JANUARY 12: An inspired spell of off-spin bowling by captain Preetam Veer has paved the way for Jhunjhunwala College's entry into the final of the Inter-college cricket tournament, conducted by the Junior College Sports Association, at Matunga today.Veer brought himself on half an hour before draw of stumps, and struck twice in his second over. NM Commerce's opener Vikrant Manjrekar, who was threatening to become a thorn in Jhunjhunwala's flesh, was his first victim. The southpaw, who had received three reprieves during his 37-run knock, shouldered arms to an innocuous delivery and was castled. Two balls later, Veer struck again and NM Commerce, attempting a rescue act, crashed from 66 for three to 81 for seven at close of play. They trail Jhunjhunwala, who piled up 194, by 113 runs. NM's collapse also underlined the bane of maidan cricket - an acute lack of players who are willing to stick around and graft for their runs. Earlier, Jhunjhunwala nearly suffered a similar fate, but for a responsible centuryby all-rounder Chirag Shah.Shah walked in when his team was floundering at 20 for three in the fifth over. The start had been ominous, with Nitesh Kasare, a centurion in the quarter-final, giving the slips catch practice in the second delivery of the morning.But Shah denied NM a rout, and was last out, in the 49th over. Saiban Fakih (40) was his sole supporter, and the two put on 79 runs for the sixth wicket. With the last three batsmen going for ducks, Shah was forced to hit out, and one such shot, his 13th boundary, brought him a deserved hundred.NM Commerce never recovered from the twin blows Kapil Sharma and Samson Chougule struck before tea, when NM were reduced to 23 for two.Brief scoresJhunjhunwala 194 in 49 overs (Chirag Shah 106, Saiban Fakih 40, L Pratik 5-37, Nikhil Borkar 3-62) vs Narsee Monjee 83-7 (Preetam Veer 3-8).
