Well Begin is Half Done – is the basic principle which was followed by CCD Avengers from a small town of Mumbai i.e. Dombivli who won 4th tournament of the Season!
CCD AVENGERS Team with Good Will Trophy
Standing L-R – Sandesh, Kiran, Pradeep, Mangesh, Adwait, Rahul, Ajit, Haresh
Seating L-R – Girish, Hitesh, Aditya, Sachin S., Sachin R.
Just to start with, CCD is not a Café Coffee Day but it’s known as “Cricket Club of Dombivli” having more than 50 members in the group. The members are Doctors, Engineers, Businessmen, Reporters, Cops, etc. who try to find at-least some time in a day from their tight busy schedule to enjoy their beloved game ‘Cricket’ like every other Mumbaiyan!
In the beginning of the current season, CCD formed well balanced 3 teams namely CCD-Danger, CCD Challenger and CCD-Avengers to promote & explore the talent within the group and from there on the battle was started….
On 14th April’2015, it was again a day of CCD-Avengers who flogged CCD-Challengers & CCD-Dangers to win 4th tournament of the season “Good Will Trophy”. The triangular tournament was sponsored by Aaryan Devcon Pvt. Ltd. and played at Dadoji Konddev Stadium – Thane. The tournament was replete of Trophies and Prizes to encourage the ability of the players.
1st match was played between CCD-Avengers and CCD-Challengers. Avengers elected to Bat 1st after winning the toss. The openers of Avengers, Advait (49* in 46 balls – 4×4 + 1×6) & Pradeep (18 in 17 balls – 2×4) gave a cracking start for the team which was well supported by Captain Mangesh (16 in 7 balls – 3×4) towards the end of the innings. Avengers Scored 112 runs in 14 overs losing 6 wkts. Dilip (from Challengers) bowled a very tight bowling and conceded just 15 runs in 2 overs taking 2 important wkts. While chasing a target of 113 runs, Challengers tried best (Satya – 31 in 34 – 4×4, Devendra – 16 in 13 – 3×4, Om 16 in 8 – 2×4) to achieve the target, but could not succeed. Avengers restricted Challengers to 103 runs and took 9 wkts. The pick of the bowlers from Avengers were Girish (2-0-11-1), Hitesh (3-0-14-1), Mangesh (3-0-24-3), Ajit (2-0-13-2). Avengers won the 1st match by 9 runs. Hitesh (at third man) showed an excellent fielding effort grabbing a catch & hitting directly on the wickets in the same over which turned the match towards Avengers.
2nd match was played between CCD-Challengers and CCD-Dangers. Dangers elected to Bat 1st and scored 99 runs in 14 overs losing 8 wkts. Rohidas scored 37 in 34 balls. Challengers bowled a very rigid bowling. Pick of the bowlers from Challengers were Satya (2-0-11-0), Amit (3-0-18-2), Machindra (2-0-12-2), Yogesh (3-0-23-1), Chetan (2-0-15-1). Whilst chasing 100 runs, Challengers achieved the target in 13.1 overs with the help of batting from Akhilesh (27 in 22 – 2×4), Captain Devendra (23 in 13 – 2×4), Yogesh (19 in 12 – 1×4). Challengers won the 2nd match by 5 wkts with the help of all round performance from Yogesh.
3rd match was played between CCD-Avengers and CCD-Dangers. Like 1st match, Avengers won the toss and elected to Bat 1st and scored 99 runs in 10 overs losing 9 wkts. Sandesh (who played excellently against Dangers in earlier tournaments) continued his batting performance and made 37 in just 22 balls hitting 5 boundaries all over the ground. Sandy was supported by a new comer of Avengers Kiran (28 in 13 balls – 2×6) towards the end. Best Bowling figures from Dangers were Atul (2-0-18-2) and Sunil (3-0-23-3).
To win the trophy on Net Run Rate basis, Dangers had to complete the target in 8.3 overs, which look quite possible with the explosive batting from CCD gem Ganesh who scored 56 runs simply in 26 balls hitting 8 Fours and one massive Sixer before returning back to pavilion. Ganesh was clean bowled by Ajit in 6th over of the innings and it turned out to be a complete turning point for Avengers. After the wicket of Ganesh, Dangers could not convert the game towards victory against the strong bowling attack of Avengers and they collapsed on 93 losing 8 wkts in last 4 overs. Avengers won the 2nd match by 6 runs. The pick of the bowlers from Avengers once again were Mangesh (3-0-23-5), Ajit (2-0-16-2). Avengers showed an admirable performance in all three (Batting, Bowling, Fielding) areas continuously 4th time this season.
