CANACONA
In a gripping final of the Canacona Media Chasak Tennis Ball Cricket Tournament, Royal Warriors defeated Palolem Warriors by 30 runs to win their second consecutive title. The tournament, organized by Navi Disha Publications in collaboration with City Plus Goa and RDmix, saw Royal Warriors walk away with a cash prize of Rs. 1,77,777 and a magnificent trophy.
Palolem Warriors won the toss and chose to field first. Royal Warriors struggled early on but managed to post a competitive total of 71/6 in their allotted 6 overs. The innings was anchored by Punaji Kalangutkar’s vital knock of 31 off 19 balls, and Vishant P contributed a quick-fire 17 off 8 balls. Palolem Warriors’ bowlers, however, kept things tight with Gauresh N taking 3 wickets for 17 runs in 2 overs and Saish Kamat picking up 1 wicket for 22 runs.
Chasing 72 to win, Palolem Warriors faltered under pressure. Despite a solid 16 off 8 balls from their star batsman Imran Mulla, they could only manage 41/8 in 6 overs. Royal Warriors’ Rajat shone with the ball, claiming 3 wickets for 17 runs. Vishwadeep was outstanding, giving away just 3 runs in his 2 overs and taking 2 wickets. Sahil and Babu C each took 1 wicket to seal the win.
In the semi-finals, Royal Warriors triumphed over Arya Strikers in Qualifier I, while Palolem Warriors defeated Arya Strikers in a nail-biting Qualifier II. Palolem Warriors had earlier won their Eliminator match against Parvati Parivar to set up the clash.
This was the second consecutive win for Royal Warriors in the Canacona Media Chasak tournament, having also claimed the inaugural title last year. The tournament saw fierce competition from 12 teams, split into Group A and Group B, with Arya Strikers topping Group A and Royal Warriors finishing on top of Group B.
In addition to the winner's purse of Rs. 1,77,777, Royal Warriors were awarded a trophy, while Palolem Warriors, the runners-up, took home Rs. 86,666 and a trophy. Arya Strikers, who finished third, received Rs. 33,333 and a trophy, and Parvati Parivar earned Rs. 17,777 and a smaller version of the trophy for fourth place.
Special awards were given to the standout performers of the tournament. Suraj Gaude of Arya Strikers was named Best Batsman and received Rs. 5,555 and a trophy. Rajat Komarpant of Royal Warriors was adjudged the Best Bowler, also winning Rs. 5,555 and a trophy. Saish Kamat of Palolem Warriors was crowned Man of the Series, taking home Rs. 11,111 and a trophy.
The prize distribution ceremony was attended by several distinguished guests, including Canacona Municipality Chairperson Sara Shambha Naik Desai, Gaondongrim Sarpanch Dhillon (Yeshwant) Desai, Agonda Panchayat Sarpanch Nilesh Pagi, and Canacona Patrakar Sangh President Babesh Borkar.
