Punjab thrash Odisha in Ranji trophy
Bhubaneswar: A disciplined bowling display helped Punjab dismiss Odisha for 307 in their second innings and notch up a convincing an innings and 48-run victory with a bonus point in a group A Ranji Trophy match on the fourth and final day on Wednesday. After bundling out Odisha for 205 in their first innings, Punjab had posted a mammoth 560 for six declared. Resuming at 110 for two in their second innings, Odisha needed 245 more runs to make Punjab bat again but skipper Harbhajan Singh led a disciplined bowling attack with a three-wicket haul to scuttle the visitors' plans. While Harbhajan returned with figures of three for 83 in 25.4 overs,Siddarth Kaul and Manpreet Gony took two wickets each, while Sandeep Sharma, who had scalped the two Odisha openers yesterday, added another wicket to his kitty.
Harbhajan's total nine-wicket haul in the match will hold him in good stead when the selectors meet to pick the squad for the two-match Test series against the West Indies to be played next month. Overnight batsman Niranjan Behera was the first to be dismissed today when Kaul cleaned up the one down batsman. His 113-ball 56 was studded with eight boundaries. Two overs later, Govind Podder who started the day at 52, also was sent back to the pavilion by Gony with Uday Kaul taking the catch behind the stumps as Odisha slipped to 147 for four in 43.2 overs. Abhilash Mallick then steadied the innings and tried to anchor the fightback with a 116-ball 73, which included five fours and a six. However, Abhilash could not find an able partner to lead the fightback as apart from Basant Mohanty (41) and Halhadar Das (16), none of the batsmen could reach the double-figure mark as Odisha were dismissed in 91.4 overs. Brief Scores: Odisha: 205 & 307 all out in 91. 4 overs (Abhilash Mallick 73; Harbhajan Singh 3/83). Punjab 1st innings: 560-6 dec.
S’garh wins HI 31st Nehru Hockey Tourney
Bhubaneswar: Town High School, Sundergarh came from behind to stun CRRZ Sr Sec School, Sonepat (Haryana) 2-1 and clinch the title of the HI 31st Nehru Sub-Junior Boys Hockey Tournament played at Shivaji Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday. CRRZ Sr Sec School, Sonepat (Haryana) dominated the proceeding with the starting of the game and took an early lead in the second minute with the field goal scored by Manish. Ashwin Kujur scored an equaliser for Town High School, Sundergarh (Odisha) in the 31st minute. In the 43rd minute Ashwin Kujur scored second goal which helped his team to win the title. In the third/fourth position match, Government School, Kawnpui (Mizoram) defeated Baba Gurmukh Singh Uttam Singh Sr Sec School Kahdoor Sahib, ludhiana (Punjab) 3-2 to win the bronze medal. The winners Town High School bagged a trophy along with cash award of Rs. 96,000 while runners-up CRRZ Sr Sec School were awarded trophy and cash prize of Rs. 64,000. The tournament carries total cash awarded of Rs 2,18,000.