Century-maker Prantar Sarma of Guwahati. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Nuruddin Trophy

Guwahati, Feb. 23: Hosts Guwahati won the Nuruddin Ahmed Trophy in a canter, defeating Tinsukia by an innings and 18 runs in the final of the senior inter-district cricket championship at the NF Railway stadium here on Sunday.

Chasing a 310-run target to make the hosts bat again, the visitors were packed out for 292 in 92.3 overs. Guwahati won the tournament after six years, having lost to Dibrugarh in the final last year.

Resuming at 215 for eight, Tinsukia’s overnight pair of tailenders Santanu Chakravarty and Narendra Prasad put up a gutsy 80-run ninth-wicket partnership batting an hour and 25 minutes in the morning session. Prasad departed when he was trapped leg before by Rupam Rabha. The visitors were all out for 180 in the first innings on Friday.

Tinsukia failed again on the batsmen-friendly Maligaon wicket yesterday, losing eight wickets for 215. Left-arm spinner Bhaskarjyoti Barman, who claimed six for 32 in the first innings, triggered a middle-order collapse after the top draw caved in to Bitap Mahanta. Barman and Mahanta shared three wickets apiece conceding 59 and 125 runs.

Barring a flamboyant 50-run knock by Chakravarty, the other highpoint in the Tinsukia second innings was a confident 71-run knock by B.M. Rao on Saturday and a steady 32 by Bijon Dutta. Rao slammed eight hits to the fence, while Chakravarty’s 50 was peppered with 10 fours.

On Saturday morning, the home batsmen were all out for 490 adding 90 runs to their overnight 400 for six. Prantar Sarma, resuming at 55, hit five more boundaries and stole some quick singles and twos to complete his 100. Skipper Utpal Medhi contributed 47 runs with four fours and a six.

Veteran sportsperson and Assam Cricket Association’s founder secretary Pulin Das, ICC umpire Suren Ram Phukan, ACA secretary Bikash Baruah and its treasurer Ghanshyam Baruah presented the prizes at the end of the match.

The association gave away cricket bats to the centurions, while a pair of boots was given to the bowlers scalping more than seven wickets in any match in the tourney. Batsmen Dinesh Mahanta, Vishal Jain, Prantar Sarma (all Guwahati), Rahul Roy, Surajit Das, Krishnendu Das (all Hailakandi), Gautam Bora (Biswanath Chariali), Parag Das, Tilak Das (both NF Railway), Tapan Seal (Tezpur) and Alok Sarkar (Silchar) and bowlers Mark Ingti of Shillong, Samar Choudhury of Hailakandi and Dhiraj Goswami of Nagaon were among the award-winners.