May 24: Polly Umrigar XI pulled off a coup at the Elf-Vengsarkar Cricket Academy ground, Oval maidan today afternoon. They upset top contenders Ajit Wadekar XI by 101 runs to claim the Elf-Vengsarkar Under-14 Cup. Such was Umrigar XI's dominance that they turned the summit clash into a no-contest.It was 13-year-old off-spinner Tanmay Joshi, who played the lead role in Umrigar XI's stunner returning impressive analysis of 7-2-13-4 as Wadekar XI were shot out for a measly 67 while chasing 169 runs for victory. Joshi, the ninth standard student of Dahisar Vidya Mandir was fittingly adjudged the player of the final.Interestingly, Wadekar XI, had trounced Umrigar XI by eight wickets during their unbeaten run in the league phase.Earlier, Bapu Nadkarni XI upstaged Padmakar Shivalkar XI by six wickets in a keen contest for the third spot.A 131-run second wicket partnership between opener Devraj Raut (70: 85b, 9x4) and skipper Sushant Marathe (62: 79b, 14x4) saw Shivalkar XI post a respectable score of196-8 in 35 overs.Nadkarni XI batsmen stood equal to the task with opener Bravish Shetty (44: 53b, 8x4) and Kinjal Patel (60: 67b, 9x4) raising a 75-run platform for the second wicket.However, it was Swapnil Patil's unbeaten 41 (33b, 2x4) that tilted the scales in Nadkarni XI's favour. Patil made light of a stiff asking rate with excellent running between the wickets to ensure victory for his side in the final over.Put into bat, Umrigar XI mustered 168-7 in the stipulated 35 overs. Skipper Rohan Saldanha, extended his fine run of scores, to notch 49 (66b, 9x4). He was also involved in the only big stand of the innings worth 61 runs for the third wicket with Girish Vaswani (43: 40b, 7x4).Wadekar XI began their reply in style with Hiken Shah cracking three boundaries. However, medium-pacer Vaibhav Mane set the tone for Umrigar XI by shattering the defences of the dangerous left-handed opener in his first over.Thereafter, the later order batsmen failed to live upto expectations and wicketscontinued to fall at regular intervals. Opener Parag Madkaikar (24) was the lone batsman to show some defiance. With the bowlers being complimented by some superb fielding displays, the Wadekar XI innings simply wilted.Mane and leg-spinner Vishal Prasad captured two wickets apiece as Umrigar XI wrapped up the encounter in the 23rd over.Further joy awaited the winners in the form of Sachin Tendulkar, who gave away the prizes.TENDULKAR'S ADVICE: The Indian batting sensation, while addressing the youngsters said: ``All of you would be hoping to play for India. It is not so easy. There would be many sacrifices to make and there would be many obstacles on the way. You have to really work very hard to reach the top.''There were some philosophical advice too. ``Being a good cricketer is not enough. You should also strive to be a good human being; always respect your elders,'' he added before rushing off for the Indian team's training session at the Wankhede Stadium.But by then the kids had hadtheir fill. They posed with him for photographs, shook hands and took autographs to make it an evening to remember.Brief Scores: (Final) Polly Umrigar XI 168-7 in 35 overs (Rohan Saldanha 49, Girish Vaswani 43, Sanket Bhaye 17 n.o; Saijeet Shetty 2-38) bt Ajit Wadekar XI 67 all out in 23 overs (Parag Madkaikar 24, Vaibhav Mane 2-11, Tanmay Joshi 4-13, Vishal Prasad 2-5) by 101 runs. Man of the Match: Tanmay Joshi.For third place: Padmakar Shivalkar XI 196-8 in 35 overs (Devraj Raut 70, Sushant Marathe 62, Sunny Rathod 29; Jigar Shah 2-58) lost to Bapu Nadkarni XI 200-4 in 34.3 overs (Bravish Shetty 44, Kinjal Patel 60, Swapnil Patil 41 n.o., Akshay Girap 22 n.o., Abhijeet Deshpande 2-40) by six wickets. Man of the Match: Swapnil Patil.Best fielder of the tournament: Sushant MaratheBest batsman: Hiken ShahBest bowler: Parag MadkaikarPlayer of the tournament: Rohan Saldanha
