SCA-A beat Ri Bhoi, set showdown date with Tura-A

SHILLONG, March 9: Shillong Cricket Association A held off a determined Ri Bhoi to win their Zone 1 final of the Meghalaya Cricket Association’s Inter-District U-23 Men’s Cricket Tournament by 46 runs in Nongpoh today.
Resuming the second and final day on 89/8, with a lead of 132 runs, SCA-A added a further 13 runs for the loss of their last two wickets to be all out for 102, which set Ri Bhoi 146 for victory.
Yesterday, SCA-A had made 107/10 after winning the toss and batting first, to which Ri Bhoi replied with 64 all out.
Ibitlang Thabah made 15 for SCA-A in their second innings, while Bharat Gurung claimed 4/30 and Ram Gurung 4/42 for Ri Bhoi.
In the fourth innings of the match, Ri Bhoi’s Laxman Gurung and Vicky Kumar both made 36 runs each but it was the destructive bowling of man-of-the-match Abhishek Kumar, who scalped 7/30, that won the day for SCA-A as they dismissed their opponents for 99 in 42.4 overs to claim victory and a place in the state-level final.
Kumar finished with match figures of 13/69 (after claiming 6/39 in Ri Bhoi’s first innings) and struck 50 runs in the match.
SCA-A will face Tura A in the state final, which is scheduled to begin in Mendipathar on Friday.