Siddarth Prakash rose to the occasion yet again with a fluent unbeaten 76 as Future Stars Cricket Academy (FSCA) emerged champion in the fifth edition of the Meenakshi Memorial under-11 cricket tournament.
Chasing KSCA’s 128, FSCA rode on Siddarth’s knock to complete the formalities for the loss of just one wicket.
When asked about the secret behind his success, particularly in Cup finals, Siddarth said: “I feel the pressure for just one ball. If I play it in the middle of the bat, I get over the blues!”
The opener, who has been a prolific scorer and contributed in a big way to FSCA’s trophy triumphs, likes Ricky Ponting as the Australian has “all the shots in the book.”
In the KSCA innings, it was Vijai Priyadarshan’s undefeated 67 that took his side to a respectable total. Vijai was in the thick of things, with bat and ball, and even hammered a century against Indira Nagar SC in the quarterfinals.
The medium-pace bowler also took eight wickets.
The Vidya Mandir (Mylapore) student aims to represent the country one day, and promises to “work hard” and “focus on the game” to make his dream come true.
Another player who made waves was FSCA’s C.P. Akshath, who hit back-to-back hundreds in the last-eight stage as well as the semifinals. He was the deserving winner of the Man-of-the-Tournament honour.
The scores (final): KSCA 128 for three in 25 overs (Vijai Priyadarshan 67 n.o.) lost to FSCA 130 for one in 17.3 overs (Siddarth Prakash 76 n.o., S.R. Athish 26 n.o.).
Special awards: Best batsman: Siddarth Prakash (FSCA); Best bowler: G. Jagannathan (FSCA); Best wicketkeeper: S.R. Athish (FSCA); Best all-rounder: Vijai Priyadarshan (KSCA); Man-of-the-Tournament: C.P. Akshath (FSCA).
