In a commanding display of cricket, the Young Men's Cricket Club (YMCC) booked their spot in the semifinals of the prestigious KS Saxena memorial cricket tournament. The match, held at the Kanpur South ground on Friday, saw YMCC defeat Superior Spirit Club by a convincing margin of 55 runs.
Dominant Batting Sets Up Victory
Choosing to bat first after winning the toss, YMCC posted a formidable total of 255 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their allotted 30 overs. The innings was built on a solid foundation laid by opener Utkarsh Tiwari, who top-scored with a fluent 71 runs. He received valuable support from Tushar Pal (49) and Afsar Khan (33), ensuring the scoreboard kept ticking at a healthy rate. For the bowling side, Dipesh Sikarvar was the most successful bowler, claiming 3 wickets for 60 runs.
Superior Spirit's Chase Falls Short
In response, Superior Spirit Club put up a fight but ultimately fell short, being bowled out for 200 runs. Dhananjay Yadav led their resistance with a well-made 67, while Kunwar Shivam Singh (48) and Satya Kumar (39) made notable contributions. However, the YMCC bowling attack proved too strong. Rahul Pal was the pick of the bowlers with an excellent spell of 3 wickets for just 23 runs. He was ably supported by Veer (3 for 38) and Ritesh Yadav (2 for 45). For his match-winning bowling performance, Veer was rightly adjudged the Player of the Match.
Women's Talent Hunt League Sees Green Triumph
In a parallel women's cricket event on the same day, KCA Green emerged victorious over KCA Yellow in a closely contested talent hunt league match at Sapru ground. Chasing a target of 149, KCA Green reached 149 for 5 in 19.3 overs, winning by 5 wickets. The chase was anchored by a brilliant unbeaten 75 from Mahi Rajput, who was supported by Simran Bhati (24 not out). Earlier, KCA Yellow had scored 148 for 5, with Ayushi Singh (33) and Ekta Singh (31) being the main scorers.
These results highlight the vibrant and competitive local cricket scene in Kanpur, providing crucial platform for emerging talents in both men's and women's cricket.
