Swayam's all-round show helps IES Secondary earn big win

IES Secondary's Swayam Waghmare at Cross Maidan yesterday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Swayam Waghmare's all-round show helped IES Secondary (Mulund) register an emphatic 152-run win over Vibgyor (Goregaon) in a Mumbai School Sports Association-organised Harris Shield boys' U-16 inter-school cricket match at Sunder Cricket Club, Cross Maidan yesterday.

Swayam, 15, scored a gritty 89-ball 77 to help his team post 223-8 and then claimed 5-25 in seven overs to bowl out the Goregaon outfit for a paltry 71. Put into bat, the Mulund team lost opener Tejas More (7) early. Swayam then joined forces with Kshitij Rajwade (56). The duo rotated the strike well and smashed the loose deliveries to the fence to help IES recover from their early blow.

Once Kshitij departed, Swayam continued to anchor his team's innings despite wickets falling around him. Swayam was dismissed after he misjudged the bounce of a delivery from Kushal S and ended up being caught behind. For the Goregaon school, Vedant G was the most successful bowler with figures of 5-60. In reply, the Vibgyor openers made their intentions clear as they hammered the opening pace duo for 20 runs off the first two overs. Swayam once again came to his team's rescue, making the most of the turning wicket to fox the opposition batsmen with his off-spin.

The Class X student along with teammate Siddhant Welankar (4-15) ran through the Goregaon school's batting line-up. Vedant G (32) top-scored for Vibgyor. Swayam was happy with his match-winning performance, and said that his patient approach paid off while batting.

"When I went in to bat, we were in a tense situation. With the opposition spinners getting the better of us, I took my time and played cautiously. My aim was to build my innings and take the team to safety," Swayam told mid-day. On his exploits with the ball, he said: "I just bowled at the stumps and kept hitting the good length area and it worked."

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