BY THE ARUSHA NEWS CORRESPONDENT
Arusha Cricket Club (ACC) were crowned champions after completing an impressive run chase against Meru Cricket Challengers (MCC), in a thrilling final of the Syed Ali Khamenei Memorial tournament at the St.Constantine Grounds, last weekend.
Winning the toss, ACC elected to bowl first and made an immediate impact, reducing MCC by two early wickets. However, Isaac Malkani steadied the innings with an excellent 85 while Yasir Patel contributed 34 as the pair put together a valuable partnership.
ACC captain Gurpreet Singh then turned the match in his side’s favour with an outstanding spell, ripping through the MCC middle order to finish with figures of 4 wickets for 24 runs.
MCC eventually posted 169 for 7 from their allotted 20 overs.
ACC also endured a difficult start to their chase, losing two early wickets. Veer Makwana once again rose to the occasion, scoring 45 and was well supported by all-rounder Issa Safari, who struck a crucial 58 to put ACC firmly on course for victory.
MCC fought back towards the closing stages with Anish Jipron claiming three of the five wickets to fall. However, ACC vice-captain Jaimin Patel kept his composure, finishing unbeaten on 18 as he guided his side to victory in the 18th over.
ACC’s championship triumph was built on different players stepping up at crucial moments throughout the tournament but one player stood above the rest.
Veer Makwana was named Player of the Series as well as Best Batsman after amassing an outstanding 435 runs during the competition.
Karthik was named Best Bowler of the Series after taking 16 wickets while Wilbert earned the Best Fielder award after completing 10 catches.
It was a fitting end to an impressive campaign for ACC, who found match-winners throughout the tournament and delivered when it mattered most in the final.
