After 9 weeks of enthralling cricket action, UFCC have emerged to become the champions of the Leeds Indoor cup 2023. 16 teams were divided into 2 groups. Each team played 7 matches in the group stage, facing each other once. The top 4 teams qualified from each group to play in the quarter finals. SSK, UFCC, JSH and Leeds Gladiators made their way to the semi-finals which were played on 3rd December at Trinity Academy Leeds.
Semi Final 1: SSK vs Leeds Gladiators
SSK won the toss and opted to field first. The Gladiators managed to set a target of 99 runs in 12 overs, thanks to Harsh Patel’s 22 balls 51. Ezhil Chandran of SSK bowled an economical spell of 3 overs for 13 runs and got 1 wicket. While chasing, SSK made a fiery start scoring 41 runs in the first 2 overs, thanks to their openers, Raja Babar and Biju Sivanandan. The Gladiators made a superb comeback by picking up quick wickets, but Raja’s resilience helped SSk win the nail-biting match by just a solitary wicket. Raja Babar was adjudged as the player of the match.
Semi Final 2: JSH vs UFCC
JSH won the toss and invited the tournament favorites, UFCC, to bat first. Leading from the front, the skipper of UFCC – Arvind, scored a blistering knock of 55 runs from just 23 balls. They managed to set a formidable target of 155 runs in 12 overs for the JSH. In their response, JSH succumbed under pressure as they were bowled out for just 32 runs. The duo of Amruth and Hussain from UFCC shared 5 wickets amongst themselves to take their team through to the finals. Arvind (UFCC) was adjudged as the player of the match.
Final: SSK vs UFCC
In the grand finale of the tournament, SSK won the toss and decided to field first. Thanks to Manikantan’s and Parth’s late assault, UFCC managed to score 115 runs in 12 overs. SSK’s Raja Babar was lone warrior who grabbed 3 wickets in his 3 overs for just 16 runs. In pursuit of chasing 116 runs, SSK got caught in a ‘player of the match’ performance by the UFCC’s Off spinner – Soham, who picked 3 wickets in just 1.4 overs for 5 runs. UFCC won the Leeds Indoor Cup 2023 comfortably as they dominated their way to the title.
This is what Soham of UFCC said on his team’s triumph, “I am really happy about my performance not only in just the finals but throughout the tournament. It was all about our teamwork which helped us to win the cup. Very much pleased that our team dominated the whole tournament. I would like to thank YCF for organising this Indoor cricket tournament. Appreciate their efforts for making it a great one.”
SSK’s 42-year-old veteran, Raja Babar, expressed his thoughts on the tournament, “It’s been a wonderful 9 week journey for us. Yes, we are disappointed that we couldn’t win the final, but I think our team played really well and I’m happy that I’ve been able to contribute in the wins. We would like to participate in the future Indoor tournaments as it provides us an opportunity to play and enjoy through the harsh winters.”
Best Batter of the Tournament – Manny Zia (264 runs in 8 innings)
Best Bowler of the Tournament – Aniket Rana (12 wickets in 8 innings)
Most Valuable Player of the Tournament – Aniket Rana (130 runs and 12 wickets in 8 innings)
For detailed scorecards, points table, and other information, please visit: https://cricheroes.in/tournament/772476/YCF-Leeds-Indoor-Cup-2023
Devansh Sehara, Community Development Officer – Leeds, expressed his views on the tournament: “The Leeds Indoor League has been a success as we’ve managed to provide an opportunity to the participants to play and enjoy and get out of their busy daily routines. Over 150 players from diverse backgrounds participated in this tournament and, this was also the first time where we had a full female team participating. It’s a great stepping stone for us and we will work to bring more female participation in the future.”
The Yorkshire Cricket Foundation will organise a similar kind of tournament commencing in the first week of January 2024. The champions of the tournament will join the champions from Bradford, Kirklees, and Keighley to play in the YCF Yorkshire Finals. For team registrations and more information, please contact:
Devansh Sehara,
Community Development Officer, Leeds Email: [email protected]
Tel: +44 7842315621
