Elite Tourney : ESU beat Model Club by 4 wickets

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Feb 12 : ESU, Wangkhei Palace Compound defeated Model Club, Singjamei Chingamakha by 4 wickets for the second win in five matches of the ongoing 9th MNCA W Prahlada and W Ramananda Elite Tournament 2024-25.
ESU won the toss and opted to field first at Model Hr Secondary and Oriental College ground today. Model Club were then dismissed for 192 runs in 34 overs before ESU fought their way to the winning 193/6 in 35 overs.
Asked to bat first, Model Club started cautiously but were reduced to 51/2 in 11 overs with ESU's L Henary and Sanatomba claiming a wicket apiece.
From 51/2, Langlonyamba and Maisnam Tejkumar forged a 52 run partnership for the third wicket off 50 balls to take Model Club past the 100-run mark but Thokchom Nilakanta broke the partnership by removing Tejkumar on 24.
It marked the turning point for Model Club as the slumped continued with Chongtham Mehul Shreth trapping Thoudam Deepak lbw on a 6-ball duck before L Henary got rid of M Langlonyamba, who clobbered 5 fours and 2 sixes off on the way to his 36-ball 52, in the 24th over and N Bijenkumar (1) in the 26th over to complete his treble of wickets (3/43 in 7 overs) and leave Model Club struggling at 138/6.
ESU's Chitaranjan Sharma then removed Anand Naorem on 8 for the 7th wicket before skipper Sanatomba undone both Dibak Naorem and Suson Yanglem in the 33rd over to make it 188/9 and finished with the bowling figures of 3/30 in 4 overs. Lourembem Dipu then bowled out Waikhom Priyokumar on 1 to dismiss Model for 192 runs.
Chasing 193 for the win, Chongtham Mehul Shreth and Hanjabam Donba Sharma gave ESU a robust start adding 59 runs together in 10.3 overs before Donba was caught and bowled by Waikhom Priyokumar on 21.
Mehul Shreth and Sanatomba kept the scoreboard ticking and saw Mehul Shreth complete his half century with a double off the fourth delivery of Waikhom Priyokumar in the 17th over. The partnership broke when the team were just 1 run away from making 100 as Sanatomba holed out to Suson Yanglem on 20 in the 19th over.
Mehul carried forward the innings but he was trapped lbw on 64 (off 60 balls) by Langlonyamba in the last delivery of the 23rd over.
The team further slipped to 140/5 in the 28th over losing Sagolshem Ronal and M Bimananda cheaply but Thokchom Nishikanta added a 37-ball 36 to revive the chase before he got run out on 36 for the 6th wicket as the scoreboard read 189. Hanjabam Naoba 19 and L Henary 4 were unbeaten  when they reached the target with L Henary hitting a four off Bishal Ningombam in the last delivery of the 35th over.
Chongtham Mehul Shreth was declared man of the match.