Seven SPSA teams played in Week 4 of the ECB Academy League, on 24 and 25 October, and four came away with wins. The U18 Guardians recorded their first win of the season by 7 wickets, with Masood Nobee unbeaten on 65. The U15 Raiders beat Freedem Eagles by 94 runs, the Rangers saw off Rays Cricket Academy by 17 runs, and the Mavericks held their nerve in a close chase against TCA Kings. The Mavericks now top Group A of U15 Division B with three wins from three, and the Rangers are fourth in Group B on 6 points.
It was also SPSA’s best batting weekend of the season so far. Masood, Ahan Moghe (68) and Rayan Qureshi (52 off 31 balls) all passed fifty, doubling our tally for the season to six. The Avengers posted their highest total of the season but lost a high-scoring game to Zenith Stallions, and the Falcons’ match against Freedem Cricket Academy has been moved to 22 November.
Catch up on last week in the Week 3 roundup, and follow all our teams on the SPSA in the ECB Academy League page.
U18 Guardians win by 7 wickets (Division B)
TCA Royals U18 146 all out (26 overs) · SPSA Guardians U18 150/3 (22.2 overs)
24 October, Karwan Cricket Ground, Ajman · Full scorecard
The Guardians were put in to bowl and kept TCA Royals under pressure throughout. Captain Ishaan Sayal took 2 for 23 from 6 overs, including a maiden and 26 dot balls, and Joel Hollings matched him with 2 for 19. Muhammed Irteza also took two wickets and bowled a maiden. Munawaruddin Mohammed held the Royals’ innings together with 54, but wickets kept falling at the other end. Alman Wajahat was involved in two run-outs and took a catch, and Sriraghava Ramu took two catches and a wicket as the Royals were bowled out for 146 in the 27th over.
Atharv Midha fell in the second over of the chase, but Player of the Match Masood Nobee and Aiden Coombes (39 off 39) put on 77 for the second wicket. Masood went on to an unbeaten 65 off 69 balls, with 12 fours and a six, and finished the job with Alman (11 not out) in an unbroken stand of 49. It was the Guardians’ first win of the season, with more than seven overs to spare.
“Masood Nobee was the standout performer of the match. His unbeaten 65 anchored the chase brilliantly, and he also contributed a wicket with the ball. Aiden Coombes provided excellent support, and his partnership with Masood helped us stay in control. Our bowlers delivered a disciplined performance to restrict TCA Royals to 146, with Joel Hollings standing out for his excellent economy.”
Coach Anoop
U15 Raiders win by 94 runs (Division C)
SPSA Raiders U15 198/7 (30 overs) · Freedem Eagles U15 104/5 (30 overs)
25 October, MCC 2 Ajman · Full scorecard
Put in to bat at home, openers Amay Kashyap and Dali Garrett saw off the first ten overs with a stand of 33 before both retired. Player of the Match Rayan Qureshi then lifted the tempo with 52 off just 31 balls, hitting five fours and three sixes, for SPSA’s sixth fifty of this ECB season. He added 52 with captain Vansh Sapru (11) and 34 with Aariz Ali. Reyansh Pandey (16) and Sarrvasiddhant Mahapatra (13) kept the runs coming, and Karm Monga (15 not out off 15) and Vyom Dua (13 not out off 12) added an unbeaten 39 to take the total to 198.
All eleven Raiders bowled, and Freedem found runs hard to come by. Karm conceded just 10 runs from 4 overs, with 20 dot balls, and Aariz took 1 for 7 from 3 overs, including a maiden, as well as a catch. Sakshya Mathur took 1 for 17 from 5 overs with a caught-and-bowled and held a catch, and Rayan capped his day with 1 for 2. Freedem finished on 104/5, giving the Raiders back-to-back wins after last week’s victory over Cherish.
“A complete team performance! Rayan Qureshi’s explosive half-century powered us to a strong total of 198, and the bowlers then restricted Freedem Eagles to 104/5 in their 30 overs to seal a convincing win. Congratulations to the entire SPSA Raiders U15 team!”
Coach Subin
U15 Rangers win by 17 runs (Division B)
SPSA Rangers U15 152/9 (30 overs) · Rays Cricket Academy U15 135 all out (29.3 overs)
25 October, BCC Queensland, Al Batayeh · Full scorecard
The Rangers chose to bat and lost two wickets with 8 on the board in the fourth over. Ishaan Jain (25 off 44) and Neev Panandikar (23) rebuilt with a stand of 50, and Wayne Crasta (25) and Dhruv Laddha (31 off 24, with three fours) added 58 for the fifth wicket to set up a total of 152/9. Sanov Premkumar took 3 for 13 for Rays.
