7th Silver Cup T-20 Cricket Tournament underway; PUBC & Diphu XI register wins

Our Correspondent
JAKHAMA, MARCH 16

The 7th edition of the Silver Cup T-20 Cricket Tournament organized by the Nepali Baptist Church Kohima Youth Department on the theme ‘Peace and Unity through Cricket’ got underway at Jakhama Ground today.
Minister for School Education and SCERT, Yitachu who graced the inaugural function of the tournament as the chief guest said that to be a good sportsman and professional in a particular field, one needs to work hard as success only comes through hard work and dedication.
Lauding the youth of Napali Baptist Church for organizing the tournament and bringing people together in a common platform of sports, the Minister called upon the participants to maintain good discipline and play with the spirit of sportsmanship. He maintained that though Nagaland is a Christian majority state, being majority does not mean other religions should be suppressed, and that every community should give space to the another so that the state can progress in peace and harmony. On the occasion, the minister also urged the people to spread the message of truthfulness, honesty, God fearing quality, which he feels, is diminishing from the society today.
Altogether 24 teams, 16 from Kohima, 3 from Dimapur and 1 each from Mokokchung and Diphu (Assam) are competing in the 11-day long tournament. The final is scheduled to be played on March 26. Earlier in the inaugural programme, convener of the organizing committee, John Thakuri tendered the welcome address.
Meanwhile, in the inaugural match, Police Union Baptist Church (PUBC) defeated Friends Cricket Club (FGC) by 3 wickets. Winning the toss, PUBC opted to field first and restricted their opponents at 109 runs in 17.5 overs with bowler Mungkham claiming 2 wickets. FCC batsman Nazim contributed the highest runs score for his team with 23 runs. PUBC achieved its target in 17.5 overs after losing 7 wickets. Scoring 30 runs, Mungkham of PUBC was adjudged man of the match.
In the second match, Diphu XI (Assam) humiliated organisers NBCK Youth Department by a huge margin of 239. Having won the toss, Diphu XI elected to bat and scored 280 runs, losing four wickets in 20 overs. Jitu Timung contributed 102 runs while Rahul scored 60 runs.
NBCK YD players were bundled out in 11.4 overs for 41 runs. Jitu Timung of Diphu XI was adjudged the man of the match.
MATCHES FOR MARCH 17:
1. FHCC Vs Kohima Hornbills ‘B’ @ 7am
2. Kohima Knights Vs Street Boys Wokha @ 10am
3. Sparks CC (Dmp) Vs Merhülietsa CC @ 1pm