The Chemplast cricket team’s incredible winning streak continues. After winning the Palayampatti Shield for the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association senior division league for the fifth consecutive time, the Sanmar boys did the group proud recently by winning two prestigious titles—the Coromandel King Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup on 16 September at Hyderabad, and the Canara Bank centenary Cup tournament at Bangalore on 27 September.
In the Gold Cup final, Hemang Badani (126 not out) Vasanth Saravanan (73) and Ajay Kudua (51 not out) batted well to take Chemplast to a total of 358 for 6 in the allotted 90 overs against India Cements. Badani struck a splendid unbeaten century, his second consecutive hundred, to help Chemplast recover from 53 for three at one stage. S Badrinath had made a century too in an earlier match.
The Chemplast team that won the Canara Bank Centenary Cup at Bangalore (l to r): K Ram Mohan Rao, Petson Mathews, A Avinash, S Badrinath, S Vasanth Saravanan, Hemang K Badani, V Subramania Siva, S Sujith, R Ram Kumar, Ajay Kudua, J P Yadav, R Sathish, D Vasu, R Jesuraj and Abdul Jabbar.
The Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup champions.
Standing (l to r): J Stephen, K Noor-ul Riaz, S Saravanan, A Avinash, S Vasanth Saravanan, R Sathish, R Jesuraj, S Badrinath, J Syed Mohamed, D Tamil Kumaran, M Vijay and Petson Mathews.
Sitting (l to r): K Ram Mohan Rao (Manager), Hemang K Badani, D Vasu, N Ajay Kudua, Abdul Jabbar (Coach), R Ram Kumar and J P Yadav.
Badani produced a wonderful exhibition of classic strokes in the company of Vasanth Saravanan, with whom he added 174 for the sixth wicket.
Later, he shared another crucial unbeaten 98-run stand with captain Ajay Kudua (51 not out).
The India Cements batsmen had no answer to the
brilliant bowling of Jesuraj (4 for 30), who was well supported by Tamil Kumaran and Ramkumar.
The scores: Chemplast 358 for six in 90 overs (Hemang Badani 126 not out, Vasanth Saravanan 73, Ajay Kudua 51 not out) beat India Cements 167 in 47.2 overs (M K Shiv Kumar 53 not out, Jesuraj 4 for 30).
In the Canara Bank Cup, Chemplast won a day-night final convincingly against a strong Indian Airlines line-up, prevailing by a margin of 36 runs, though the game was closely fought for the greater part of its duration. S Vasanth Saravanan was once again amongst the runs, making 60 in 84 balls in a total of 223 in 49.5 overs. When the Indian Airlines team batted, the openers, M S Dhoni (78) and Ravneet Ricky (42) put on 94 in 20.1 overs before veteran D Vasu (3 for 43) triggered a collapse with his accurate, penetrative bowling. Once again Jesuraj and Ramkumar bowled well too. Indian Airlines were all out for 187.
Scorecard: Chemplast 223 in 49.5 overs (S Vasanth Saravanan 60, Ajay Kudua 37) beat Indian Airlines 187 in 47 overs (M S Dhoni 78, R Ricky 42, D Vasu 3 for 43).