Dubai: The Desert Cubs Cricket Academy defeated the Young Talent Cricket Academy (YTCA) to lift the under-15 Nissan Gulf Cup final, thanks to a superb performance from Ashley Lobo.
He inspired Deserts Cubs to a five-wicket win, taking three wickets and giving away no runs in the process. Lobo also narrowly missed bagging a hat-trick, and scored 18 runs to grab the man-of-the-final award.
Skipper's knock
Batting first, YTCA were out for 53 runs and Desert Cubs scored 54 runs in just 3.2 overs, with skipper Kulith Rabel smashing an unbeaten 25 in just nine balls.
Desert Cubs were also runners-up in the under-13 category of this tournament.
Desert Cubs' coach Indika Batuwitaarachchi said: "This is the first time my players are experiencing the shortest version of the game, and I am pleased with the performances of both the teams."
Desert Cubs Warriors won the UAE Exchange under-13 Challenge Cup, beating Desert Cubs Titans in a Twenty20 final. The Warriors, led by Dillon Bastians, scored 143 for 6 in 20 overs, with Anirudh Yadukumar hitting an unbeaten 44. Titans were shot out for a paltry 32, with Aswin Balakrishnan bagging 3 for 7.
