In the semifinal of the All Goa Under-17 Leather Ball Cricket Tournament, organized by Visual Link Cricketers in association with the Goa Cricket Association at the NAPEX ground, Oxford produced a dominant performance on Sunday to thrash Margao Cricket Club (MCC) by 9 wickets in a one-sided contest. In the afternoon match, Oxford’s bowlers and batsmen delivered an all-round show to seal an emphatic entry into the final.
Oxford captain Tanishq Naik made the right call after winning the toss and opting to bowl first, assessing the pitch conditions well. Justifying his decision, Oxford’s bowlers restricted MCC to 131 for 8 in 20 overs. MCC captain Vinit Kamat led from the front with a responsible knock of 52 runs off 45 balls. He was supported by Armaan Nadaf and Darsh Sawant, who scored 22 runs each. However, early wickets dented MCC’s chances of reaching a bigger total. For Oxford, Rudra Patil (3 for 16) and skipper Tanishq Naik (3 for 28) were the standout bowlers, while Shivam Singh chipped in with one wicket.
Chasing a modest target of 132, Oxford adopted an aggressive approach from the outset. The unbeaten pair of Usman Ghani (55*, 6 fours) and Afrid (64*, 7 fours, 2 sixes) stitched a match-winning century partnership for the second wicket, completely neutralizing MCC’s bowling attack. Their brilliant batting ensured Oxford chased down the target comfortably in just 15.3 overs. MCC’s only wicket came through captain Vinit Kamat.
Oxford maintained dominance throughout the match, combining composure with aggression in batting and discipline in bowling, making their victory thoroughly convincing. With this win, Oxford has advanced to the final, where they will face Banjara Cricket Club on Monday (April 27). Banjara secured their place in the final by defeating Visual Link Cricketers by 5 wickets.
