The 2016-17 season of Jakarta Cricket Association drew to a close this Sunday, with Yadavas Senayan CC winning the Texmoda JCA Champions Cup after a one-sided win over Challengers CC at the Cibubur cricket ground. The Champions Cup featured the top 3 sides of Division 1 and the top Division 2 side facing off to determine the overall Champion of the season. WISCI Wanderers had earlier been crowned the Division 1 champions.
The finals saw Yadavas Senayan CC (the runners-up of Division 1 at the league stage) take on Challengers CC (the Division 2 league winners). Challengers CC were sent in to bat and their openers Ranjan Shankar & Sunil Samtani got them off to a bright start with Ranjan, especially, looking in ominous form and a big score loomed. The introduction of Jibu Chacko, however, turned the game on its head. Ranjan, decided to take on the long-on fielder, but couldn’t clear Faisal, in the process, giving Jibu the first of his Seven wickets and setting in motion a batting collapse.
A mixture of some good bowling through clever use of the width of the crease and some indiscriminate shot selection led to Jibu taking a wicket in all but one of his 7 overs and ending up with his best ever bowling figures over a long career with Senayan CC. Challengers CC folded up for only 87 runs. In reply, the prolific Viraj Bhammar & the talented Muhaddis, put on a 78 runs opening partnership to take their side home to a comfortable win with 9 wickets still in hand.
Thanks to Fahim Mohammed & Suresh Subramanian for umpiring the game
