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Venugopala Rao notches up double hundred

Special Correspondent

— FILE PHOTO

Venugopala Rao.

Chennai: Skipper Y. Venugopala Rao’s double hundred under pressure for Globe Trotters was the highlight on Monday, the final day of the third round in the TNCA first division league.

Pursuing 436 for the lead against Aruna CC at the MRF-Pachaiappa’s ground, Trotters was in trouble at 115 for five when Venugopala (211, 274b, 31x4, 3x6) and Sunil Viswanathan (49) steadied the innings; the two added 158 for the sixth wicket consuming 46.1 overs.

The contest witnessed a dramatic conclusion with Trotters finishing at 416 for nine. Leg-spinner M.P. Rajesh and off-spinner P. Sakthi claimed four wickets each for Aruna.

Raghavendran scalps six

Parry’s off-spinner N. Raghavendran claimed six for 87 as Young Stars, chasing 318 for the lead, was dismissed for 183 at the Murugappa ground.

In an exciting day at the Railway ground, Southern Railway Institute’s unbeaten eighth wicket pair of A. Ranjit (49 not out) and K. Srinivasan (29 not out) defied the India Pistons bowlers for 20.4 overs to secure a draw.

Set a target of 302, Southern Railway Institute was 229 for seven when the match ended. The other valuable efforts for the host came from S. Raghunath (56) and Kevin Sukumar (44). Earlier, Pistons declared at 255 for seven. R. Srinivasan made 48 and C. Ganapathi smashed an unbeaten 51 off just 25 balls.

Indian Bank gains lead

Indian Bank, with L. Suryaprakash (60), Vijay Shankar (47) and E. Suresh (40) coming up with crucial efforts in a thrilling pursuit of 271, took the first innings lead against UFCC (T. Nagar) at the Vivekananda ground.

For UFCC, off-spinner J. Joel Joseph and leggie Shravan Krishnan took seven wickets between them.

Alwarpet, despite a 153-run opening stand between M.O. Arjun Sarathy (98, 212b, 12x4) and R. Rohit (87, 247b, 16x4), fell 171 runs short of Jolly Rovers’ first innings score at the IIT-Chemplast ground. Paceman I. Srikanth grabbed four wickets and left-arm spinner S. Vidyut, three.

At MAC, Grand Slam, that had lost the race for the lead to Vijay CC, forced a draw. The holder finished at 187 for four on the final day. S. Suresh Kumar scored an unbeaten 68 (127b, 5x4, 2x6) while off-spinner R. Ashwin scalped three.

The scores:

At Murugappa: Parry’s 317 & 95 for five drew with Young Stars 183 in 95.2 overs (N. Raghavendran six for 87). Points: Parry’s 5, Young Stars 2.

At Viveka: UFCC (T. Nagar) 271 drew with Indian Bank 285 for nine in 124 overs (L. Suryaprakash 60, Vijay Shankar 47, E. Suresh 40, J. Joel Joseph four for 70). Indian Bank 5, UFCC 2.

At MAC: Grand Slam 256 & 187 for four in 58 overs (S. Suresh Kumar 68 n.o.) drew with Vijay 323. Vijay 5, Grand Slam 2.

At Railway: India Pistons 207 & 255 for seven decl. in 45 overs (V. Arun Kumar 58, K.H. Gopinath 48, R. Srinivasan 48, C. Ganapathi 51 n.o.) drew with S. Railway Institute 161 & 229 for seven in 75 overs (S. Raghunath 56, Kevin Sukumar 44, A. Ranjit 49 n.o.). Pistons 5, S. Railway Institute 2.

At MRF-Pach: Aruna 435 drew with Globe Trotters 416 for nine in 124 overs (X. Thalaivan Sargunam 65, Sunil Viswanathan 49, Y. Venugopala Rao 211, M.P. Rajesh four for 111, P. Sakthi four for 92). Aruna 3, Trotters 3.

At IIT-Chemplast: Jolly Rovers 522 drew with Alwarpet 351 (M.O. Arjun Sarathy 98, R. Rohit 87, Ashwin Venkataraman 48, Maruthi Raghav 46, I. Srikanth four for 48). Rovers 5, Alwarpet 2.