DPS win a thriller in Under-17 final

Sharjah: The Max Talent Acer Cup inter-school cricket tournament lived up to its reputation of producing exciting finals again.

The Under-17 inter-school final had a nail-biting finish with Delhi Private School (DPS) from Sharhjah defeating Indian High School, Dubai, by one wicket to emerge as the champions.

Siddharth Sekhar of DPS, who played a pivotal role in his team reaching the final, through his all-round performance, bagged the Player of the Tournament award.

The final was keenly fought from the start. Indian High School were bowled out for 114 despite Jay Joshi top scoring with 40 runs. Sekhar was the chief destroyer of the Indian High School innings with a spell of 3 for 12.

He bagged 13 wickets in this tournament, which included 5 for 8 runs against Central School, in addition to scoring 103 runs including 85 runs off 53 balls against Sunrise School of Abu Dhabi.

"I owe my success to our cricket coach Vikram Dutt. We all train under him from 6am. I was also inspired by watching the Indian Premier League matches to play some quick knocks and I am happy my school team benefited by it," Sekhar told Gulf News.

Sekhar represented UAE Under-15 at the age of 12 and the Under-17 team at 13. He clinched a place among the Under-19 reserves at 14.

In the final, DPS needed three runs to win off the last over. Yash Shodhan and Sanjit survived some tense moments.

Hamid Mohammad, the Indian High School captain, who fought hard scoring 17 runs and taking three wickets, introduced off-spinner Haresh for the last over.

Unfortunately he bowled two wides. The winning run was risky with Shodhan just making it to the crease.

Scores

DPS Sharjah bt IHS Dubai by one wicket. IHS Dubai 114 in 22.3 overs. Jay Joshi 40, Siddharth Sekhar 3 for 12, Yash 2 for 11, Dhruva 2 for 20) DPS 115 for 9 in 23.1 overs (Ankiet 35) Player of the final: Hamid Mohammad, Player of the tournament: Siddharth Sekhar. Fair Play trophy: Al Ain Junior School.