National Cricket Academy lifted the MRF-Buchi Babu invitation tournament in their maiden appearance in the competition. Their first innings lead of 291 was enough to ensure custody of the trophy. With Karnataka having won the title last year, the NCA triumph ensures that the handsome trophy remains in Bangalore for the second year running. Sir Richard Hadlee presented the silverware to NCA captain Reetinder Singh Sodhi in a ceremony presided over by TNCA secretary Ashok Kumbhat after the match was called off at tea with ONGC at 134/3 in their second innings chasing a target of 489.

Regretting that a match up between the two Academies was foiled (`it would have been like a Test match for us') Hadlee was gracious enough to commend ONGC as `worthy victors on the day' in the semifinal. Hadlee was optimistic that the New Zealand Academy would continue to participate in this tournament in subsequent editions. He also revealed that a return visit by the NCA boys to New Zealand and Australia was being arranged during the forthcoming season. According to Sir Richard, three young fast bowlers from the NZCA team are staying back in Chennai for an extra ten days to spend some time at the MRF Pace Foundation here under the supervision of Dennis Lillee, on whose virtues Hadlee went into a long digression.

Hadlee ended by issuing a stern plea, to the youngsters listening in rapt attention, to keep the game above board. "The game of cricket is going through its biggest crisis. Bribery, corruption and match fixing are things we can never accept.", Hadlee said. Recalling the words of Sir Donald Bradman, "We are all custodians of the game of cricket", he urged the boys to ensure that they preserved the true values and spirit of the game in all their actions.

The proceedings of the match itself were hardly anything to rave about. NCA declared at lunch on 169/2 off a mere 30 overs and a further 28 penalty runs were added as ONGC had bowled five overs short. Yuvraj Singh and Sridharan Sriram made merry in the morning taking full toll of an attack that was clearly going through the motions. Virender Shewag was brutalised by a bellicose Yuvraj who topped all his previous hits with a shot that sent the ball disappearing over the roof of the stadium at long off.

When part time off spinner Radheyshyam Gupta knocked back his wicket, Yuvraj had followed up his first innings 71 with 75 (80 balls, 12 fours, 2 sixes). Not to be outdone, Sriram ondrove Shewag for six and later struck Gautam Vadehra for a straight hit which also cleared the ropes. Yuvraj's departure was not any balm for Shewag's woes as he copped more harsh treatment from Sriram's blade. The Tamil Nadu opener mauled three successive boundaries in one over, the second of which brought up his fifty. Mrityunjay Tripathy, who batted No.11 in the first innings, was promoted to No.4 this time round to see off the attack until lunch at which point NCA declared with Sriram unbeaten on 67 (79 balls, 8 fours, 2 sixes).

ONGC were left with a target of 489 in a maximum of 64 overs and Shewag, whose six overs today had been punished for 48, opened the innings with Gupta. In 27 inconsequential overs bowled between lunch and tea, ONGC closed at 134/3 with Gupta completing a not out fifty. Left arm spinner Rakesh Dhruve collected two of the three wickets and opener Shiv Sunder Das made a rare foray into the attack to allow Sodhi offer another reminder of his athleticism. The NCA skipper pulled off a brilliant sprawling catch at mid on that removed Mohammed Saif in Das' first over just before the curtain came down on a tournament that had begun August 16.

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