Kurla school skittle out Rizvi Springfield for 99 to lift prestigious Harris Shield
Rizvi Springfield (Bandra) have enjoyed the status of Goliath in the Mumbai school cricket circuit having won the MSSA Harris Shield for six years straight. But Thursday was finally the day where David got the better of the giants as Al Barkat (Kurla) made history, beating the Bandra side by 83 runs with a day to spare in the final played at Shivaji Park Gymkhana, Dadar. A new name on the trophy.
Two days, a target of 183 runs and 10 wickets. That was the equation for Rizvi to make to win title No. 7 as they began the third day. Things couldn't have gotten off to a worse start as they found themselves 40/5 in the sixth over. From that moment, it became a matter of when rather than if for Al Barkat.
As Rahul Dubey, Rizvi's No. 11 made the long walk to the crease at 99/9, he saw the entire Kurla team waiting for the last wicket to fall and make the victory run to uproot the stumps. That moment just lasted one ball with Dubey falling for a first-ball duck.
Shoaib Khan, captain of Al Barkat, was all smiles as he conveyed the message to his parents over the phone. He may be the captain of the Mumbai U-16 team but beating Rizvi in the final, that too with a day to spare, meant the world to him. "We have finally done it. A new name on the trophy at last. Total of 182 was good to defend. At the fall of Rizvi's fifth wicket, we realised that this match was ours for the taking. We had the time, they had the wickets.
And we won on the day," said Khan, who was busy distributing sweets to the squad.
But more than the players, it's coach Nafees Khan, who can't wait for the party to begin. "They will enjoy today at home but the school is all set to welcome them on Friday. It'll be a treat to remember. We all are looking forward to the biryani," said Khan.
For a side that's so used to winning, seeing glum Rizvi faces seemed strange. "It had to end one day, didn't it? We needed partnerships today (Thursday) and you're asking for trouble if your highest stand is 38," said coach Raju Pathak.
Pathak and his side have the chance to exact revenge as they might face Al Barkat in the final of the Giles Shield should they get the better of Shardashram Vidyamandir (Dadar) in the semifinals.
Brief scores: Al Barkat (Kurla) 119 & 225 bt Rizvi Springfield (Bandra) 162 & 99 in 39.2 overs (S Chhhabria 44; R Sardar 3/13, J Ansari 3/32, M Sardar 2/24) by 83 runs
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