May 2002 The Sherwoodian Times 96th Issue


SPORTS ROUND UP

Cricket

 

SHERWOOD VS. MINI MOUNT CLUB


After hours of gruelling practice, the Cricket XI were all set to prove their skills in their first match against the Mini Mount Club on Sunday, the 14th of April.

Our team won the toss and elected to field first. The opening pair, Rakesh and Bhupendra formed a formidable partnership, the biggest challenge coming from Rakesh, who accelerated the run rate with three sixes and one four, not to mention the twos and the singles that came off his bat.

The partnership lasted for 40 runs when Rakesh was dismissed by Pranav Sah, in the 14th over. One more wicket fell before the drinks interval. At this point of time, the run rate was well above six.

After the drinks, K. Tanwar claimed a scalp on the first ball. Mention must be made that the bowling was very economical with G. Bajetha limiting the runs to 12 in his 5 overs, picking up a crucial wicket; R. Dhillon gave away 35 runs, but picked up two wickets while A. Choubey claimed two wickets for 21 runs.

Useful contributions in the batting side came from Bhupendra (26), Prakash (29) and Saheed (27). The scoreboard finally stood at 184 runs which did not seem to be a difficult target in 35 overs.

P. Sah and H.S. Bhattacharya opened for the bowlers. Initially, scoring was slow with a run rate of just over 3 per over. Two quick dismissals followed - P.Sah and K. Tanwar, who got caught trying to pull the ball on the leg side. The loss of K. Tanwar's wicket put the team under pressure, and brought the captain R. Dhillon on to the pitch with a great responsibility on his shoulders.

R. Dhillon accelerated the run rate by hitting a six and a four and numerous twos. H.S. Bhattacharya was run out trying to extract a single after scoring 27 runs.

The asking rate went down with the entry of A. Jathoul, who came in, hitting boundaries all round the wicket, but was caught behind trying to play square on the off.

The quick fall of two wickets put even greater pressure on the captain, who was caught trying to hit a boundary with his score at 34. This was disastrous and asking rate went up with 43 runs to be scored off 32 balls.

The match seemed doomed to slip out of our hands, until the entry of S.S. Gill, who, with his quick fire 26 pulled us out of certain defeat and turned the tide in our favour. We needed sixteen runs in two overs, and this we achieved comfortably scoring two sixes and one four.

As far as the bowling of the opponents went, Saheed yielded just 15 runs and picked up two wickets, Rakesh picked up two wickets for 31 runs and Francis got two wickets for 36 runs.

Eventually, the College XI won the match with two wickets in hand.

Abhimanyu Rawat
XI B



CRICKETERS' YOUNGSTERS XI


Everything from the clear blue skies to the upbeat spirit of the home side promised an exciting day of cricket. And exciting it was!

Having lost the toss, we were put in to field first. At the onset of the match, some tight bowling from the opening pair of bowlers ensured that the visitors were reeling at 28 runs for the loss of three wickets. However, Pawan Sah, who eventually went on to score over a 100 runs, and Bhaskar Sah put a price on their wickets, as the Sherwood bowlers toiled hard to end their partnership. Finally, M. Singh got the crucial breakthrough, trapping B. Sah leg before wicket.

The Cricketers' XI kept scoring briskly as Sherwood bowlers tried every trick in the book to contain them. The visitors finally finished their innings, posting an imposing total of 253.

Surpassing this total would never have been easy. We lost three wickets in quick succession as the top order tried to give us a flying start. Nevertheless, K. Tanwar's coming to the crease gave some stability to our innings. In tandem with R. Dhillon, he gave a new impetus to our chase, combining caution with some gutsy stroke play. R. Dhillon eventually top scored for Sherwood with 62 runs.

A. Choubey came in to bat when the odds were stacked against us as the required run rate continually soared sky high. Not crumbling under mounting pressure, he went on to post a score of 42 runs which saw four shots cross the fence.

A. Jeremiah came in to bat with the requisite run rate still in the demanding target of nine. Yet, he showed great composure and resolve as he whacked the ball all over the ground, scoring 48 runs in half as many balls, succeeding in scoring 10 runs off the last over to pull off a spectacular win.

Mention must be made of the bowlers, too, who toiled to restrict the opposition total, although they were up against a formidable batting line up.

Dhruv B. Paul
XII A



SHERWOOD VS. SHEELA MOUNT JR.


