01 February,2020 07:31 AM IST | Mumbai | Gordon D'costa
St Columba girls after their win over Shardashram Vidyamandir at Islam Gymkhana. Pic/Suresh Karkera
St Columba School (Gamdevi) captain Tushi Shah, 15, proved her mettle as a versatile all-rounder, helping her school beat defending champions Shardashram Vidyamandir English School (Dadar) by two runs in a keenly contested girls U-16 final of the MSSA Manoramabai Apte Memorial inter-school cricket tournament at Islam Gymkhana on Friday.
St Columba, who had lost to the same rivals in last year's final, avenged that defeat and also halted the winning streak of the Dadar school, who have been champions for the last three years. This was St Columba's fourth triumph, having won in 1999, 2000 and 2001.
"I was disappointed when we lost by some 30 runs last time. We were determined to win this year. The entire team contributed. It's a perfect parting gift to the school," Tushi, who will be appearing for her Class X exams in a couple of weeks, told mid-day.
Tushi opened the batting, then shared the new ball and for a brief spell and even kept wickets without wearing leg-guards before returning for a crucial second spell, which spelt doom for Shardashram. She was also instrumental in two run-outs.
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After electing to bat, Tushi top scored with a 44-ball 59 that included five boundaries, to power St Columba to 128-8 in 20 overs. Kashish Nirmal (three for nine) and
Nirmiti Rane (two for 51) were the key bowlers for Shardashram.
Shardashram opener Jetsun Chee (49 runs) and one-drop Shraddha Shetty (51 runs) did the bulk of the scoring. In the final over of the match, bowled by Tushi, Shardashram, needed seven runs to win. Tushi bowled three dot balls. Jetsun then got two runs off the fourth delivery before Tushi had her clean bowled and then ran out Nimriti Rane who was attempting a third run, ensuring victory for St Columba. Tushi who scored 259 runs in four matches was declared best batswoman and Kashish, who took seven wickets in four matches, was named best bowler.
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