It was the 2nd league match (“D” Elite group) of the Giles Shield Tournament between two competitive sides namely SVIS & OLPS Chembur school at cross maidan. SVIS who were confident of their solid bowling line up elected to bowl first after winning the toss.
Such was the nightmare OLPS chembur faced, they were cleaned up by the SVIS bowlers for just 59 runs in the 1st innings. Right arm off-spinner Mihir Gawade & Rajsingh Deshmukh took nine wickets together to wash the entire batting line up of chembur. Mihir Gawade bowled extremely well with amazing bowling figures of 5/12 while Rajsingh Deshmukh was equally stunning with the ball picking up 4 wickets for just 3 runs in his bowling spell.
In reply SVIS batted like a boss scoring runs at will. SVIS were batting so well they declared at 347/2. Opener Rajsingh deshmukh scored a good 60 at the top of the order. Left-handed no.3 batsman Ayush Jethwa the “little genius” who is a run machine & is already considered to be the next big thing came up with another blazing century and remained unbeaten on 117*. Ayush got able support from Karan Suraiya who equally played well with his unbeaten 100*. Ayush and Karan changed the game upside down with their 200+ plus partnership which helped them make a huge 1st innings score.
With a huge trail, things were already not too good for the Chembur team & they surrendered to the pressure as well as to some amazing bowling of SVIS. Chembur were again bundled out for just 39 runs where Off-spinner Mihir gawade again came up with a brilliant spell taking 4/19. With his effective off spin & bowling action, Mihir Gavade gave us vibes of legendary Indian spinner Erapalli Prasanna on the field. Om sawant also bowled well for his 4/19 in the 2nd innings.
With this Mihir took 9 wickets in the match and SVIS team won the match outright by an innings and 255 runs. With two consecutive outright wins so far, their head coach Dinesh Lad sir and assistant coach Mahesh Lotlikar sir would be proud of their boys & the whole team will certainly move ahead taking a lot of positive momentum in the tournament.
It was a crucial encounter between KES Shroff & Thakur college of the Mumbai University Inter college tournament. Winning the toss, Thakur College who are known to have a strong batting line up and big names in their arsenal decided to chase the score.
KES were off to a tricky start with the top order chipping in but not able to convert their start into big scores. KES made 141 which was not a huge score to defend. Opener Rahul Vora looked good and gave a decent start with his 32. The rest of the batsman also got starts but they kept on losing wickets. Chasing 142, It should have been a cakewalk for a strong batting line up like Thakur College but they were unaware of the trouble they were going to face.
20 year old pace express called Virat Mishra completely destroyed the famed batting line up of Thakur College with his pace bowling. Virat Mishra from KES came up with amazing bowling figures of 5/23 in 9.3 overs. The right arm inswing fast bowler completely kept the opposition clueless. At the age of 20 Virat is already crossing 130kmph with the ball & his pace along with line & discipline helped his side win the match comfortably by 31 runs as Thakur college were all out for 110.
Virat who opens the bowling and uses the new ball effectively bowled his heart out for his 5 wicket-haul. Mishra was rightly adjudged man of the match for his heroics and looking at his current form & the pace at which he bowls, he will be a bowler to look out for in the coming matches of the tournament.
Into the 3rd league match of the KSG 40-40 Tournament, both the teams had entered the ground with a clear aim of giving their best. While KCA (Kandivali cricket association) team had the positive momentum after winning their first two matches, Hurricanes also had a strong team with a solid batting line up.
Winning the toss first, Hurricanes elected to field first as they wanted to chase the score. However, KCA batted well to score 277/8 in 40 overs. The top order failed apart from Parth shah but the middle order and lower order supported the opener well to make a good target to defend. Left-handed wicket-keeper opening batsman Parth Shah played a gem of a knock which took his side out of trouble. Parth resurrected the innings like a craftsman when his team lost early wickets in the top order. Parth shah scored a match defining 115* off just 105 balls and remained the anchor of the ship till the end. Shah’s 115* included 11 fours out of which a pullshot over mid wicket was his favorite. Parth did a lot of running between the wickets and really worked hard. He got able support from Aakash (34), Akhilesh Singh (36 off 37) & Santosh Singh (19ball 38) down the order.
Chasing at a run rate of almost 7 runs per over is always difficult no matter how good the batting line-up is. Hurricanes also felt the same pressure and could not reach the target. They fought hard but the opposition got the better of the batsman. However, Hurricanes opener Ronak Shah’s 64 ball 83 was highly commendable & appreciation worthy. Hurricanes were all out for 221 in 37.3 overs. Right arm leg spinner Gautam Gutkar’s 4/48 in 8 overs was absolutely stunning & crucial at the same time.