After gruelling practice, the team was all set for a go against Sheela Mount, but they little realised that they were up against one of the best teams in town.

The openers of the other team came out to play with a confident frame of mind, but the team was not going to allow the disappointment of losing the toss to discourage them. However, the onslaught started from the very first over and within a space of four overs, the visitors had notched up a solid 50 runs.

It was not too late for Sherwood to strike when the captain came up with a breakthrough. Now the Sherwood team struck at regular intervals.

Towards the end of the first innings, the Sherwood team experienced something they had never faced before-five overs for 75 runs! By the end of the opponents' innings, the school team found that 228 was to be chased.

With pressure mounting at every moment, the openers from Sherwood started on a very nervous note. In the second over, the left-handed H.S. Bhattacharya misjudged a shot only to be caught by the wicketkeeper. After this came the deluge, as one after the other, wickets fell in rapid succession.

The only resistance to the attacking bowlers came from S.S. Gill (30 runs - 2sixes, 1 four) and A.S. Jathoul (28 runs - 3 sixes). The bowlers of Sheela Mount tore through the defence and exposed the weaknesses.

Sherwood collapsed for a meagre 130 runs, leaving Sheela Mount clear winners.

Sanjit Samanta XI B



SHERWOOD VS. O.S. DELHI TEAM


The school faced the O.S. team from Delhi on May 5th. The weather was bright and clear, with for coming in later on during the day, though the weather did not pose much of a problem during the match.

Winning the toss, Sherwood elected to bat first. The openers, S.Upreti and A.P.S. Bains, gave the team a flying start, scoring 18 and 27 runs, respectively. The extras given away by the O.S. added to the score generously! The run rate was kept up to seven per over by the batsmen that came later, which included K. Tanwar and R. Dhillon, during whose inning we got to see some exquisite shots played all round the wicket, the only obstruction coming from the enthusiastic O.S. wicketkeeper, S. Mali. K. Tanwar played a scintillating innings, making 61 runs, which included four outstanding sixes, while R. Dhillon made 27 runs. Futile attempts to make quick runs in the last few overs after the dismissal of K. Tanwar resulted in the loss of numerous wickets in quick succession, although the tail-enders added their own bit to the score, at the end of which the Sherwood score stood at 173 for the loss of eight wickets, in 25 overs.

The O.S. team opener, Gokul, was sent back to the pavilion in the first over itself, by R. Dhillon, who also went on to take the second wicket in his second over. By lunch time their score stood at 42 runs for two wickets, in seven overs, which was quite a good score. After lunch R. Sood, the Captain, was sent back, at 21 runs, by a spectacular catch taken by S.S. Gill in the over of A. Bhatt.

After the fall of the fourth wicket started the downfall. During this session could seen a lot of good strokes, though no one of the opposition succeeded in staying at the crease for long. The bowling was aggressive, with K. Tanwar picking up three wickets (unfortunately failing to obtain a hat trick), R. Dhillon picking up two wickets and A. Bhatt two wickets.

The match finally came to an end with P. Sah's taking a magnificent catch at the boundary. The visitors' innings was wrapped up at 102 runs, and Sherwood won the match by 71 runs.

Abhirath Sah
XII A



SHERWOOD VS. M.Y.C. REDS


Sherwood VS. M.Y.C. Reds was the last cricket match if the season. The home team, having won the toss, chose to bet. The opening pair failed to give us a good start, but A.P.S. Bains proved his mettle with a glorious essay of 67 runs. He, together with K. Tanwar, notched up a century stand for the first wicket. K. Tanwar played a gritty knock of 96 runs, 4 shy of a century. Nevertheless, the duo showed great tenacity in the face of mounting pressure due to the loss of an early wicket; they entertained the spectators and frustrated the bowling attack with a wide array of flashy shots in their scintillating partnership.

After their exit, R. Dhillon and S.S. Gill came into the middle and controlled the situation, which might have degenerated into a batting collapse. Between them, they put on a well-paced 40 runs. P. Sah and A. Jeremiah came in during the closing stages of our innings and made a contribution towards the total of 267 runs on the scoreboard.

The home team was given a rude shock when the opposition began tearing apart the bowling attack in the early stages of their innings. However, A. Bhatt and A. Choubey kept their heads and did not allow their earlier reverses to affect their bowling. Their lion-hearted efforts were rewarded with their picking up three and four wickets apiece, as the visitors crumbled to 58 for 7.

