TCC defeats TWCC by 29 runs in season opener

With uncertainty looming large on whether play would be possible at the Temple grounds thanks to ground work and gloomy weather, TCC pulled off a great win over last year's North Zone toppers. TCC would like to thank TWCC for being great hosts (and for the pizza too!) and UICC for umpiring this match.

The ground was worked on during the week and was bereft of any grass whatsoever (imagine playing on a beach). Singles were hard to come by with lots of left-over dirt. Pressure was immense on the batsmen as a result and one had to rely on 4s and 6s to make sure there was a respectable score at the end of the day. Since batting was permitted only on one end and the boundary behind the keeper was very short, bowlers had very little margin for error. We put up 162 runs having lost the toss. Aravind top scored with 41 with small contributions from other batters. The grit that Neeraj, Arun and Prashant displayed under the circumstances warrants a mention even though the scoreboard does not reflect their efforts. They tried their best to ensure that we batted the entire 35 overs (almost). 1/3 of the score was thanks to extras.

Aravind started off in great fashion with a wicket in his first over. Ravi and Madhu played sensibly and looked to take the game away from us, but Prashant’s one-hander to dismiss the latter ensured the opposite. Arun cleaned up Mahesh during his clinical spell. Sanjay and Devin from TWCC need no introduction, so we remained focused on the job at hand. Prashant accounted for Sanjay while Muki broke through the resistance of the middle order with some impeccable bowling leaving Devin to perish while taking risks. Catching was a joy to watch, special mention to Anand’s superb catch on the long-off fence to send Devin back to the hut. TWCC folded eventually for 133 and we had earned our first win. Great team effort guys!

MoM - Muki for his 4 wickets.