OCA inter-district school cricket tournament: Big wins for Bhubaneswar-B, Angul and Balangir
Cuttack: Several one-sided contests marked day four of the OCA Inter-District School Cricket Tournament (Second Phase Preliminary League), with Bhubaneswar-B, Balasore, Sonepur, Balangir, Angul and Kalahandi registering victories in their respective matches on Thursday.
Bhubaneswar-B recorded the biggest win of the day, crushing Koraput by 255 runs at the DRIEMS Cricket Ground. Batting first, Bhubaneswar-B piled up a massive 292 for 5 in 49 overs, riding on an unbeaten 100 off 81 balls from Om P Nayak, while Sai Swarup Mallick added 44. Koraput’s chase collapsed dramatically as they were bowled out for just 37 in 17.5 overs. Satamanyu Mangaraj starred with the ball, claiming five wickets for just seven runs, well supported by Manas Satpathy’s three wickets.
At Nimpur Cricket Ground, Balasore defeated Bhadrak by 81 runs after posting 211 all out in 48.3 overs. Ritesh Mahalik top-scored with 62, while Omkar Tripathy chipped in with 50. Bhadrak were bowled out for 130 in 25.5 overs despite Ankit Das scoring 46. Mahalik completed an outstanding all-round show by taking four wickets for 15 runs, earning him the stand-out performer award.
In another close contest at the BJB School Ground, Sonepur edged past Jagatsinghpur by 35 runs. Sonepur were dismissed for 144 in 40.1 overs, with Anshuman Sahu top-scoring with an unbeaten 40. Jagatsinghpur were then restricted to 109 all out in 30.3 overs, as Bhabatosh Biswal produced a fine spell of 5 for 20 to seal the win.
Balangir registered a comfortable seven-wicket win over Keonjhar at Gatirout Patna Ground. Keonjhar were bowled out for 81 in 31.5 overs, with Shaikh F Quadri picking up three wickets for just 14 runs. Balangir chased down the target with ease, reaching 82 for 3 in 14.4 overs.
At Mula Padia Town Club Ground, Angul delivered a dominant performance to beat Sambalpur-B by nine wickets. Sambalpur-B were bowled out for 188 in 38.1 overs, with Akhil Pradhan taking four wickets. Angul then chased down the target comfortably, riding on an unbeaten 110 off 94 balls from Omm Sri S Sahoo, with Akhil Pradhan contributing 58.
Meanwhile, Kalahandi secured a narrow 17-run victory over Rayagada at Kuranga Sasan Ground. Batting first, Kalahandi managed 131 for 9 in 45 overs, with Manish Lahajal scoring 29. Rayagada were bowled out for 114 in 44.4 overs, as Ayush Suna starred with the ball, claiming five wickets for just 11 runs to guide Kalahandi to victory.
