League cricket: Royal Welfare Society storm into final

Royal Welfare Society team has booked their place in the final of the Senior Club League Cricket with a thumping 259-run victory over Ekta Samajik Sangstha in the first semifinal held at Ranir Bazar School Ground on Thursday.

Put in to bat after winning the toss, Royal Welfare Society overcame an early wobble to pile up a massive 354 runs on the board. The innings was anchored by Debankar Debnath, who struck 108 off 117 balls, laced with 11 boundaries and four sixes.

He was well supported by Ramakrishna Das, who smashed 82 off 60 balls with nine fours and five sixes, while Sourabh Kar provided late fireworks with a quickfire 51 off just 23 deliveries. Ranjay Das chipped in with 18 runs, as the team also collected 37 runs in extras.

For Ekta Samajik Sangstha, Dipjoy Debnath was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while Shubham Saha and Nayan Das claimed two wickets each.

Chasing a daunting target, Ekta Samajik Sangstha faltered early and never recovered, eventually getting bowled out for just 104 runs. Rahul Debnath top-scored with 22, while Prabal Majumdar (19) and Badal Debnath (15) made modest contributions.

Subrata Debnath and Kaushik Das picked up two wickets apiece for Royal Welfare Society. In an interesting move, all eleven players of the winning side were utilised as bowlers.

With this emphatic win, Royal Welfare Society advanced to the final, while the second semifinal between Nabarun Sangha and Sanghashree Sangha is set to be played on Friday.