The Mid Town Bisons were at it again and this time they were Kandy bound for the TRR Rajan Cricket Carnival. The TRR Rajan Cricket Carnival was held on the 7th of September at the Nittawela grounds, Kandy. It was organized by the Rotaract Club of Kandy alongside the Rotary Club of Kandy. TRR has been one of the most looked forward to event on the calendar.
The Colombo teams which were traveling up to Kandy gathered at the Colombo Racecourse grounds at 5 AM in the Morning (yes 5 AM on a SATURDAY). The convoy to Kandy consisted of 3 busses and the Bisons were assigned to bus number 3 alongside the Rotaract Club of IIT. The atmosphere in the bus was unbelievable! Music, jokes, amazing scenery, waking the sleepy dead with bottles of water; what more can a bus on a long journey asks for?
Having reached the venue at 8.30 am, you could almost feel the buzz in the air with all participating teams at the venue waiting for the tournament draw after checking in. The Mid Town Bisons led by Rtr. Farhan Uvais with a mix of experienced players and newly added players to the roster was looking out for a confidence booster at the start of the game.
Game 1 – Rotaract Club of Mid Town vs Rotaract Club of Badulla
In the first game of the tournament for the Mid Town Bisons, they were up against the boys from Badulla. The Bisons fresh off the bus and still under the effects of travel lag had no intention to fall off the tournament after coming so far (literally). Losing the toss and been asked to bat first, Rtr. Ishqy and Rtr. Manaz walked out to the middle to open their tournament campaign and oh boy was it a show indeed. The opening combo proved dividends as they set the platform for a good total of 50 runs in the allotted 4 overs.
Defending the score set up by the batsmen, the bowlers looked in fine form as they bowled in the right areas and kept the pressure on the Badulla lads as they crumbled to the pressure and was only able to score 24 runs in their allotted 4 overs.
Game 2 – Rotaract Club of Mid Town vs Rotaract Club of Kurunegala
The second game of the tournament for the Bisons pits them against the hardy boys of Kurunegala. This time up they were up to chasing so they insisted on letting the boys from Kurunegala bat first. Once again the bowlers of Mid Town were in excellent rhythm to restrict the opposing team to just 26/3 in their 4 overs.
The Bisons now brimming with confidence after that bowling performance seemed under pressure as the scoring rate looked slow this time around. After losing the wicket of Rtr. Ishqy the Bisons looked a bit shaky as they eventually reached the target with just 2 balls remaining.
Game 3 Quarter-Finals – Rotaract Club of Mid Town vs Rotaract Club of Colombo West
As if the gods wanted things to spice up, the atmosphere at the grounds started to heat up and it turned out to be more of a big match. Two Colombo teams were looking to move on to the semi-finals. Batting first, the Rotaract Club of Colombo West lost their first wicket in the very first over as Rtr. Ishqy bowled an excellent line and length to deceive the batsman to a mistimed shot. With wickets falling at regular intervals the boys from Colombo West were bundled out for a low score of 24 runs with the loss of 4 wickets in the quota of overs.
Confident with a bowling performance like that, the Bisons were out for blood as they wanted to stamp their dominance and prove that they are the team to beat. Tragedy struck as Rtr. Ishqy and Rtr. Manaz got out in the early stages. For the first time, the middle order of the Bisons was exposed and the pressure was suddenly applied to the Midtowners. Losing two more wickets in the 3rd over, you could almost sense that the tournament was over for the Bisons. With just one wicket remaining in the final over with 6 runs to win, those who haven’t prayed in a long time suddenly remembered to pray because cometh the hour, cometh the man Rtr. Imthiyaz stepped up to the crease and on the 3rd ball of the final over he heaved the ball over the bowler’s head and whoosh out of the grounds. The Bisons erupted with joy and euphoria as they all jumped up in celebration and made sure to cherish this moment.
Game 4 Semi Finals – Rotaract Club of Mid Town vs Rotaract Club of the University of J’Pura
Putting aside the celebrations and putting on their game faces, the Bisons were up against the University lads of J’pura in the semi-finals. Losing the toss and put in to bat first the Bisons were in tatters from the very beginning as they kept losing wickets and mistiming their shots. The semi-final curse was real as everything they worked for crumbled before their eyes. Putting up a meager score of 15 runs for their bowlers to defend, the Bisons had to pull up and bring in their maximum effort.
The bowlers made it look to possible for a Bison victory as they kept the scoring rate low of the opposing team. Picking up 2 wickets and forcing the game to the 3rd over, a win was possible but alas! Disaster struck as too many runs were conceded in the 3rd over, leaving the final over with just 2 runs to be defended. Like the saying, all good things must come to an end and with that being said the first ball of the 4th over was a wide and thus ended the Bisons road in the tournament.
It was a good tournament altogether for the Bisons as they came to the tournament with just a couple of days of practice. They came out here to have fun and enjoy the cricket in its true spirit. I think it would be great to give a big shout out to the Rotaract Club of Kandy as they hosted another great tournament and the hospitality was greatly appreciated.
The Bisons will rise again!
Lakad Matatag!
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Rtr. Chirag Amit | Email:Cjamit12@gmail.com
