Bengal defeated Meghalaya by nine wickets in their U-23 men’s Col CK Nayudu Trophy 2024-25 match at the Alotgre Ground in Tura yesterday.
This marked the first time that a BCCI match was conducted in Tura and the hard work of the Tura District Cricket Association was appreciated by all. It has been a long-held dream for the MCA to host matches at this beautiful facility and the TDCA’s members and groundstaff and others have poured their heart and soul into making the pitch, outfield, pavilion and other areas ready, encouraged by MCA President Nababrata Bhattacharjee throughout.
The Honourable Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Shri Conrad K Sangma, was present to witness some of the second day’s action.
“This event marks a significant chapter for sports in Garo Hills and paves the way for inspiring future cricketers,” the CM said on social media. “Gratitude to BCCI, CAB (Cricket Association of Bengal) and MCA for their efforts and world-class infrastructure that made this possible. Let us celebrate this milestone and look forward to more matches in the future.”
To recap, Meghalaya were all out for 133 in their first innings after being made to bat first and then dismissed Bengal for 225. That gave the visitors a first innings lead of 92. Meghalaya were then dismissed for 100, meaning that Bengal needed just 9 to win, which they accomplished for the loss of one wicket.
Meghalaya’s top performers in this match were bowlers PM Santhosh (3/32 in 10 overs), Bipin Kr Ray (3/41 in 18) and Manish Sharma (3/76 in 21.4). The hosts were lacking in the batting department but Swastic Chettri made 48 from 104 balls in the second innings after also contributing 26 from 56 in the first.
Meghalaya’s final match will be against Vidarbha in Nagpur from 1 February.
