IISc clinch thriller

9 October 2011, IISc Gymkhana Ground, Bangalore: After the agonizing loss to Vikram CC in the last game, team IISc was under pressure to win this match. And so they did via a commendable team effort beating Vivekanada Union CC by three wickets with just two overs to spare. 

Vivekananda Union came into the match with some reputation for hard hitting and Ajay (70) and Anil (60) justified that with some lusty stroke-play. Ajay in particular was on nitro-boost mode biffing eight fours and three sixes. Debajit (4/49) came out of his consistent three-for mode claiming four wickets for IISc. Vikram (2/57) and Ashith (3/33) shared the rest of the spoils.

In a conscious effort to always stay ahead of the required rate, Salil (38) and Kiran (45) got the hosts off to a blistering start scoring at around nine runs an over. When Kiran was dismissed at a team score of 80 in the tenth over, IISc had a firm foundation to build their chase on. But they squandered the initiative with a dramatic middle-order collapse that took them to a precarious 145/6. 

Reminiscent of the epic chase against Rajajinagar Colts almost exactly an year ago, it was Varun (43) and Teja (55*) who played the rescue act to perfection. There weren't too many boundaries - both the batsmen hit only one six each - but the running was especially impressive as they repeatedly put pressure on the fielders stealing plenty of doubles. When Varun got out, IISc was still 33 runs behind the target, but some composed and sensible batting from Teja and Debajit saw IISc through with a couple of overs to spare.

While the result might not reflect it, the home team has some serious problems to sort in the fielding and catching department. The next match versus Merchants CC will not be an easy proposition to handle with butter-fingered fieldsmen. 

Brief Scores:

Vivekananda Union CC - 245 all out in 45.1 overs
(Ajay 70, Anil 60, Debajit 4/49, Vikram 2/57, Ashith 3/33)
IISc - 247/7 in 48 overs

(Salil 38, Kiran 45, Varun 43, Teja 55*, Soail 5/44)

Result: IISc won by 3 wickets

Man-of-the-match: Ravi Teja

Newspaper Reports:
"Deccan Herald"
"The Hindu"

KSCA Metro Shield 2011

The 2011 edition of the much-awaited KSCA IV Division League also known as the Metro Shield got underway on 3 September. A total of 48 teams split into eight pools of six teams each are in the fray. 

Teams play out round-robin matches within each pool and the top two teams from each pool go to the super-league stage which in turn shall have four pools of four teams each. Round-robin matches in the super-league stage are followed by the knock-out phase - semifinals and finals. The finalists get promoted to the III Division next season.

Typically, the tournament goes on for 4-5 months as all the matches are held on weekends only. Last season, IISc Gymkhana's excellent performance - including a five match winning streak - ensured a finish at 9th position out of 48 teams. This year, team IISc has its sights set on bettering that.

IISc is in pool-E and the schedule of its first round matches is given below.

Sunday, 18 Sept: IISc Gymkhana vs Young Boys' Cricket Association

Saturday, 24 Sept: IISc Gymkhana vs Vivekanagar Cricketers

Sunday, 02 Oct: IISc Gymkhana vs Vikram Cricket Club

Sunday, 09 Oct: IISc Gymkhana vs Vivekananda Union Cricket Club

Sunday, 16 Oct: IISc Gymkhana vs Merchants Cricket Club (1)

Hours of play:
09:30am to 12:50pm - First Innings
12:50pm to 01:50pm - Lunch
01:50pm to 05:10pm - Second Innings

Venue: All league stage matches of IISc will be held in the IISc Gymkhana ground.