KCA won the match by 56 runs and continue their winning streak while opener Parth Shah (115 off 105) was adjudged “man of the match”. With consistent wins so far, KCA will be a team to be afraid of in the coming matches of the tournament.
It was the all important semi final match of the MCA Mumbai Junior Shield Cricket tournament 2016-17 between Souvenir Team & Union Cricket Academy. It was Souvenir’s 5th match of the tournament. Winning the toss first, souvenir elected to bowl first as the pitch wasn’t the best for batting & chasing a low score was on their list of strategies.
The Cross Maidan witnessed some wonderful individual performances and also some good team work by both the teams. Union Cricket academy who were made to bat first on a tricky pitch were all out for 176 in 42.3 overs. It was also some disciplined bowling by the Souvenir bowlers which restricted the opposition to a low total. Prashant Patil (3/31) & off spinner Ronak Shinde (3/32) were excellent with the ball. They also got good support from the other bowlers.
Chasing 177 was like a cakewalk but Union Cricket academy gave their best & did not allow the opposition to win easily. Souvenir team reached the total losing 7 wickets and won the match by 3 wickets and 9 overs to spare. Ronak and Rugved chipped in with 30’s at the top of the order but it was Ronak Shinde again contributing with the bat this time. Right handed Ronak scored 50* off 57 balls which included 6 fours and 2 sixes. He anchored the innings and pushed his team to win the match. Shinde remained intact at the crease while wickets were tumbling from the other side.
As he stated himself “he just wanted to play till the end and finish the game” & he did justice to the words given by his captain who advised the players to play the full 45 overs. Ronak was rightly adjudged man of the match & the whole team including himself will be in good confidence to perform well in the finals (7th January).
Here are some quick highlight and brief score of Arise Winter Cup.
Arise Winter cup cricket tournament is also being supported by experienced cricketers like Mr. Raman Deep, Ajay Sharma, Amit Kumar, Vikas Vij and Vicky. The event’s inaugural ceremony was also attended by owner of Balaji Cricket Academy Mr. Manish Saini who was also the Local Team Manager of England, New Zealand and others along with IPL Teams too.
In 3rd match of 1st Arise Winter Cup, Players Cricket Academy defeated Bal Bharti Public School by 10 wickets.
Bal Bharti Public School scored 88-10 in 13.2 overs.
Krish Arora :- 21(24) , Dhruv Karwal :- 9(14) .
Aditya :- 2 wickets , Rahul Bhalla :- 2 wickets.
Players Cricket Academy scored 89 runs without any loss of wicket.
Saif :- 50*(18) , Rahul :- 15*(22).
In 4th match of 1st Arise Winter Cup , Arise Cricket Academy defeated Mahavira Senior Sec. School by 82 runs.
Arise Cricket Academy scored 191-7 in 20 overs.
Utkarsh :- 63(35) , Siddharth :- 42(35).
Bhaven :- 3 wickets , Vanshika :- 2 wickets.
Mahavira Senior Sec. School scored 109-10 in 17.4 overs.
Mayank :- 31(34) , Bhaven :- 23(10) .
Aryan :- 3 wickets , Aarav :- 2 wickets.
In 5th match of 1st Arise Winter Cup , Arise Cricket Academy defeated Bal Bharti Public School by 9 wickets. It was quick fire 57* by Vaibhav Chugh who seemed to be in a hurry to chase the target in the shortest period of time.
Bal Bharti Public School scored 90-10 in 20 overs.
Krish Arora :- 22(33), Sahil :- 19(19)
Aryan :- 3 wickets , Utkarsh :- 2 wickets
Arise Cricket Academy scored 91-1 in 7 overs.
Vaibhav Chugh :- 57*(24) , Soham:- 12(10) .
In 6th match of 1st Arise Winter Cup, Players Cricket Academy defeated Mahavira Senior Sec. School by 7 wickets.
Mahavira Senior Sec. School scored 160-10 in 20 overs.
Daksh Mengi :- 105(72) , Dhruv Soni :- 13(6) .
Saif :- 2 wickets , Nirmit :- 2 wickets.
Players Cricket Academy scored 161 runs with loss of 3 wicket.
Simar :- 50*(26) , Rahul :- 44(47)
Piyush :- 1 wicket , Bhaven 1 wicket.
It was the deciding final match at Wankhede between Rizvi Springfield & Hansraj Morarji team. Both the teams had played good cricket to reach the finals of the tournament.
