One of the most eagerly anticipated sporting events of the year for yuvaks – the Yogi Yuva Cup – took place on Sunday 12 May 2013 across three venues: Harrow Leisure Centre, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London and The Swaminarayan School. 29 teams participated in the tournament this year which began with the traditional opening ceremony in the presence of Harikrishna Maharaj and sadhus.
The tournament offered tremendous enthusiasm, competitiveness and some shock results in the early stages, but above all it provided fun, teamwork and sportsmanship throughout. With a high quality of cricket on display for all to enjoy, the support for the teams was equally impressive. The top two teams in each group along with the two best third-placed sides qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament with a draw taking place to determine the matches.
The quarter-finals provided an intriguing rematch of the previousyear’s semi-final where South London A, looking for redemption, took on holders Finchley A. South London A showed that they had learned from the mistakes of 2012 and overcame their previous defeaters to set up a semi-final clash with Leicester A. In the second semi-final, Harrow A met the previous year’s runners-up India Sevaks A. Both matches produced one-sided affairs as South London A and Harrow A overcame their respected opponents with consummate ease, setting up a mouth-watering finale.
And the final did not disappoint. It was a tense and thrilling contest until the very last ball. Harrow A lost the toss and were put into bat. After an abject start, Harrow A mustered a total of 98 runs with the help of some powerful blows late on. With a relatively modest target to chase, South London A also made an awful start and after two overs, were level with the number of runs Harrow A had scored at the same point.
With much-needed impetus, South London A powered on, helped by some wayward bowling from Harrow A. In the final over of the match, South London A were ahead of the required run rate and were edging towards the finish line which they reached with one ball to spare. Only a wicket off the final delivery would alter the destination of the cup. Kalpesh from Harrow A had the ball in hand and at the opposite end stood a resolute South London A captain Darpan. He successfully negotiated a potentially tricky final ball to ensure South London A were once again crowned winners of the Yogi Yuva Cup.
It was a fitting end to South London A’s campaign to have the young captain lift the Yogi Yuva Cup with the veteran Manojbhai Patel.
The successful tournament concluded with the closing ceremony, held collectively in the presence of Harikrishna Maharaj and the sadhus.
RESULTS:
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Winners
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Runners-Up
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Yogi Yuva Cup |
South London A |
Harrow A |
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Best Batsmen |
Devang Patel (Harrow A) |
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Best Keeper |
Kalpesh Patel (Harrow A) |
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