4th MNCA Luwangpokpa T20 Trophy : Blue Hawk cruise into quarter finals with 6th straight victory
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 10 2024: Blue Hawk, Khurai capped their Group D league round with 6 straight victories to book their place in the quarter finals of the 4th MNCA Luwangpokpa T20 Trophy.

Becker Roy blasted off a 31-ball 70 to steer Blue Hawk to 158/8 and Mintuchandra scalped four crucial wickets to set up OSCAR's collapse on 112 to hand his team a 46 run victory at Moijing Public Ground.

Boocker Kangjam of OSCAR gave Blue Hawk early jitters by removing top three batters and left Blue Hawk struggling at 56/5 in 10.4 overs before Becker Roy hit seven fours and six sixes on the way to his unbeaten 70 and took Blue hawk to a commendable total of 158 runs for 8 wickets.

Dijen Naorem 17, Mutum Sudhir 16, Manas 16 and Ningombam Jackiechan 14 also added double digit runs for the Khurai side.

4th MNCA Luwangpokpa T20 Trophy

Boocker returned with the best figures of 4/19 in 4 overs for OSCAR as Sorokhaibam Samson and Nongmaithem Bijendro picked up a wicket apiece.

In reply, OSCAR lost opener Sanjit Thounaojam on golden duck before Nongmaithem Bijendro 42 and Boocker Kangjam 28 stitched together a 65 run partnership in 50 deliveries for the second wicket and gave OSCAR a promising start.

Things went downhill after Bijendro was removed for the third wicket when the scoreboard read 90 and Mintu Chandra swept four wickets including two batters on ducks to restrict OSCAR to 112 all out.

Mintuchandra returned with the best bowling figures of 4/9 in 2.3 overs as Becker Roy (2/35) and Samsung Heisnam (2/11) finished with two wicket hauls.

Ningombam Jackiechan and Nameirakpam Lelil also picked up a wicket apiece.

Becker Roy who starred with both the bat and ball was adjudged man of the match.

Meanwhile, YWC-Langthabal ended PCC-Mayai Koibi's four game winning streak with a 5 wicket thrashing for the fifth victory in 6 matches at Lairenjam Public Ground.

PCC won the toss and rode on contributions from Thokchom Anand 35, Bobby Khangembam 31, Charoibam Tyson 27 and Huidrom Dhanashyam 23 to amass 153 for 9 but Ngangbam Bikramjit led the YWC-L onslaught with a 55-ball 68 to take the team to the target.

Contributions from Ngangbam Bingson 26 not out and Pukhrambam Prakashmani 20 and 22 extras also helped the team ease to the target in 18.4 overs.

In PCC innings, Maibam Subash enjoyed a three wicket haul (3/22 in 4 overs) as Ngangbam Bishwash (2/24) and Pukhrambam Prakashmani (2/31) shared four wickets.

Elsewhere at Khangabok Cherapur Public Ground, TCMDC bowled out toss winners THAU for 106 runs in 19.3 overs thanks to Thongam Tulajit and cruised to the victory within 10.1 overs on the back of an unbeaten half century from Moirangthem Sunanda (30-ball 54) .

Diamond batted sensibly for THAU even as he saw his partners depart cheaply but was dismissed for 40 runs by Anuj Kharel in the 13th over and it marked the gradual decline in the run rate for the team before they collapsed on 106.TCMDC's Kongbrailatpam Kalyan had his way to scalp two order batters in this innings before Thongam Tulajit broke the back of the THAU line up by removing four wickets (4/27 in 4 overs) .

N Arbin then took the honour to remove the last two batters.

In the chase, Moirangthem Sunanda scored 54 not out off 30 balls and Maibam Ashokumar 38 set up the victory even as Khumukcham Romesh was able to remove Ashokumar for the first wicket when the team were 4 runs away from the century mark.

Meanwhile the Group B match scheduled at Model Hr Sec and Oriental College ground saw IBSA get a walkover win against SDC.