Hansraj morarji had won the toss & elected to bat first. The decision to bat first did not go in their favor as Hansraj were bundled out for just 104 runs in their 1st innings. Rizvi team bowled extremely tight & did not allow any batsman to settle. They did not allow a single batsman to enter into a great partnership. Shreyansh Bogar was excellent with the ball where he single handedly cleared the entire batting line up. His bowling figures of 6/18 in 15 overs are a testimony to the fact. Bogar was so effective with the ball, he was almost unplayable at times. Shreyansh Bogar also got able support from his colleague Yashasvi jaiswal who picked up 2/27 in 8 overs.
Trailing 104, the opposition bowled equally well to restrict Rizvi to just 151 all out. Yash salunkhe (56* off 167 balls) was the only batsman who looked solid and good. Sen Aryan was the pick of the bowlers picking up 5/41 in 26.5 overs & Ayush Sharma also chipped in with 2 wickets. Morarji team fought extremely well with the ball but they again let themselves down with the bat. They were all out for just 69 runs in the 2nd innings. It was Yashasvi Jaiswal who took 5 wickets (5/20) in the second innings & Shreyansh Bogar taking 2/19.
With a lead (target of just 23 runs) Rizvi chased the target & won the match by 10 wickets. With this win, Rizvi also won the finals of the Harris Shield Tournament. Shreyansh Bogar and Yashasvi jaiswal took 17 wickets together in the match which played a huge role in Rizvi’s win.
It was the end of the tournament which witnessed some excellent matches and individual performances. Shreyas Mandlik (Rizvi captain) was adjudged the best batsman of the tournament while Shreyas Pathak (Balmohan Vidyamandir) was adjudged the best player of the tournament. Rizvi springfield lifted the Harris Shield trophy while Hansraj Morarji were adjudged the runners up to the tournament.
Another crucial final of a big tournament took place Junior Champions League (Boys under 12 Cricket Tournament) organised by N L Dalmia High School Northbrook and Mulund Gymkhana entered the ground to face each other in an all important final match of the tournament.
Winning the toss, Northbrook was off to a fantastic start with Owais Khan and Mohit Tanwar giving a great momentum. Both the openers stitched a match defining partnership which helped them post a good score. While Tanvar scored 43, it was Owais Khan who scored a classy 65 off just 63 balls. The opener smashed 6 fours & was always busy between the wickets keeping the scorecard ticking. Owais remained completely calm throughout his stay at the crease & hardly indulged in risky shots. It was because of some practical cricket by him, Northbrook reached 180/5 in 25 overs.
Chasing 181 in 25 overs, Mulund Gympkhana succumbed to the pressure of playing in the finals and chasing a big score. Mulund team was all out for 105 and Northbrook won the finals of the tournament by 75 runs. But that hardly takes away the fact that Mulund Gymkhana fought really hard and gave their best in fielding and bowling. It was particularly wonderful to see how Aryan down the order never gave up. Aryan scored 28 off just 21 balls & tried playing attacking shots till the last breath of the game. Northbrook bowlers bowled well to restrict them to just 105, Umar khan was the pick of the bowlers taking 2/18 in 5 overs.
With this win Northbrook won the finals and Owais khan was adjudged “man of the match” while Umar khan was the bowler of the match. Mulund Gymkhana was adjudged the runner up to the tournament.
Northbrook coach Abdul Ahad must be really proud to see his boys lift the trophy. Abdul sir’s hard work did fetch full justice as his boys won the tournament while Mulund Gymkhana coach Ajay kadam sir must be also elated to see his boys reaching so far in the tournament and giving a tough fight till the finals.
It was the all important final match between Nagpur and Pune B at the Nehru Stadium in Pune. After fighting hard throughout the tournament, it was time for both the teams to give their last but the best efforts to lift the prestigious Advocate league trophy.
Pune B had won the toss and elected to bat first, the openers gave away their wicket with Bharat Mizire out for a duck while Anand padke who could not convert his 23-ball 21 to a big score. Pune did had some soul down the order as Akshay Jadhav resurrected the Pune innings to some extent with an aggressive 46 off just 39 balls. He took away the positive momentum which Nagpur had developed for a while. Jadhav’s knock included 4 fours and he really worked hard between the wickets to take singles and twos. Amit Ganpule managed to give some support with his 20 ball 22. Pune B scored 131/6 in 20 overs due to some tight bowling by the opposition. Shahid syed was excellent with the ball giving away just 12 runs in 4 overs & also taking 2 wickets.
