Our Own Zenith turned on the style and proved that anything is possible when it comes to scoring centuries as the Sharjah outfit saw not one, but two of their players reach triple figures.
Brandon Martis (110no, 9×4 and 8×6) and Mohamed Ajmal (100no, 13×4 and 2×6) were in blistering form for last season’s Under-15 champions as Zenith comfortably registered a 192-run victory over NIMS Rising Stars in the Under-17 age group.
While the result saw Zenith make it two wins out of two, Martis and Ajmal’s displays were the main talking points as coaches and players were left in awe at Skyline University, Sharjah on Saturday.
Having lost Niel Lobo in the first over, the duo responded brilliantly with Martis reaching the milestone first, followed by his team-mate. Their 235-run partnership effectively won them the game with the 252-run target proving too much for Rising Stars.
With both worthy of being named Most Valuable Player, it was Martis who picked up the top award and the 16-year-old paid tribute to his strike partner.
“We just stuck together and Ajmal guided me through the innings,” said Martis, whose previous highest score was 19. “We just wanted to go for a high score and make the most of the opportunity by stay ing in the middle.
“I was a little bit surprised (to score a century) because it’s a big battle mentally but with Ajmal’s help I felt I could always do that because he was supporting me.”
For Ajmal, despite his big total, he has big ambitions this term.
“I really want to make a name for myself and to be among the highest run-scorers. I want to get one more century and take my team as far as possible,” said the 16-year-old.
Another side who hold a perfect record are TMS Titans. The Dubai side had Riddhesh Saraf to thank for his heroic display. The all-rounder took 3-11 before scoring an unbeaten 10 to help his team win by nine wickets against GOOIS Warriors in Dubai 4 Pool.
Modernite sent out another reminder to their rivals with their third straight victory. Having been set a competitive 130 target by OOHS Blasters following Hayden D’souza’s four-wicket haul, unbeaten knocks from Swabhanu Khosla (42) and Shashank Gupta (27) saw the Dubai outfit home with nine wickets to spare.
That result saw them remain top of Pool 2 despite DC Sixers’ thrilling five-run victory over Spitfires. Wajih Zaman (58) starred with the bat and although Spitfires’ Vriitya Sasirekha top-scored with 71, the all-rounder completed the job with figures of 2-17.
Elswhere in the Under-14 category, there was something to smile about for Warriors, who gained
revenge on their U-17 defeat to come out top against Titans.
Shoun Roger led from the front to make it a double celebration as Zenith comfortably beat NIMS Rising Stars by 118 runs. Roger, who spent most of his summer playing in India, showcased his abilities with a fine 56 before ripping through the batting order to take 4-3.
For PAK Hawks Sharjah, Mohammad Moiz rose to the occasion with the opener hitting a fluent 53 to help his team get past Leaders XI for their second triumph of the season.
Having lost their opening game, Moiz is pleased the team are now beginning to find their feet.
“We were disappointed when we lost our first game but we have now begun to train regularly and now are getting positive results,” he said. “It’s important that we continue to build on this result.”
