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AKARTA: Defending champions Menara CC successfully retained their trophy by beating the Jakarta Globe Tigers in the Apple Coal JCA League 2010-11 finals at Cibubur cricket grounds, East Jakarta, on Saturday.

Electing to bat first, Menara put up a competitive 141 in 35 overs. This was despite a nightmarish start, where Menara lost 4 wickets for 5 runs in the first 6 overs. The batting revolved around man-of-the-match Rikesh Parikh, who held the innings with a gutsy 70 runs, with 10 fours. Maulana was the most successful bowler taking 5/22.

“My seventh wicket partnership of 66 runs with Amit Bhat was crucial. At that stage, the key was to keep cool and rotate strikes,” Parikh said.

When the Tigers were chasing, they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Tight bowling spells from Gajendra and Atul, and 2 wickets apiece to Deepak Khullar and Yogesh sealed the victory for Menara. When the match was called off after 22 overs due to rain, Tigers were 80/6, requiring another 62 runs in 13 overs. Anjar top scored with 20 runs.

“We always believed that we could win the match, despite losing 4 wickets in 6 overs. Rikesh is a big match player and the stage was perfect for him. Our bowlers kept the pressure up and it was a good win in the end”, Menara captain Khullar said. — JP