Patna move into Chief Minister Cup cricket semifinals

Patna, March 4, 2010: Patna moved into semifinals of first Chief Minister Cup limited over cricket tournament defeating Darbhanga by 14 runs in the first quarterfinal match at the Moinul Haq Stadium here on Friday.

Speedster Gopal virtually scripted Patna’s hard-fought win after a dismal show by its batsmen. Gopal claimed four wickets for 16 runs off 8 overs. He was later adjudged man of the match.

Batting first Patna crawled to 127 all out off 40 overs. In reply, Darbhanga could manage to make 113 all out off 29.1 overs.

In a placid batting track of the Moinul Haq Stadium, Patna batsmen failed to put on a big score. They looked more or less hapless against not so hostile Darbhanga attack. Patna lost their first two wickets for just 3 runs on the board. Dilip, who performed well in the zonal matches, showed a bit of resistance scoring 24 runs with two hits to the fence. Satveer (22) and Anant Prakash (15) were the other useful contributors.

Md Shoaib took three wickets for 21 runs. Sahadab Alam and Rajeev got two wickets each for 11 and 29 runs respectively.

In reply, Darbhanga too had a disastrous start losing their first wicket for 16 runs. After that it was a tale of who returns first back to the pavilion. Besides Gopal, Anant Prakash (2 wickets for 23) and Deepak (2 for 15) were the other successful bowlers for Patna.

Opener Shadab Alam (21) and Pawan (25) were the notable rungetters for Darbhanga.

Earlier, Art, Cultural and Youth Affairs Minister Renu Devi inaugurated the tournament. Patna Central MLA Arun Sinha was the chief guest. Art, Culture and Youth Affairs Department secretary Vivek Kumar Singh, Director General of Bihar State Sports Authority (BSSA) Manoje Nath and other officials were present on the occasion.

Brief scores: Patna 127 off 40 overs (Amlesh 13, Anant Prakash 15, Dilip 24, Gopal 11, Shadab Alam 2 for 11, Ravi Kant 1 for 24, Md Shoaib 3 for 21, Rajeev 2 for 29).

Darbhanga: 113 off 29.1 overs (Shadab Alam 21, Rajeev Kumar 10, Nafisul Haquue 11, Pawan 25, Gopal 4 for 16, Anant Prakash 2 fo5r 15, Dilip 1 for 33 and Vivek 1 for 2).

Photo caption: Top: Bihar Sports Minister Renu Devi inaugurating the Chief Minister Cup cricket tournament's final round matches in Patna on March 4, 2010.

Bottom: Patna and Darbhanga players pose for a group photograph with Bihar Sports Minister Renu Devi at the Moinul Haq Stadium in Patna on March 4, 2010.