RK Club Jodhpur 125/10 in 20 overs (Rajesh 32, Shailendra 25, Naveen 3/29) lost to Bada Saab Club Keru 126/6 in 16.5 overs (Vicky 54, Naveen 29, Shailendra 2/30) by 4 wickets
A tennis ball cricket tournament lasting over 40 days, always brings in some great contests. The Balarwa Tigers Club tournament 2019, organized by the club the tournament is named after is one such tournament. With the number of participating teams almost outnumbering the number of games in the ongoing cricket world cup, you are guaranteed to have some exciting performances coming at your way.
After a month of drama we finally had the top two teams out in the middle. As the RK Club elected to bat first after the coin landing in their favor, the final drama began with Suresh dropping down the ball to the third man for a single. RK Club got off to a disastrous start. Apart from Happy (18), none of their top five could manage to reach the double digits. Captain KK resisted for a moment but it was shortlived. With 66 for 8 in the 12th over the game looked like its over even before it properly began.
While the wickets were tumbling at one end, Rajesh (32) on the other end was looking for a partner who could help him to put on a fighting total. He got a partner in the form of number 10, Shailendra. The pair stitched together 58 runs off just 42 balls. The partnership meant that RK Club had a decent total on the board to defend in the end.
In the tennis ball game, the weather and the conditions play minimum role in the outcome of the game. Sometimes it’s a bit tough to predict about what’s the winning total. The tournament saw some massive targets being gunned down and some small once were defended as well. The second inning began with some drama as BSCK lost four of their top five in within first four overs. At 21 for four the chances looked bleak for them already but once again, you never put bucks on a tennis ball game.
As Tarun joined Vicky out in the middle in the fourth over, the pair had a mount to climb ahead of them. You’d expect the batsmen to show signs of nerves under such circumstances but that’s not how Vicky likes to go about. He took his time initially but started doing what he does best in no time. Tarun on the other end ensured that his partner is not starved off the strike and the tactic paid off. The pair added 61 off just 40 balls and the BSCK were back in the game, in fact they could smell the blood from this point.
When Tarun got out in the 11th over, the RK Club might have thought that they have a chance but Naveen (29 off 12) ensured that there are no hiccups on the way to the title. Although RK club managed to nip out Vicky, the damage was done. It was only enough to bring down his average a bit but surely he enjoyed holding the trophy later in the evening instead of browsing about his batting average in the end.
