GOOIS make NSL semi-finals after close under-13s victory over DPS Falcons

Denzil Pinto 13:25 17/01/2016
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  • Nerves of steel: GOOIS kept their cool to beat DPS Falcons in the NSL U13 quarter-finals.

    GEMS Our Own Indian School (GOOIS) put themselves into the record books of the ADIB NSL with a dramatic super-over victory over DPS Falcons to book their place in the Under-13 semi-finals.

    After both sides finished 80-4 at The Sevens in Dubai on Friday, spectators gathered round the Oval 1 pitch to witness the first ever Super Over in NSL history.

    But the occasion did not faze Yazid Hashim, who restricted Falcons to 6-2 in their extra over.

    GOOIS made a slow start in their chase as Nithin Kumar was run-out after the second delivery from Harsh Bobade.

    Pure joy: The victorious GOOIS Under 13 team.

    Pure joy: The victorious GOOIS Under 13 team.

    With Hashim at the crease, the all-rounder wasted no time at all, hitting a crucial boundary and along with Ebrahim Maqsood the duo got the required three runs from the last three balls.

    It was no surprise 11-year-old Hashim was declared player of the match and the all-rounder was lost for words on describing that historic triumph.

    “I was quite nervous out there because I only had six balls to bowl but I gave the team a good start,” he said. “It wasn’t easy to go back after losing the first wicket, but I just played to my strengths, remained focused and runs came. It just feels amazing to be part of this win.”

    On song: DPS Sharjah’s Aryansh Sharma scored a fluent half-century.

    On song: DPS Sharjah’s Aryansh Sharma scored a fluent half-century.

    Earlier, Hashim was the top-scorer for his outfit with 27, while Aakash Radhakrishna (39) and Aditya Shetty (15) gave Falcons a good start but last season’s semi-finalists were unable to reach their target.

    GOOIS coach Suraj Bhuvanendran was thrilled his boys overcame the tough test.

    “This was a good DPS Falcons side and it was a tight match,” he said. “I don’t think we batted that well in our innings as there was some dew but thrilled the boys coped well under the pressure.”

    It was the perfect start to the knock-out stages after a seven-week break with the rest of the games providing some exceptional individual and team displays.
    GOOIS’ next task is to condemn DPS Sharjah to their first ever defeat this season when the sides meet on Friday in the semi-finals.

    Opener Aryansh Sharma played a superb innings with a half-century as Sharjah reached 114-2 against Bright Riders.

    The Abu Dhabi side had a difficult time at the crease with Nimalan Babu top-scoring with 27 as Riders finished 61-7.

    Go for it: Merryland’s Abdullah Arif opens his shoulders against Modern Heros.

    Go for it: Merryland’s Abdullah Arif opens his shoulders against Modern Heros.

    Despite the 53-run victory, Sharjah captain Nikhil Nirmal was left with mixed emotions.

    “It feels good to win again but I still feel the players are over confident,” said the 13-year-old. “These are tough games now and we need to control our fielding and bowling especially. We gave away many extras and that’s one area we need to work on.”

    It was business as usual for defending champions Modern Heros, who showed why they will not give up their title so easily with a sixth straight win to maintain their perfect record this season.

    Their latest came in the 25-run triumph over Sharjah’s Our Own Zenith. While all their batsmen contributed to their total of 108, it was Sidharth Tugnait who stood out with the ball with a four-wicket haul.

    The bowler finished with figures of 4-13 as Our Own Zenith, who had suffered just one loss coming into last-eight, crumbled with the bat. Only Shoun Roger reached double figures with 35 as Our Own Zenith finished 83-8.

    On target: Our Own Zenith’s Vishal Raj took five wickets against DIA Wolves.

    On target: Our Own Zenith’s Vishal Raj took five wickets against DIA Wolves.

    Heros will now meet Abu Dhabi Indian School (ADIS) in the last-four after the latter sealed a comfortable eight-wicket victory over IHS Knights.

    Kushal Chiluka was in fine form with the bat, scoring 53 as Knights scored 100-2 in their 15 overs. After being inspired by the U-15s qualification earlier, the U-13s completed a double with captain Nooran Thakur leading from the front with an unbeaten 33.

    But the skipper insists there’s still room for improvement. “It was a good show but there was a lot of misfielding today and that needs to improve,” said the 13-year-old.

    “It’s only going to get harder from here so we need to be at the top of our game and there’s no room for error.”

    Semi-Final-Fixtures-NSL-Cricket

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