Chasing 131 was like a cakewalk for Nagpur but Pune B fought hard till the end & did not allow anybody to score freely. Quite evident from the fact that Pune lost the match by only 2 wickets. Nagpur won the match ending their score at 135/8. It was a nervous match which held our excitement till the end. Amit Ganpule (2/24), Milind Sanas (2/14) & Alok Zende (2/24) contributed well with the ball.
Nagpur defeated Pune in their own turf & lifted the trophy with pride. Shahid Syed was adjudged “man of the match” for his wonderful bowling where he contained the batsman and also took wickets.
It was a perfect final match to be witnessed at the Nehru stadium. This is a tournament where over 105 teams participate from different corners of Maharashtra to play. Advocates from every part of the Maharashtra gather through different teams to play cricket & compete in this exciting tournament. The tournament also witnessed wonderful individual performances right from Ashish Gawonde (383 runs in 8 matches) & Mohammad Fakih (334 runs in 7 matches) topping the batting charts. In the bowling department it was Sushen Barsikar(of Pune B) topping the charts with 23 wickets in 7 matches followed by Sudeep Jaiswal(Nagpur) with 20 wickets in the tournament,
The tournament was a wonderful success with each team giving their best, while Napur team lifted the trophy, Pune B was the runner up. We wish the tournament becomes an equal success when it is played again the next year.
It was the nervous and an exciting plate final match between Don Bosco vs Vibgyor high school of the Giles Shield tournament. While both the teams were equally competitive throughout the tournament it was Don Bosco who got the better of the opponents.
Don Bosco elected to bat first after winning the toss. They were off to a shaky start as the wickets kept on tumbling but Gaurang Bhogle showed immense class and maturity where he single handedly acted as a savior for his team. Gaurang played perfect cricketing shots which were pleasing to the eyes. Don Bosco were 195 all out, out of which 75 was scored by the right handed opener Gaurang. Bhogle’s fluent 75 came off just 125 balls which included 11 fours and a six. Gaurang also got able support from Vinit paralkar who scored a blazing 15 ball 32 to take the team total to a respectable one. Both the players engaged in a match winning 50+ partnership.
Trailing 195, Vibgyor could have capitalized since it wasn’t a huge trail but off-spinner Vinit Paralkar had some different plans in the store. Vinit literally bamboozled the Vibgyor batting line up with amazing bowling figures of 6/33 in 25 overs. Vibgyor high school was all out for just 66 because in the 1st innings because of the deadly bowling by Vinit Paralkar. Vibgyor were made to follow on & Vinit Paralkar was still not done yet as he again came with a bang with his deadly off-spinners picking up another 6/45 in the second inning handling his team a win by 8 runs and an innings. Vibgyor were all out for 121 in the 2nd innings and 66 in the 1st falling short of 8 runs to reach 195.
Vinit Paralkar was adjudged man of the match for his wonderful bowling which almost single handedly helped his side to win the match. Their coach Sunil Mehra who works hard for his boys must be feeling proud and happy to see them winning & playing so well. It was a good day for Don bosco and even the players and parents appreciated the coach’s hard work towards the boys. As coach Sunil mehra said “It was the focus and discipline which took them this far in the tournament”
Special thanks must also reach Nadeem Menon sir who gave a wonderful ground in this match & in fact throughout the tournament.
It was an exciting 22 overs per side match between Pravin Tambe Academy vs Boys Cricket Academy at Oval maidan. Boys academy won the toss and elected to bat first as they wanted to make a big score to keep Tambe academy under pressure.
They succeeded in their plans as Boys academy managed to post 182/2 in 22 overs. The batsman did their job perfectly & especially this 11 year old gifted talent called Aditya Rawat. Aditya who is just 11 years old looks far more matured and composed at the crease & he scored a splendid knock of 99 coming of just 66 balls against big bowlers of the opposition. Even BCA’s coach Mr. Rajan Dhotre has the same thing to say, that Aditya is a complete perfect batsman & seeing him play such good cricket at such a small age is always special. Aditya Rawat remained unbeaten on 99* on what could have been a fantastic and well deserved century. His knock was a perfect mixture of controlled aggression and classy shots which included 10 fours. Aditya pushed his team to a highly defendable total of 184/2 in 22 overs.
Chasing 185 at almost 9 runs per over, Pravin Tambe Academy succumbed to the pressure as well as good bowling by the opposition. Tambe Academy was all out for 103 in just 21 overs and handed over a victory by a margin of 83 runs to the Boys cricket academy. The bowlers did an excellent job & particularly leg spinner Mrunal Rane who bowled really well (3/21 in 5 overs). Talented Aditya Rawat was adjudged man of the match for his unbeaten heroics & he is certainly a bright prospect to look out for.