All 3 captains of the team (Mangesh-CCD Avengers / Devendra – CCD Challengers / Vasu – CCD Dangers), expressed sincere gratitude to the sponsors “Aaryan Devcon Pvt. Ltd.” of the tournament and CCD core committee members.
Article Courtesy – Sachin Rajput, Sr. Editor – Cricket Graph)
It all began with a small thought. The thought came to mind after a small observation. The thought then got transformed into a small practical step taken. This step marked the beginning of what might be a stepping stone . This stepping stone could take them to new heights in the coming times.
It all happened for Achievers Cricket Academy Mr. Subramanian D. ( Mumbai Ranji Trophy player and MCA level 1 coach). While observing that there are MCA Camps for Under 14,16 and 19 category but nothing for Under 12.
Some may argue Under 12? Speaking to Mr. Subramanian who said there is abudant talent in this category and what impressed him was the technique and disclipline they possess. Not only that at the early age of 12 one gets that important chance of teaching and moulding these kids to the coaches and mentors liking.
In order to guage the talent of these kids, he has gone ahead to organise the 1st ever Achievers Cricket Academy U 12 cricket tournament which began on April 20th at chedda Nagar, Chembur with 6 teams participating. The finals slated to be on April 26th.
Participating are Achievers Academy Red, Pravin Tambe’s Academy Mulund, Avinash Salvi Foundation Vashi, Achievers academy Blue, BARC Chembur, D Y Patil Nerul.
Who ever wins the trophy on April 26th, its Achievers academy that certainly has won hearts of many cricket lovers.
While those young kids are blessed for being a part of the 1st ever tournament, i am sure the academy will certainly raise the bar in the coming times and make it big.
Wishing Mr. Subramanian and his team all the very best, due credit for him to make it happen.
Article by Mr. Venkatraman Iyer
Sr. Editor & Commentator @ www.cricketgraph.com
In the first segment of Academy Analysis, we look at one of the best cricket academies in North Delhi. Boasting of some excellent facilities including a large and well maintained ground, wickets, nets, floodlights, canteen, gymnasium etc., to go with a well-respected and hardworking coach, Khalsa Cricket Academy, located in SGTB Khalsa College, North Campus, Delhi University, is your place to be if you want something more than cricket i.e. fitness, focus and discipline.
Following are the excerpts of our conversation with Mr. Ravi Dixit:
Mr. Ravi Dixit, head coach of the academy feels that due to lack of proper guidance and flaws in the system, the real talent is not able to climb up and somehow gets buried. The deserving ones are not given ample opportunities to showcase their true potential.
According to him, parents’ approach has also shifted in recent years. Due to increasing popularity of T-20 cricket, focus is now more on playing matches rather than sweating out in the nets. Parents want their kid to play matches where the need of the hour is to hone their skills in the nets and prepare for the big stage.
Due to the same reason, more and more students want to become batsmen. But it becomes the duty of the coach to identify the right potential of the student and guide him accordingly. It’s really all about the basics. If more time is given on basics, there is no reason why a student can’t enter the big stage and make it count.
Student should be down to earth and focus on physical and mental fitness. Unless you are physically and mentally fit, no amount of skill can help you achieve greater heights. It is the fitness that will help you last longer.
At Khalsa, our focus is to create a holistic environment for learning. The student will learn discipline and fitness will be a major area of focus. If a student is honest to him and works hard, he will succeed in life.
Academy at a Glance:
Own ground, 3 match wickets, 3 net wickets
Age Group: 6 years and above
Schedule: Weekdays 3:30 to 6:30 PM
Head Coach: Mr. Ravi Dixit (+91 9873898899); Contact for admission and fee details
Coach Credentials: Former national tournament player, DU Captain, 5 years in University team, 2 years in Khalsa Team, UP Ranji Camp
Student Speak:
Hiten Dalal*, Captain, Khalsa Cricket Team says, “Our coach is young and understands the new generation. He is an intelligent, hardworking and polite person. Another good thing about this academy is that it has its own ground. Good nets and a healthy atmosphere to learn. Khalsa has given some really good players to the university and state teams.”
