Finally there was something for Cranleigh Crusaders to celebrate after defeating Bright Riders by 22 runs but it did not deny the latter in sealing their U-13 quarter-final spot on run-rate in the ADIB NSL.
Already out of contention prior to Saturday’s final group games at Nursery Ovals, Crusaders had nothing but pride to play for.
Riders knew victory would definitely clinch the remaining qualification berth while a loss would mean run-rate would come into the equation, following Merryland Kings’ triumph earlier in the day.
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Having lost their three previous games, Crusaders put on a dominant show in front of their fans in Abu Dhabi. Batting first, they set an imposing total of 123-4, inspired by Felix Jones’ 34-run knock.
The 13-year-old took advantage of the bowling with four boundaries before falling to Nikhil Menon.
It was far from a vintage bowling performance from Riders, especially after giving away 53 extras and that resulted with a hard task of reaching the target in 15 overs.
From the very first ball, Nimalan Babu (32) and Eshan Sheik (9) were on fire with nine on the board after six balls.
The pair put on 31 for the first wicket before Sheik was sent back to pavilion by Louis Risbridger following a superb catch from Jones. That did not stop the batsmen as they went on the attack.
After surviving a drop catch, Crusaders got dangerman Babu. The opener could only hit his shot straight to Will Mathers-Jones, who made no mistake from five metres out.
With the run-rate increasing, coach Ravdeep Singh shouted out instructions from the sidelines and Riders continued to attack. But despite scoring the singles and twos, wickets soon fell.
Nikhil Salokhe (4) was run-out before Manoj George (1) and Steve Jonan (3) was dismissed by Jonah Gillam and Jones respectively.
Captain Soorya Sathish ensured Riders reached 100 off the last ball and while Crusaders were celebrating their maiden triumph, Riders soon learned they qualified with a better run-rate.
Crusaders captain Gillem lauded his players’ effort for their fine performance.
“It was superb show by my team,” said the 12-year-old. “Our top-four batsmen stuck to the game plan and played exceptionally well. We also cut down on our wides which was really good. Although we’re out, we can take a lot of positives from this that will help us improve for next year’s tournament.”
Sathish was in mixed emotions but was thrilled his team will play in January’s knock-out stages.
“We knew what we had to do but we just couldn’t win. Full credit to Cranleigh Crusaders because they played extremely well and made things difficult for us,” said the 11-year-old.
“Although it was not the best performance by us we qualified but still need to improve a lot because there will be stronger teams in the quarter-finals.”
