By Admin 
When Jolly Rovers left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt’s flighted delivery took the outside edge of P. Vignesh’s bat and flew straight into the hands of the first-slip fielder, the TNCA league first division final was sealed at the A.M. Jain College ground here on Thursday.
Vignesh and H. Trilok’s stubborn resistance — one that had lasted 49.4 overs and around 220 minutes — was broken after Bhatt found the rough after trying long and hard.
By virtue of a slender 12-run first-innings lead over Vijay CC, Rovers won the Raja of Palayampatti Shield for the third year in a row.
A heartbroken Vignesh sank to his knees while at the other end Trilok stood devastated after their 88-run last-wicket stand ended just before lunch.
Resuming the final day’s play at 275 for nine, the duo batted sensibly and with positive intent.
They stood firm, fending off everything thrown at them, including the bowling and the chatter.
With close-in fielders crowding the bat, the pair remained composed and survived multiple appeals. Their resilience gradually reduced the deficit.
The duo, though, could not give Vijay the first-innings advantage.
However, just five overs into Rovers’ second innings — which was just a formality — the match was officially called, confirming Jolly Rovers CC as champion for the 24th time.
The scores: Jolly Rovers 326 & 16/1 in five overs drew with Vijay 314 in 118 overs (P. Vignesh 52, H. Trilok Nag 31 n.o., B. Aparajith 3/38, Bhargav Bhatt 3/70); Rovers won on first-innings lead.
Published – April 10, 2025 08:40 pm IST