Hiten Dalal is a current DU and Air India player. He has played U- 16 and U-19 for Delhi and was captain of Delhi U-19 SGFI team.
SGTB Khalsa Team bagged third position at the recently concluded Delhi University Inter College Cricket Tournament.
Check out few videos of Khalsa academy students
Venue: Cross Maidan Cricket Ground Mumbai | Match Scorecard | Tournament Details
A superb all-round show from Nikhil Kotiyan handed a 46 run victory for Travelex against ICICI in Milan T20 cricket tournament (White Ball). Travelex won the toss had opted to set a total for their opponents.
Openers Deepak and Patel provided a dream start to the innings with a quick fire stand of 4 runs in just 4.3 overs scoring at almost 10 an over. The partnership was broken by Satish who cleaned Patel’s stumps when he was batting on 15 of 12 balls. Deepak departed soon when the scoreboard read 54. What happened after that simply took the game away from ICICI. Nikhil Kotiyan and Vijay More joined hands for an excellent display of batting, mustering 95 runs in next 10 overs. Vijay was brutal in particular consuming just 29 balls for his 49 including 7 fours and a couple of sixes. He smashed 4 boundaries in a row before getting stumped out of the bowling of Ramnath.
More drama was in store as ICICI bowler Amol captured 2 wickets in 2 balls and leaving the slog overs plan of Travelex in jeopardy. He was partially successful as well as Travelex could score just 17 runs in the last 12 balls and ended on 173 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. Kotiyan top scored with 61.
173 was a challenging yet achievable total. All that was required was some presence of mind. But ICICI batted without a plan and it could be seen in their innings. One top order batsman was required to play through the innings. Exactly the opposite happened. Batsmen kept losing their wickets at regular intervals and ICICI innings drifted apart. Amol and Ramnath offered some resistance with cameos of 28 and 22 but the writing was on the wall. Innings folded for 127 inside 18 overs with Vijay More capturing 3 wickets and Nikhil Kotiyan bagging a couple.
Nikhil Kotiyan was awarded the man of the match for his brilliant 61 and 2 wickets.
Brief Scores:
Travelex: 173/7 in 20 overs (Nikhil 61, Vijay 49, Satish 3/24)
ICICI: 127 all out in 17.5 overs (Amol 28, Ramnath 22, Vijay 3/20)
Report By:
Sumanyu Jain
Regional Manager & Editor
www.cricketgraph.com
Venue: Plot 3, Western Railway
An excellent bowling display along with some sensible batting from Moeez Khan and Pritam Mohanty guided Naaptol to a comfortable 5 wicket win over Media Com in the quarter-final of Milan T20 Cricket Tournament.
In this all important match, Media Com called correctly at the toss and decided to bat first. Opener Lavesh batted well for his 49 but consumed 58 balls. Neither he nor any other batsmen could accelerate the innings with the next best score being Ashish’s 21 ball 23 as Media Com ended their innings on 121 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. The second wicket partnership of 52 runs between these two batsmen was the highest of the innings. What was required was some last over fireworks to build on the solid foundation but that is where Naaptol bowlers almost gave nothing away and Media Com had to settle for a below par score. Poran Singh was the pick of the bowlers with 2 wickets in his 3 overs giving away just 19 runs. As many as 20 wides were conceded by Naaptol bowlers; otherwise the final score might have been much less.
Naaptol batsmen perfectly executed the chase showing no hurry in the process. Opener Moeez Khan played a patient and sensible knock of 40 from 45 balls and held the innings together. He got some excellent support from Pritam Mohanty who scored 34 runs before being caught & bowled by Amol Gaikwad. Kiran and Robinson ensured that Naaptol cross the line with no further hiccups. Sachin Puthrun bowled superbly for Media Com and captured 3 wickets for 27 runs but could not prevent his side from losing the match and the last four spot.
Moeez Khan bagged the man of the match award for his knock.
