A Chandmari Cricket Club batsman prepares to face a Lucky XI delivery at Latasil Ground on Monday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, Dec. 25: Lucky XI opened the 14th Guwahati Challenge Trophy with a mammoth 130-run win, and no, the name has nothing to with it.

A swashbuckling 95 by Swarupam Purkayastha and a four-wicket haul by Ranjit Mali to top a splendid team performance, made things difficult for Chandmari Cricket Club in the inaugural match at Latasil Ground today.

Electing to bat, Lucky XI rode a strokeful knock of 95 runs by Assam under-19 team skipper Swarupam Purkayastha to pile up 238 for five in the stipulated 30 overs.

In reply, the Chandmari Club batsmen fell for a modest total of 108.

Purkayastha’s knock off 79 balls was laced with four sixes and eight hits to the ropes. Mantu Razak remained unbeaten on 40, hammering three fours and two sixes, facing 31 balls. Vicky Sharma (35, 4x6) and Utpal Medhi (20, 6x2) were the other notable scorers for the winners.

Dipak Singh of Chandmari Club notched three wickets for 35 runs for his quota of five overs, while Rubi Sarma and Debojit Basumatary claimed a wicket each.

Chasing the target, Surajit Borah topscored for the Chandmari team with 26, hitting three fours and a sixer while 14 runs came from the bat of Rubi Sarma. Pradip Mahanta (11) was the only other batsman to score in double figures.

Ranjit Mali was the demolition man for Lucky XI, ripping through the Chandmari Club innings. He scalped four for 29, while Ranji player R.K. Yadav claimed two for 14.

Lucky XI will take on Embrace Club in another match tomorrow.

The tournament, organised by River Rine Club, was inaugurated this morning in the presence of veteran sports personalities Jatindra Goswami, Sunil Baruah, R.P. Baruah and Umesh Sarma, among others.