NPS Strickers 96/10 in 19.5 overs (Reavanpreet 34, Tarun 25, Arsh 5/26) lost to Hari K Kauni Hunters 97/7 in 22 overs (Surkhab 21, John 20, Bikramjeet 2/15)
Another day, another final of an age group tournament. As the summer vacations are coming to an end, the curtains are being downed on these age group tournaments all across the country, but not before some mouthwatering games and individual brilliance from some fresh faces,
The U-14 Hari K Kauni U-14 Premier League that began on 22nd of June, had it’s final played here on the Kauni Cricket Academy, Muktsar. The finals were contested between NPS Strikers and Hari K Kauni Hunters. We had a faceoff between number 2 and number 4 of the tournament after they knocked down the toppers in the semifinals.
The Strikers lost three of their top batsmen within 8 overs after they decided to bat first after winning the toss. Desperate for a partnership, they got Tarun and Reavanpreet out in the middle. A breezy partnership of 56 was stitched down between the two but just when they thought that the things are going their way finally, a storm named Arsh arrived. Arsh did not just break the partnership, he nipped out both the set batsmen and triggered a collapse from which the Strikers failed to recover. The strikers lost their last seven wickets for just 17 runs.
A target of 97 in a 30 over game is always ordinary. You’d expect this target to be chased down at any venue, by any opposition, against any attack. It happed here at the finals of U-14 Hari K Kauni tournament too but not without a high quality drama. The Hunters lost their openers in the first two overs with just 6 on board. They lost their first inning hero Arsh for 6 too. Anmolpreet and Surkhab departed after showing some resistance and as the middle order failed, we were up there for a miracle.
With 64 for 7 and target still 32 away, the nerves can be felt all across the ground. From here, it was all about the battle of mental strength and not the technical skills of the players out there. Shawinder and John joined the party and ensured that they win the mental battle against their opposition. They realized the fact that they had a lot of overs to chase the total and went ahead while acknowledging this fact and their effort paid off. They kept ticking over the scorecard without going for the big shots and in no time, they were celebrating a well earned victory.
