NURUL AMIN TROPHY
Nagaon, March 5: Guwahati today brushed aside hosts Nagaon by virtue of their 78-run first innings lead to win the first edition of the Nurul Amin Trophy cricket tournament.
Chasing 389 for victory on the last day of the three-day final played at the Nurul Amin Stadium here, Nagaon scored 163 for four in 47 overs with Rupankar Das (32) and Dipankar Das (20) remaining unbeaten at stumps. Bhaskarjyoti Barman scalped three and Bitap Mahanta took the other wicket for the visitors.
Aided by overnight batsmen and skipper Utpal Medhi’s 56 and Pankaj Kalita’s 46, the visitors posted 311 for nine in 85.4 overs. The 78-run lead helped Guwahati set a near impossible target of 389 for the hosts.
The fate of the match was decided on the second day itself when Nagaon folded up for 152 in 57.1 overs in reply to the visitors’ not-so-healthy 230.
BCCI’s talent resource development officer Pritam Konwar — the only Assam Cricket Association talent spotter present in the final — has invited Nagaon’s Yadin Islam, Bhaskarjyoti Konwar and Tritha Mahanta and Guwahati’s Bitap Mahanta and Vishal Jain for the ongoing under-25 trials in Mangoldoi. Assam will play Bihar in the first match, beginning March 15.
B Division Football
Inaugural tie drawn
Shillong, March 5: Manipur Police Sports Club and Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) settled for a goalless draw in the opening match of the National B Division Football League’s Northeast leg at the Polo ground here today.
After a dour first half when both teams checked for chinks in the rival’s armour, the players raised the tempo in the second session but failed to capitalise on several opportunities. The defenders stood solid, but the strikers looked directionless almost throughout the match.
The equation has remained similar for both teams. They have to win or draw against Shillong’s Lajong SC to qualify for the next round from Group A, which has only three teams.
ASEB will play Lajong on Friday, while the Manipur police squad takes on the Shillong side on March 10.
In Group B, Eastern Sporting Union of Manipur will lock horns with on 1st Mizoram Armed Police Football Club in the first match tomorrow, while home side Langsning SC will kick off their campaign against Oil India Limited of Duliajan in the second encounter. OIL have defeated ASEB to win the Assam club championship this season.
Special Olympic
Footballer Waikhom Ranendra and coach Ningthoukhongjam Ojit of Manipur will attend the Chennai selections for the national squad to participate in the World Summer Games for the mentally retarded in Dublin, reports our Imphal correspondent.
GCCC in final: Guwahati Cricket Coaching Centre (GCCC) entered the final of the first Keshab Ram Bora cricket meet, defeating NF Railway Sports Club by five wickets in the first semi-final today, says a staff reporter.
Brief scores: NFRSA 151 in 32 overs (Amzad Ali 26, Paritosh Kumar 3/27, Pankaj Gurung 2/27, Rupam Aich 2/22); GCCC 151/5 in 29.1 overs (Sajjad Hussain 52*, Parag Das 2/39).