Jaipuria Vidyalaya 171/10 in 43.2 overs (Jatin 30, Toshit 28, Anuj 5/36) defeated Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Academy 117/10 in 31.1 overs ( Naved 18, Meghraj 17, Jatin 3/15) by 54 runs
The summer vacations ensure a lot of the age group competitions across the country. A lot of the future Sachins and Virats (Also Bumrah and Zaheers) are presented with an opportunity to spend the vacations away from the TV and mobile screens and grown themselves as individuals and players in such tournaments.
The Under 14 State Level Bharti Kunwar Memorial one Day Cricket League-2019 is one such tournament where many youngsters are being polished into being a diamond since past ten years. 16 teams, spread across four groups participated in the tournament and finally we had Jaipuria Vidyalaya and RGCA in the finals to bring the curtains down on the tenth season, but with some great action.
The Jaipuria Vidyalaya won the toss and decided to bat first. The inning saw some decent starts from the batsmen but all of them went down the drain. As many as five batsmen got a start but none could go pass thirty. Regular wickets meant that the Jaipuriya Vidhyalaya could manage only 171 in the first inning. The batsmen failed to find a way to tackle Anuj Kumar Meena who bagged the figures of 5/36 off his 9.2 overs.
A tournament that saw a score in excess of 500 in 50 overs and a couple of scores in the higher side of 300 would make you feel that 171 is a target way too easy. But the pressure in a final game is never same as group games. You have no facility of committing a mistake and getting away. Here, you are playing to be crowned as a champion and a mistake can snatch the crown away.
You never know what’s going on in the head of the 14 year old kids. We surely don’t know whether the kids took it too easy or too hard, the RGCA lost their top order even before they had 50 on the scoreboard. After getting a breezy start, they lost their way. A couple of partnerships in the middle bought some interest back but unfortunately there was no one who could sail the ship to it’s destination. The RGCA were bundled out in just 31.1 overs, falling short by 54 runs.