Special mention must be made of some good fielding in the outfield which assisted the bowlers in putting Sherwood in the driver's seat. H. S. Bhattacharya took a spectacular catch while A. Jeremiah and S.S. Gill, too, earned kudos for their catches.

In the end, it was combined achievement of all sixteen players throughout the season that resulted in this victory, as well as a successful season.

Dhruv B. Paul
XII A



The Sherwood Run


"Your body cries, 'Stop!'; your mind urges, 'Go on!'" That is the marathon - a sport that demands a desire to excel against oneself.

Renamed The Sherwood Run in 1998, it has played an important part the character-building exercises that the school incorporates in its curriculum - it is a sport more for the strong - hearted than the talented, a challenge to the spirit more than the body.

The qualifications for the race were held on May 2nd, 2002. The air was electrifying as the marathoners set out to give that one important point to their respective houses. In the history of the past runs, a mere point had been the vital decider in the final house positions. A happy augury was the high number of qualifiers in the 'A' and 'B' divisions - a change from the usual trend. At the end of the day, L.J. led the field, with a total of 51, and R.H. at 48, A.D. at 45 and F.T. at 44, close behind.

Nerves were evident on the day of the final run, May 4th, with many of the favoured runners not turning in the performances expected of them.

It was soon apparent that A.D. and F.T. were in close contest, judging from the red shirts and the blue shirts at the finish line.

'D' division was led by Prakash Yadav (A.D.), who remained unchallenged, but the 'C' division marathon had been a neck-to-neck struggle, with boys from all the houses battling to register the rewarding positions, the stiff competition ending with the first position being won by Hanumant Raghuvanshi (A.D.).

Stiff competition marked the 'B' division run as well, although Tushar Rudra (F.T.) in the lead left the others far behind. S. Kumar (L.J.) was in second and S. Singh (A.D.) third.

R.H. dominated in the 'A' division, which was won comfortably by Akshay Jeremiah (R.H.) ending strongly, closely followed by K.R.S. Bhatti (R.H.). The bronze medal was won by G. Bajetha (A.D.).

At the end of the eventful day, A.D. was declared the champion house, with the maximum (115) points, having nosed out F.T. who stood at 110, L.J. at 97, while R.H. finished fourth with 92 points. In Horsman Wing, the results were reversed, with the trophy being bagged by R.H.

The individual rankings in the various divisions were as follows:

'A' Division :
Record: A. Gangola (16:44",1997)

1. A. Jeremiah (18:21")
2. K.R.S. Bhatti
3. G. Bajetha
4. P. Sah
5. A. Sah
6. H.V. Pant
7. W. Dorji
8. S. Upreti
9. A. Nagpal
10. G.S. Kanwal

'B' Division :
Record: M.S. Bisht (12:57",1983)

1. T. Rudra (13:55")
2. S. Kumar
3. S. Singh
4. R.R. Siddharth
5. S. Shobhit
6. K. Jain
7. A. Jha
8. S. Sah
9. S. Grover
10. A. Kapoor

'C' Division:
Record : D.N.A. Mountford (11:22",1985)

1. H. Raghuvanshi (11:58")
2. A. Rudra
3. A. Dar
4. J.S. Thandi
5. K. Gupta
6. C. Kumar
7. P.K. Jha
8. R. Gupta
9. A.S. Sandhu
10. U.S. Bais

'D' Division :
Record: D.N.A. Mountford (4:56",1983)

1. P. Yadav (5:14")
2. R.S. Dhillon
3. A. Shah
4. M. Mani
5. S. Agarwal
6. A. Singh
7. A. Ahlawat
8. D. Gawer
9. V. Modi
10. U. Sahni

'E' Division:
Record: S.R. Shahi (4:10",1981)

1. P.K.S. Jagati (4:12")
2. M.B. Ansari
3. A.P. Khan
4. A. Raghuvanshi
5. H. Bachhal
6. S. Whig
7. S. Sharma
8. N. Mani
9. A.S. Cheema
10. A. Vij

In his concluding address, the Principal congratulated all the participants who strove to attain their best, drawing a parallel between the marathon and challenges of life. He made special mention of the fine spirit demonstrated by the College Captain, who ran course despite a longstanding problem with his leg, demonstrating to the school, by example, the spirit of the marathon - the spirit of The Sherwood Run.

Mayank Kumar
XII B


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