MNCA Plate Tournament ESU cruise into quarter-finals with 5 straight victories

By Our Sports Reporter
IMPHAL, Feb 20 : Eastern Sporting Union (ESU), Wangkhei Palace Compound thrashed RCA, Lilong by 95 runs for 5th win on the trot and made themselves into the quarter-finals of the 5th MNCA Plate Tournament 2019-20.
Having won the toss, ESU elected to bat first and stacked up a total of 204 runs for 6 in their stipulated 40 overs and then restricted RCA to 109 for 10 in 34.1 overs for the big win at Moijing playground.
Hemchand Yumkham struck an unbeaten 50 off 78 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes to topscore and helped ESU post a target of 205 runs. Other significant contributors for the same team are Longjam Herojit (33), Thokchom Nishikanta Singh (32) and Huidrom Dhanashyam Meitei (40).
The innings saw RCA's Sabakhan picking up two wickets as Md Iliyas Khan, Zamir Khan and Wm Rajak chipped in with one wicket apiece.
RCA then took off their chase in a woeful note as Sheikh Irfan Hussain was lbw out on duck to clinical Hemchand Yumnam who also sent off the last batsman.
Imran Khan tried his best to keep the pressure under control and smashed highest 42 for the team but the bowling attack of ESU led by Thokchom Nishikanta ran riot and forced them to bundle out on 109 runs. Thokchom Nishikanta finished with the best bowling figure of 4/15 in 8 overs which included 4 maiden overs and his compatriot Chittaranjan also scalped two before Hemchand took the honour to pick the last wicket in the first ball of his 5th over.
Nishikanta who gathered 32 runs and enjoyed a four wicket haul was adjudged man of the match.