Under-13 Cup: Varroc win a low-scoring encounter

Tight bowling and fine fielding help team defeat Pradhikaran Gymkhana by 9 wkts

Sticking to a good line and length and claiming regular wickets helped Varroc Vengsarkar Cricket Academy beat Pradhikaran Gymkhana by nine wickets in the first league match of the under-13 Varroc Cup at Varroc Vengsarkar Cricket Academy ground on Monday.

Varroc opner Yashwith, who was trapped LBW, was the only wicket lost by the team in the match against Pradhikran Gymkhana, at Vengsarkar Cricket Academy ground on Monday. (HT PHOTO)

The Varroc boys were also good in the fielding department as they got two Pradhikaran Gymkhana batsmen run out. Avishkar Dinde was the pick of the bowler for Varroc as he took two wickets giving away three runs with one maiden in his four-over spell. The left arm off spinner was given the ball after the end of six overs of power play and he bowled a maiden in his first over.

“I was just bowling stump to stump. The opponent side was under pressure after losing a couple of wickets early, so bowlers had an upper hand,” said Dinde, Class 6 student of Sant Sai English Medium School, Bhosari.

Dinde was supported by Tanishq Khedkar who scalped two wickets in his four-over spell by conceding 17 runs.

“We were at an advantage from the first over as our bowlers did not allow the batsmen to settle. We also got help from the pitch as the ball was swinging in the first few overs,” Dinde said.

After losing five wickets with 34 runs on board, Pradyman Atpadkar and Amey Shewale added a 30-run sixth wicket partnership which helped the team put a 75-run target in stipulated 25 overs.

“Our bowling and fielding departments were up to the mark. If the opponents had played an attacking game, the target could have been more,” said Vaibhav Agam, captain, Varroc Vengsarkar Cricket Academy.

Coming to bat, Varroc opener Yashwith was out in third over, but the loss was minor as Abhin Amitabh’s 29 of 27 balls and Abhijeet Pawar’s 27 in 26 balls ensured Varroc victory in 9.5 overs.

SAYYED, CHORGE SHINE FOR PYC HINDU GYMKHANA

In the second match of the day in the first league match of the under-13 Varroc Cup at Varroc Vengsarkar Cricket Academy ground on Monday, PYC Hindu Gymkhana defeated Wisdom Cricket Academy by 41 runs.

Sufyan Sayyed 48 runs in

50 balls and captain Sairaj Chorge 46 runs in 36 balls helped PYC Hindu Gymkhana set a target of 176 runs in 22 overs.

Wisdom Cricket Academy’s batting started on a bad note as they lost top three batsmen – Onkar Thorat, Ayan Shaikh and Aniket Badhe — with score of

18, 3 and 10 respectively. Sanyak Jain 47 runs in 38 balls was only bright spot for Wisdom Cricket Academy as the rest of the side failed to remain on the crease for long, and team went down by 41 runs.

“Batting is commendable, but we need to improve on our bowling. As our bowlers are not seasoned, we could not take all the wickets,” said Chorge, captain, PYC Hindu Gymkhana.

Prathamesh Bhujabal, captain, Wisdom Cricket Academy, said, “We need to work on our fielding as we conceded many extras and ended up facing a big target.”