning and an entertaining knock of 176 is just 88 balls. The right handed batsman who usually opens decided to come 1 down as he lost his wickets quickly in the 1st two games while opening. His decision was worth the goldmine for his team as he did a complete carnage of the opposition bowlers. Amar’s 176 came in just 88 balls at a strike rate of 200 & he smashed 21 boundaries and 11 big sixes to enthrall the spectators. His six towards the covers against fast bowler Ankit Jangla was his personal favorite. Amar did not spare any bowler coming in his way but he was particularly attacking against Ankit Jangla and Dipen Doshi against whom he smashed 26 & 27 runs in one over respectively. Skipper Vipul Doshi also played a fantastic knock of 59* off just 30 balls.
Royals made a big score of 363/5 in 40 overs & KSG Thunders managed only 195/9 in their quota of 40 overs. The bowlers did an excellent job to restrict them to such a low score. Atul sheth was the pick of the bowlers taking 4/21 while Amar Bhuta also took 2 wickets contributing both with the bat as well as with the ball.
Amar who fell just 10 short of breaking Jay Mehta’s record score of 186 in the KSG tournament was adjudged “man of the match” It was also good to see Amar Bhuta dedicating his innings to his fellow team mate Bhavin Bhuta who always cheers up and motivates him and the entire team. We wish Royals continue their good run in the coming matches of the tournament.
The Aquaria ground at Borivali witnessed some wonderful individual performances between Jolly Brothers CC and S.P Gymkhana. Both the teams are equally strong. In fact Shivaji Park Team is considered to be one of the better sides of the lot.
Jolly Brothers won the toss and elected to bat first in order to make a big target and put S.P Gymkhana under pressure. Skipper Aditya Pabalkar opened the innings and gave a good start with his gutsy 76 coming of just 71 balls. However, the boy who stole the show was the talented right hander Shubham Shinde who scored an unbeaten 85* off just 76 balls to take his team to a great total of 189/2 in 25 overs. Shubham constructed his innings wonderfully well and smashed 12 fours en-route his 76 ball stay at the crease. He also rotated the strike perfectly and kept the scorecard ticking.
Chasing 190 at a run rate of above 8 runs per over is tough for any side. SP Gymkhana too succumbed to the pressure as they managed to reach only 152/9 in 25 overs. But never the less it was a good fight by the S.P Gymkhana team. Left arm spinner Anuj Giri took 2/21 while Yadnesh Jadhav was the pick of the bowlers taking 3/9 in one over.
Jolly brothers won the match by 38 runs and Shubham Shinde was rightly adjudged “man of the match’ for his wonderful performance. Jolly Brothers Coach Manik Madgaikar would surely be proud of his boys especially Aditya and Shubham for performing so well for their team.
