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So that'll be all for our coverage of this contest but there's loads more action lined up for you. Both teams will return shortly for the reverse fixture so hop over here to follow our coverage of the same right here on Sportskeeda. For the moment though, this is the duo of Bidipto and Sooryanarayanan taking your leave. Thank you so much for joining us and see you around soon. Buh-bye for now!
Match Summary: Victoria Lions beat Gozo CC by 16 runs.
Varun Makkara 23* (19) | Rohan Rajan 3/13 (2) Senthil Raj 27 (20) | Mohammed Rafeeque 2/17 (2)
They tried and tried all season. And eventually, that effort has paid off for the Victoria Lions. The reactions towards the end of it all told a story - they were here to win and have managed to succeed in style!
Defending a total of 99, they got off to the perfect start with two early scalps, including that of the dangerous Darshit Patankar. The bowlers kept things as tight as they could even as Indika Perera took charge of the situation while skipper Senthil Raj played the waiting game for Gozo. The mounting required rate meant that they had some catching up to do though and once Perera departed, it complicated matters for them.
Rohan Rajan was outstanding as he sent down to superb overs, including the final one. In between though, Raj switched gears and powered along to find the fence as often as he could. The equation boiled down to 27 needed off the last two overs and that's where you felt that the contest was evenly poised. Once Raj was run out though, it all unraveled for Gozo as they lost their way and surrendered the initiative. In many ways, it was a reflection of some rookie lapses on their part across departments today - they were nowhere close to being tidy and it cost them big time.
But this moment belongs to the Victoria Lions. They have had their struggles but have managed to show passion and panache aplenty to come up trumps. Maybe this could be the start of special things to come in due course of time for this team.
What a way to finish off a historic moment for the Lions! They are cock-a-hoop and rightly so. After a long and hard try, they have succeeded in registering their first win in ECS cricket!
10
overs
83/9score
4
W
W
1
0
W
runs
Mohammed Rafeeque*
2(6)
Bhuwan Aryal
1(1)
Rohan Rajan
5/13
9.6 Rohan Rajan to Mohammed Rafeeque, BOWLED HIM! WHAT A WAY TO WIN IT! VICTORIA LIONS GET THEIR FIRST VICTORY! Good length nip-backer on off. Rafeeque goes back to push it to short cover, misses it after getting cramped. And then, the ball sneaks through bat and pad to take the top of off! Mohammed Rafeeque b Rohan Rajan 2 (6b, 0x4, 0x6)
9.5 Rohan Rajan to Mohammed Rafeeque, short and wide outside off. The batter leaves it but it is just inside the tramline!
9.4 Rohan Rajan to Bhuwan Aryal, good length ball outside off. Outside edged away to third man off the back foot, for only one run!
Bhuwan Aryal, RHB, comes to the crease
Well well - Pushpangadan didn't have the ball in his gloves as he aimed for the stumps but the ball does end up dislodging the bails first in any case and hence, that is that for Roy.
9.3 Rohan Rajan to Stivey Roy, RUN OUT! Good length ball outside off. Bunted down to short cover from the back foot. Roy tries to come back in upon being sent back but the keeper is quicker than him to take the bails off! Stivey Roy run out (Rohan Rajan/Pradeep Pushpangadan) 0 (1b, 0x4, 0x6)
Stivey Roy, RHB, comes to the crease
He's nicked behind! Oh it would have been a wide had he let it alone but alas, Sasikumar swings like a rusty gate and nicks off. Surely, this should be the writing on the wall!
9.2 Rohan Rajan to Sandeep Sasikumar, GONE! OH WELL! HE IS OUT! Full outside off. Wide as well. Sasikumar tries to flash across the line by shuffling around the crease and gets a little outside edge, through to the keeper! Sandeep Sasikumar c Pradeep Pushpangadan b Rohan Rajan 14 (10b, 1x4, 0x6)
Just the start they were after! 18 needed off 5...
9.1 Rohan Rajan to Sandeep Sasikumar, FOUR! Full outside off. Hit over the top of short third man, down to the boundary, off the outside edge, for a boundary!
Rohan Rajan [1.0-0-8-1] to bowl the final over
Oh pressure does funny things in this sport! Both teams are feeling the heat but with Senthil Raj out of the equation, it's going to take a miracle for Gozo to prevent the Lions from pocketing their first win of the season. Gozo CC require 22 runs to win off the final over!
9
overs
78/6score
1wd
1W
1
0
0
0
2
runs
Mohammed Rafeeque*
2(4)
Sandeep Sasikumar
10(8)
Adhith Rajan
1/5
8.6 Adhith Rajan to Mohammed Rafeeque, fuller on off. Swung around to deep mid-wicket from the crease, but another overthrow gives away two runs!
8.5 Adhith Rajan to Mohammed Rafeeque, fuller outside off. Another big swing and a miss from deep in the crease!
What an outstanding over this is turning out to be from Adith!
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Marsa Sports Club, Malta
Mohammed Rafeeque
*
Rohan Rajan
Video
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