The joy of Captain Anindita Nath and her partner Sangsthita Biswas met no bound as the six by Nath over cover was enough for the much coveted victory. The tired but glittering face of the captain depicted the story of the match. Chasing 101 to win in 25 over, Maa Sarada Team started brilliantly and collected 14 runs in the very first over and Team St. Teresa was punished for pitching the ball too short. Though the first wicket fell when the score was 16, the Captain Anindita Nath and Sangsthita Biswas made an invaluable partnership of unbeaten 86 runs and ensured that no more wickets hurt them to lift the coveted trophy with 11 over left and 9 wickets in hand.
Nath, hit 4 sixes on her way to unbeaten 48, was dropped twice. Teresa’s team paid the price for their sloppy fielding and wayward bowling both of which are a strict no-no when you are defending a small target. Spinners created the occasional pressure but credit must be given to Nath and Biswas as the duo maintained the composure even after playing some consecutive dot balls. The last catch which was dropped off Nath was because of the serious miscommunication between the fielders at mid on and long on. Neither of them called the catch and as both of them went for the catch, they collided and Nath got the lifeline which she capitalized well. When Nath was toying with bowling, Biswas kept the score board going and also ended with a score of unbeaten 46.
Early in the morning, Maa Sarada team won the toss and decided to field first. It was a wise decision keeping in the mind the cloudy weather. And to the pleasure of the captain the bowlers kept the tight line and made the life harder for the batter. Team Teresa only able to accumulate 100 run in their allotted 25 over. Rama Mahato who was the highest wicket taker of the tournament proved her worth again and her superb bowling figure of 5-4-4-3 is a testimony to that. She was well supported by Gouri Dey (3/22). At the same time the fielding was very good and there were several direct hits at the wickets, creating the run out opportunities.
The only silver lining for St. Teresa Team was Kashish Agarwal who made 20 of 15 balls. The budding women cricket tournament which was started 6 years before was a
brainchild of 4 friends , and one of them was Mithu Mukherjee , ex Indian cricketer and there were Indian ace cricketer Jhulan Goswami, ex Swimmer Rekha Thakur and Soumya Chakravarty. The tournament which had a budget of 16,000 in its initial year grew and this year the budged was 200000 (2 Lacs). The feature of the tournament is that no Bengal players participated in it. As the intention was to give the exposure to the budding cricketers, several players from other states participated in it. All the players were divided in four teams – St.Teresa, Maa sarada, Sister Nivedita, Rani Rasmoni ,the ‘ladies’ whose contribution towards the betterment of the Bengal and Indian society are worth remembering. For the first time the girls participated in the coloured clothes. National Cricket Club (NCC) also provided their support this time.
The final was witnessed by many ex-Bengal and Indian cricketers and they were felicitated during the prize distribution ceremony. Ashok Dinda and Sourasish Lahiri also graced the occasion with their presence. The Bengal u-16 team which won the national championship, the only tournament which Bengal women won this year were also felicitated. Jhulan Goswami was the centre of the attraction during the prize distribution ceremony and was felicitated for her 200 ODI wickets. In her speech Jhulan mentioned about keeping the team spirit high, respecting the seniors, maintaining healthy atmosphere on the field and stressed on hard work. Runa Basu spoke about her playing days and the toils the ex cricketers had to undergo. To conclude Ashok Dinda stressed not only on the hard work but also on smart work.
Highest Run Getter : Sangsthita Biswas (MAA SARADA TEAM)
Highest Wicket Taker : Rama Mahato (MAA SARADA TEAM)
Women of The Final : Anindita Nag (MAA SARADA TEAM)
Women of the Tournament : Tithi Das (MAA SARADA TEAM)
Highest Team Total : Maa Sarada Team 267/5 (25 ) vs. Rani Rashmoni
Lowest Team Total : Rani Rashmoni 53/8 (25) vs. Sister Nivedita
