Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, December 18 2009:
CHAMP posted 136 for 6 against YAC, the highest ever score by any team so far in the ongoing 1st Heritage Cup T20 tournament being played at the Luwangpokpa Cricket Ground today.
Winning the toss and electing to bat, CHAMP'S innings progressed in much the same fashion as in their previous match against TRAU.
Their top order except for Robinson failed to fire - 4 wickets falling for just 42 runs and it was Ng Rajesh yet again who came to his team's rescue and turned its fortune around.
Sharing two crucial partnerships - first of 50 runs with Williams for the 5th wicket and another of 37 runs with Bonim for the 7th wicket, Rajesh remained not out scoring a fast-paced 43 from just 30 balls.
Robinson with 24 off 22, Williams with 19 off 22 and Bonim with 13 runs off only 9 balls were the other notable contributors to the total.
Of the 6 CHAMP wickets to fall, Raju, the most successful of the YAC bowlers, scalped 4 giving away 33 runs while the other 2 wickets were claimed by Seityajit at the expense of 25 runs.
YAC needing to go at just about 7 runs per over never quite got going, the run chase lacked the momentum and urgency required by the target.
With wickets falling at regular intervals, YAC could not get any partnership going and step up the pace of scoring.
By the end of the 18th over, YAC required 48 runs and in the final over, the equation read 43 runs and 6 balls remaining.
Eventually, the innings folded at 102 for the loss of 7 wickets, consequently losing the match by quite a substantial margin of 34 runs.
Rajesh and Premanda claimed 2 wickets a piece for CHAMP while Jodiba, Indrabal and Williams took one wicket each.
Ng Rajesh was once again voted the Man of the Match and received a cash award of Rs 1000/- from Kh Nandakishore, treasure UCC.
Rajesh, the most consistent performer so far in this tournament, while talking to reporters expressed satisfaction over his form and when queried on the possibility of a half century replied, "I will definite try for in the remaining matches".
Tomorrow UCC will meet THAU in a group A league match.
UCC if they manage to win tomorrow's match will qualify for the semifinals while for THAU a win is a must to stay alive in the tournament.