In the first match, set 109 for victory, Goa Lions romped home in 11 overs losing just two wickets after Mahindra Rise had scored 108/4 in their allotted 20 overs. Later in the evening when the floodlights were switched on, Reliance (162/9) defeated Air India (140/8) by 22 runs
THE GOAN NETWORK
Porvorim
In the inaugural encounter of the Goa Corporate League 2016 played here Saturday afternoon, the
home side, Goa Lions romped home to an eight-wicket win against Mahindra Rise.
Batting first, the visiting team scored a meagre 108/4 in their allotted 20 overs. At almost the half-way stage of their innings they were struggling at 49/3 (9.5 overs). Few overs later, their scorecard worsened with a fall of another wicket at 57. This was when their opener, K V Tawde who top-scored with 46 not out found an able ally in G B More who struck a quick-fire unbeaten 22 and in whose association he raised an unbroken stand of 51 runs in good time to take their team past the three-figure mark.
Runs were found hard to come by, for Mahindra Rise who could not awaken from their afternoon siesta in the 2 pm start game, with the opening Goa Lions right-arm medium bowler, Lakshay Garg bowling a niggardly spell to return with figures of 0/8 off his four overs including the lone maiden of the match.
While he kept things tight, it was slow left-arm orthodox bowler, Darshan Misal who provided a couple of breakthroughs with 28 runs conceded off his three overs. The two other wickets to fall were from beneficiaries from run-outs.
Chasing the smallish target, Goa Lions had a good foundation set by their openers, Suraj Dongre and Swapnil Asnodkar, until the former fell in the fourth over at the team score of 34. In company of one-drop, Snehal Kauthankar who crafted a delightful 34 not out from 22 balls laced with five boundaries, Swapnil Asnodkar who played a captain’s knock with an exact 50 (28 b, 5x4, 2x6) forged a second-wicket stand of 63 off only 38 deliveries. Snehal, took the team home in company of wicket-keeper batsman, Keenan Vaz who was on 9 at the end of the 11th over.
On the bowling front, Mahindra Rise had nothing much to write home about save for JS Mandawkar and DS Saitawadekar who picked up a stick apiece, but who went for aplenty.
