Nayaf M Rasheed slammed a brilliant 173 as Blair Cricket Academy, Tonk shocked Jaipur’s Narayana Academy by 54 runs to clinch the title of the Rising Cup U-14 Cricket tournament which concluded at Saadat Pavilion Ground in Tonk on Wednesday.For his match-winning knock, Nayaf was adjudged man-of-the-match, while Saud was named man-of-the-series. Nayaf, who compiled 594 runs in the tournament, was named ‘best batsman.’Blair Cricket Academy, batting first, posted a mammoth 298 for the loss of 4 wickets in their allotted 45 overs. Nayaf smashed 173 off 133 balls, including 23 fours, while Ganesh Gurjar also played a crucial innings of 65 not out.Chasing the target, Narayana Cricket Academy were all out for 244 in 44 overs. Himanshu (67 off 53 balls), and Lakshit Chaudhary (64 off 66 balls) fought hard. For Tonk, Raman Singh claimed three wickets, while Soban Akbar and Mohammad Saud Khan bagged a couple of wickets each. Nayaf also contributed with the ball, taking one wicket for 29 runs.The Rising Cup Under-14 cricket tournament, held at Saadat Pavilion, concluded with great fanfare on Wednesday. Municipal Council chairperson Mayank Goyal was the chief guest at the closing ceremony. Coaches Imtiaz Ali, Mansoor Ali Khan, Mohsin Rashid, Tonk, and other sports enthusiasts and dignitaries were present on the occasion.Teams from various districts of Rajasthan, including Jaipur, Jodhpur, Sikar, Bharatpur, and Dausa, participated in the tourney. After a thrilling contest between eight teams, the final saw Blair Cricket Academy from Tonk and Narayana Cricket Academy from Jaipur face off.Nayef and Saud’s excellent performance in the competition*Tonk’s young players made a special mark with their performances throughout the tournament. Nayef M Rashid achieved the distinction of being the highest run-scorer, scoring a total of 594 runs in five innings of the tournament. His batting average was 297 and strike rate was 142.45. During the tournament, Nayef scored a historic double century of 217 not out, and also played a memorable innings of 173 runs in the final. For this outstanding performance, he was chosen as the ‘Best Batsman of the Tournament’. He also received the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his brilliant innings of 173 runs in the final.Meanwhile, Mohammad Saud Khan performed brilliantly with both bat and ball throughout the tournament. He scored 378 runs and took 19 wickets. For his all-round performance, he was awarded the Man of the Series.Message to children about sportsmanship and dreaming bigAt the closing ceremony, chief guest, Municipal Council chairperson Mayank Goyal, encouraged the players, saying that sports should always be played in the spirit of sportsmanship. Winning and losing are part of the game, but discipline, hard work, brotherhood, and sportsmanship are most important. He encouraged the children to focus on their studies along with sports and to work hard to achieve their goals.Coach Imtiaz Ali addressed the players, citing the cricketing talent of Tonk. He said that if Khalil Ahmed and Nathu Singh from Tonk could reach the Indian team through their hard work and talent, then you children can also reach the Indian team. All that is needed is dedication, discipline, consistent practice, and a determination to fulfill your dreams. He urged the players to dream big and work hard to achieve them.Meanwhile, Mohsin Rashid Tonk stated that every possible help and support will be provided to promote cricketing talent in Tonk. Our endeavor will be to provide the talented players here with better training, appropriate opportunities, and the necessary resources, so that Tonk players can advance beyond the district and state levels and make their mark at the national and international levels. He stated that honing the talents of young players and providing them with opportunities to advance is a collective responsibility.The Rising Cup Under-14 tournament provided a great platform for young cricketers from Rajasthan to showcase their talent. The successful organization of the tournament strengthened the growing enthusiasm for cricket in Tonk and the efforts being made to nurture young talent.
