Modern champions

Mumbai: Modern English School, Kandivali ensured their first Giles Shield final was memorable by notching a nine-wicket victory over Oxford Public School, Chembur at the
Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday. Captain Rishabh Sadake, opener Dhairya Patil and off-spinner Jasmeet Singh were the architects of the three-day final for Modern in the 123 rd edition of the prestigious Under-16 Inter-School cricket tournament organised by the Mumbai Schools Sports Association under the aegis of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).

The Oxford boys battled hard but Modern always had the upper-hand and kept things under control right till the end. Oxford did have their moments especially after deciding to bat first after winning the toss. Openers, left-handed Arham Jain (51 runs, 103 balls, 5 fours) and Arhan Patel (48 runs, 130 balls, 5 fours), provided a sedate start raising 93 runs in 35.4 overs for the first wicket. But once Jasmeet claimed Jain, the Oxford innings lost its way and they were bowled out for 218 in 78 overs. Only skipper Shahid Khan (53 runs off 86 balls, 1 four) defied the rival attack. Left-arm spinner Vivaan Jobanputra (3-48) and Jasmeet (2-58) shared the bowling honours for Modern. In reply, openers Rishabh (83 runs off 112 balls, 13 fours) and Dhairya (81 runs off 134 balls, 7 fours, 2 sixes) ensured Modern’s ascendancy with a solid 161-partnership off 237 balls. Shaswat Naik (35 not out off 49 balls, 1 four) and Pranav Iyengar (35 off 65 balls, 2 fours) too made useful contributions as Modern scored 271 for 9 in the stipulated 80 overs, for a 53- run lead. Off-spinner Praveer Singh (5-67) was largely instrumental in Oxford keeping their

rivals in check after the big opening partnership. All hopes of a thrilling finale were dashed as Oxford were shot out for 118 in 39.5 overs with Jasmeet (4-59) and left-arm medium-pacer Shaswat Naik (3-34) doing most of the damage. Opener Arham Jain, once again stood tall among the Oxford ruins, carrying the bat with an unbeaten 57 off 80 balls. Jasmeet finished with a match haul of six wickets. Modern then sailed past the victory target of 66 runs in the 24 th over losing just one wicket. Captain Rishabh (32) and Pranav (25) saw the winners past the finish line without much ado. Former Mumbai captain, selector and administrator Milind Rege praised the organisers for carrying on the rich tradition and providing an apt platform for school children to showcase
their cricketing skills. Popular television actor Mohsin Khan was the guest of honour while Mumbai Cricket Association secretary Ajinkya Naik, MCA junior selector Deepak Patil, former international umpire Suresh Shastri and MSSA cricket secretary Nadeem Memon graced the occasion. Victorious Endeavours directors Ms. Dimple Joshi and Mr Jaideep Marar presented a full
cricket kit and a trophy to the best players of the final.

Victorious Endeavours Awards for top performers in final
* Best Batsman: Arham Jain (Oxford Public)
* Best Bowler: Jasmeet Singh (Modern English)
* Best Fielder: Saif Ali (Oxford Public)

* Best All-Rounder: Shahid Khan (Oxford Public)
Best players of the tournament

* Best all-rounder: Nikhil Verma (Antonio da Silva High School)
* Best Batter: Rishabh Sadake (Modern English)
* Best Bowler: Vedant Gore (Anjuman-E-Islam Allana)

Brief Scores:

Oxford Public School 218 all out in 78 overs (Shahid Khan 53, Arham Jain
51, Arhan Patel 48; Vivaan Jobanputra 3-48, Jasmeet Singh 2-58) & 118 all out in 39.5
overs (Arham Jain 57 not out; Jasmeet Singh 4-59) lost to Modern English School 271-9 in
80 overs (Rishabh Sadake 83, Dhairya Patil 81, Shaswat Naik 35 not out, Pranav Iyengar 33;
Praveer Singh 5-67) & 66-1 in 23.3 overs (Rishabh Sadake 32 not out, Pranav Iyengar 25 not out) by nine wickets.