Brief Scores:
Media Com: 121/9 in 20 overs (Lavesh 49, Ashish 23, Poran 2/19)
Naaptol: 122/5 in 17.5 overs (Moeez 40, Pritam 34, Sachin 3/27)
Report By:
Sumanyu Jain
Regional Manager & Editor
www.cricketgraph.com
Venue: Plot 3, Western Railway
In these days of slam-bang cricket, any team would back themselves to chase less than run a ball. Asiatic Engineering was no different. But it will take them some time to overcome the fact that they lost by more than half the margin. A margin of victory of 69 runs when the team batting first scores just above 100 mark talks a lot about the batting failure. Bowlers can’t be blamed for restricting the opposition for such a low score.
In the semi-final of Milan T20 tournament, Mihir trading won the toss and chose to bat first. The openers could not do much as Shrey Sobalia was run out after scoring 4 runs. The second wicket partnership of 43 runs between Darshan Ruparel (28 runs) and Jay Atha (22 runs) turned out to be the highest partnership of the match. No other batsman could really shift gears as Mihir Trading struggled to score even run a ball. They eventually ended their innings at 109 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. While it was the number of run outs that cost Mihir Trading the most, bowlers Mohsin and Imran shared a couple of wickets each to further dent the innings. 
Asiatic Engineering were the happier dugout at the time of innings break and rightly so. A place in the finals was just 110 runs away. But we should not forget this is cricket. Anything can happen here. And it did. Mihir bowlers literally rattled the Asiatic batsmen and shot them out for mere 41 runs, even lesser than the highest partnership in Mihir’s innings. Only Imran Patel and Mohsin Qureshi could enter double digits. Unlike Mihir’s innings that was ruled by as many as 5 run outs, Asiatic batsmen lost all their wickets to bowlers. In what was a complete team effort, 2 bowlers i.e. Vishal Gajra and Vishal Ruparel bagged 3 wickets each while Ankit Shah and Mukesh Thakar captured a couple each.
Vishal Gajra received the man of the match award for his all-round effort – 14 runs, 3/12.
Brief Scores:
Mihir Trading: 109/9 in 20 overs (Darshan 28, Jay 22, Imran 2/18)
Asiatic Engg: 41 all out in 10.1 overs (Imran 12, Gajra 3/12, Ruparel 3/04)
Report By:
Sumanyu Jain
Regional Manager & Editor
www.cricketgraph.com
Article by Venkatraman Iyer
Sr. Editor & commentrator @ www.cricketgraph.com
It was the 9th year but there was no let up in the enthusiasm and the mood at Dadar Union, Dadar parsi colony and Matunga Gymkhana venue on April 15th 2015.
9.00am in the morning and the teams were eagerly awaiting for the action to begin.
This tournament is to honour Fr. Lawrie, who was the School Principal of St. Stanislaus high school for 11 years now a Director at St. Xaviers Institute of Communications.
The best part of the event was the wonderful gesture on the part of Title sponsor Utanwala Construction pvt ltd along with style partners Spykar Jeans, Havmor Icecream, Blacksilver T shirts and Food sponsor Lucky Restaurant.
Speaking on the occasion Fr. Lawrie urged the teams to play in the spirits of the game and was happy to note girls competing in a sport generally played by boys.
Also present were current principal Fr. Jude and former MIG club captain Mr. Sandesh Padalkar.
This tournament is to bring out the best of talents from various school and to give them platform to showcase their talent according to the organising committee Mr. Subhash Sarmalkar cricket coach, Mr. Hycinth Cardoz – sports Director
and Mr. Vinay Chopra of St Stanislaus. Mr. Sarmalkar has put in lots of efforts to make this tournament happen.
Also present was Ms. Lavita Rodrigues of St. Joseph.
8 teams each in the under 14 and 16 boys category had registered while 3 teams in the girls category (mixed age) had confirmed participation.
They all would be playing for the glittering trophies and individual awards to be given on 17th April.
9 years and they have come a long way but come next year the organising committee of St. Stanislaus want to take it to the next level. Not only they want to romp in more teams, they also are planning for 40 overs semi finals and Finals to get MCA affiliation. If that happens will be a golden chapter written in Fr. Lawrie Cricket Tournament and wish them all the best.
Article by Venkatraman Iyer
Sr.Editor & Commentrator @ www.cricketgraph.com
Cricket has seen lots many changes ever since it was played a more than a century ago. The attraction has always been on players playing on the ground by the spectators, viewers. But behind this is lot of hard work and efforts undergone to make it happen for players. Today they have become a must on and off the ground. The physiotherapists who are one of the most important factor to get a team and its players going.