Team Herald
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PANJIM: In a pulsating match the Nashik Cricket Academy got the better of the hapless Vijaya CA by 12 runs in the Second late Babu Naik All India U-16 tournament, at Agonda ground, on Tuesday.
Nashik will now meet Sportsweek (Goa) in final. The Belgaum team have themselves to blame as they threw away the match against a better mentally prepared team.
Things did not go the way Nashik wanted as even after winning the toss, Vijaya CA spinners especially legspinner Manikant Bukitgar (5 for 17) were all over the Nashik batsmen pinning them down at 37 for 7 and 67 for 8. But Aditya Pandey (58) had other ideas. He first took the score to 113 with Atharva and then with the last man Prachit shared a 10th wicket partnership of 25 runs as the Nashik side crashed at 138 in 39 overs. Mayankraj (2 for 32), Siddharth and Yash with 1 wicket bowled well for the Vijaya CA.
The Nashik CA bowlers could not prevent a decent start from Vijaya as the first wicket fell at 35. Then amidst some bad fielding the wickets of Vijaya CA started falling regularly but Akhilesh Vernekar (31) and Siddharth (35) batted well but at 125 for 5 with only 14 runs needed the may hem started. Siddharth was the culprit as he holed out. Then Ravindra Maccha (5 for 19) took 3 wickets in one over to pin the Vijaya team at 126 for 9. Yash Chawan then took the last wicket at 126 in 37.3 overs in the next over to script an unbelievable win. Atharva, Prachit, Yash and Aditya Pandey bowled well for Nashik.
At Fatorda in an another inconsequential match the Jaipur Cricket Academy beat Lucknow CA 117 runs.
Batting first after winning the toss, the Jaipur CA made 211 all out in 37.1 overs. Mukesh (53), Gautam (35) Saurabh (57) batted well. For Jaipur Vivek (3 for 15), Shivam Singh (2 for 36) bowled well and were supported by Ayush, Piyush and Ashwin who took one wicket each.
Some devastating bowling by Mukesh skittled out the Lucknow CA for a paltry 93 in 24.5 overs. Only Hari Om (24) batted well for Lucknow.
