Surendar's 100, Thilak's 4-fer And An All Round Team Effort Guides Port Trust To A Comprehensive Win Over Chatnath

Chennai Port Trust Sports Council faced off against the Chatnath Cricket Club in their fourth match of the VS Kannan Shield tournament. Port Trust won the toss and decided to field first, a decision influenced by slight wetness in the pitch, with a plan to exploit the wetness (use pacers in the early overs) and restrict Chatnath to a modest total. Notably, Elavarasan made his debut.  Veteran fast bowler Shikapdeen provided the initial breakthrough in the seventh over: Rahul edged a lively delivery to the wicketkeeper, L Vinoth for the first wicket. Chatnath lost another early wicket when Thiyagarajan fell to 16-year-old Left Arm spinner Abhishek, with Elavarsan taking a notable catch in the deep.

IN PICTURE:- Vasanth Saravanan's presence at the middle proved vital for Chatnath

A steady and deliberate partnership followed, as former India Under 19 player Vasanth Saravanan and opener Kanishaka stitched together a crucial 126-run stand. Kanishaka played the anchor role, rotating the strike and accumulating singles, while Vasanth complemented him with boundaries at regular intervals. Port Trust's extraordinary bowling effort included fielding lapses, notably a missed stumping by Vinoth and a dropped catch by Salman off Chokkalingam’s bowling, which proved costly as Vasanth continued his onslaught. (Even one went past century-man Surender's defense off Shikpadeen's bowling, though it went quite above reach)

Veteran spinner Thilak eventually broke the partnership, claiming Vasanth’s wicket and sparking a collapse as Chatnath’s middle order faltered. Aarif was run out by Nathan SP, courtesy of a direct hit. Young bowler Abhishek showed signs of severe back pains, having to leave the field frequently and encountering difficulties in his fielding. Still, Bharat and Balasubramani mustered a brief partnership to lift Chatnath to a respectable total of 253 for seven in their full quota of 50 overs. Thilak starred with the ball, once again snaring four wickets, and voiced that he felt ‘robbed’ of a yet another five-wicket haul, echoing a similar tally from the previous match. Bowlers performed to their best, with Chokkalingam particularly unlucky as a dropped catch denied him a scalp, and Elavarsan impressing with his cutters.

IN Picture:- Thilak S with Rahul Dravid

Chasing 241, Port Trust’s openers Vinoth and Karthick built a solid foundation with a guiding 60-run partnership. Karthick led the way with a calm 49, including one six and a four, while Vinoth contributed a composed 29. The partnership broke with Vinoth’s wicket, as Salman soon followed via an lbw decision that sparked some : Salman maintained that bat had struck ball before hitting the pad, while players in the dressing room felt that the ball had hit near the thigh pad region. Another poor umpire decision meant that Thilak had to walk away as well.

With Port Trust reeling at 100 for four and 28 overs left to chase the remaining runs, the pressure was on. Chokkalingam and Surender rose to the occasion, forging a match-winning partnership as Surender reached his fifty and shifted gears, attacking the spinners and running passionately between the wickets. Chokkalingam found his rhythm later in the innings with key boundaries and powerful sixes after a slow start.

IN PICTURE: -Anchor of the Chase S Surendar(100 of 95 balls with 4 6's and 4 4's)

Both set batsmen departed in the same penultimate over,leaving the chase uncertain. Shikapdeen and Nathan SP stepped up with excellent running. With 7 runs required off the final over, they mixed a double and a triple coupled with a leg-bye to bring it down to the last ball. Shikapdeen held his nerve, with another leg-bye resulting in memorable victory for Port Trust. It was a match full of drama and a climatic finish!!!!

*A TESTAMENT TO AN EXCELLENT TEAM EFFORT*

In Picture:- Mr Rajkumar,Secretary Port Trust Sports Council

After the game, Port Trust Sports Council  Secretary Mr Rajkumar promised to give a cash reward of 500 rupees to the entire team!!!!!!