Local League: Grand Slam reclaims Raja of Palayampatti Shield

Having taken the all-important lead on the second day, Grand Slam’s ninth wicket pair of V Yo Mahesh 89 (170b, 10x4) and R Divakar 16 not out, continued to frustrate the Trotters bowlers in the morning session of the last day’s play. The two batsmen steadily increased the lead thereby thwarting Trotters’ hopes of removing the last two wickets cheaply. Yo Mahesh missed out on a deserving hundred when legspinner S Radhakrishnan dismissed him on 89 with the team score on 373. Both the teams mutually decided to call off the match after the fall of Grand Slam’s ninth wicket. 

Of the 79 runs that Grand Slam scored in the morning session, Yo Mahesh contributed 51 runs with Divakar keeping him company. Mahesh and Divakar raised a valuable 87 runs for the ninth wicket in 26.5 overs. Globe Trotters fast bowler Basil Thampi, who took three wickets for 75 runs, didn’t bowl on Sunday. Sunil Sam, Anmolpreet Singh and Radhakrishnan shared six wickets between them. Divakar put a price on his wicket and grew in confidence which allowed Yo Mahesh to score freely from the other end. 

At one point on Saturday, it looked as if Grand Slam would struggle to get past Trotters score of 293. But its lower order fought bravely in the fast-fading light and having a seasoned performer in the 30-year-old Yo Mahesh, helped the other batsmen to bat around him. Even after taking the second new ball, the Trotters bowlers struggled in their bid to polish off the tail. Trotters cause wasn’t helped when its left-arm fast bowler Chetan Sakariya was injured midway through the match on the second day. 

Brief scores: Elite final: Globe Trotters 293 drew with Grand Slam 373/9 decl. in 112.3 overs (V. Yo Mahesh 89, R. Divakar 16*, Basil Thampi 3/75, Sunil Sam 2/102, Anmolpreet Singh 2/29, S. Radhakrishnan 2/20).