Rays were 30/3 in the seventh over as Neev struck twice, finishing with 2 for 18 from 6 overs and 21 dot balls. Player of the Match Divesh C kept Rays in the hunt with 58 off 61 balls until Samridh Taneja bowled him with the score on 97/7. Essa Tausif took 2 for 14, Sai Subhash Saripalli 2 for 32, Dhruv added a stumping, and Arjun Nagathan gave away just 16 runs from his 6 overs. Rays still needed 23 from seven balls when their ninth wicket fell, and Wayne and Naksh Sanghavi combined to run out the last batter with three balls left. It was Naksh’s second run-out of the innings, and a third win from four for the Rangers.
“A convincing 17-run victory. Dhruv Laddha top-scored with 31, supported by Ishaan Jain and Wayne Crasta, and Sai Subhash Saripalli, Neev Panandikar and Essa Tausif were our key wicket-takers. A strong all-round team performance helped us close out the match comfortably.”
Coach Nihal
U15 Mavericks win by 3 wickets (Division B)
TCA Kings U15 115 all out (25.5 overs) · SPSA Mavericks U15 116/7 (28.3 overs)
24 October, MCC 2 Ajman · Full scorecard
TCA Kings chose to bat, and captain Shayan Sehran set the tone with 3 for 19 from 6 overs, including 26 dot balls. Saiangsh Biswa Sarma took 2 for 10 from 4 overs, and Vidyuth Chakravarthy gave away just 9 runs in his 3. The Kings recovered to 69/3, but Player of the Match Ashar Khan took 3 for 24 and ran out top-scorer Shaarav Shetty (28), and they were all out for 115. Wicketkeeper Ishaan Sethumadhvan and Antony Rafael held two catches each.
The chase was harder work. Samar Mahajan (15) and Yohaan Karthik (22 off 27, with four fours) got the innings going, but the Mavericks slipped from 55/2 to 74/6 as Rishi Shroff took 3 for 21. Ashar steadied things with an unbeaten 24 off 36 balls and put on 37 for the seventh wicket with Humaid Imran Suriya (17). Ashar and Vidyuth then saw the team home with nine balls to spare, making it three wins from three. The Mavericks top Group A of Division B, ahead of Dunes Warrior and YSCA Super Strikers on net run rate.
“A great all-round performance from the entire team. Every player contributed in their own way and showed excellent teamwork, discipline, commitment and fighting spirit throughout the match. A special congratulations to Ashar Khan for his match-winning performance, but this victory belongs to the whole team. Every run, wicket, catch, stop and effort played a part in the result. Proud of the entire squad!”
Coach Nihal
U12 Avengers lose by 5 wickets (Division A)
SPSA Avengers U12 188/6 (25 overs) · Zenith Stallions U12 191/5 (23.3 overs)
24 October, Seven Districts Ground, Ajman · Full scorecard
The defending champions chose to bat and were 16/2 early on. Ahan Moghe then played a superb innings of 68 off 75 balls, with seven fours, for SPSA’s fifth fifty of this ECB season. He added 60 for the third wicket with captain Anirudh Nikhil (32 off 32) and 47 for the fourth with Dhruv Vishnu (14). Luke Mathew Collins hit 21 off 19 as the Avengers reached 188/6, their highest total of the season.
Zenith’s openers put on 66 before Dhruv broke through, and Player of the Match Rudra Pawar made 48 off 43. The Avengers fought back with two wickets at 113, with Savya Dakhera and Dhruv striking in quick succession. Dhruv finished with 2 for 23 and Savya with 2 for 27 and a catch, and Luke took a catch behind the stumps. But Aryaan Rajeev’s unbeaten 34 took Zenith home with nine balls to spare, handing the Avengers their first defeat of the season. Zenith are unbeaten at the top of Group B of U12 Division A, with four wins from four.
“Ahan Moghe’s composed half-century and Dhruv Vishnu’s all-round contribution were the standout performances for us. Bowling discipline and reducing extras will be crucial areas to address ahead of the next match. With greater accuracy and consistency, we will look to bounce back stronger.”
Coach Nandhu
U12 Warriors lose by 127 runs (Division A)
Victoria Warriors U12 227/6 (25 overs) · SPSA Warriors U12 100 all out (24.3 overs)
25 October, Delhi Private School Sharjah · Full scorecard
Victoria Warriors chose to bat, and their openers put on 133 before Rushanth Ganapati (42) retired. Player of the Match Dihyah Fazly made 87 off 54 balls, with 13 fours, until Humayl Sehran bowled him. Humayl finished with 2 for 41 and was involved in two run-outs off the last two balls of the innings. Captain Vivaan Gupta took a catch behind the stumps and effected a run-out, and Syed Arzan Wahab took 1 for 30 from his 4 overs.
Chasing 228, the Warriors lost Vivaan early. Arun Kumar (9 off 26) and Aayan Jaal Shah (8 off 25) batted patiently, and Rajveer Singh Anand hit two fours in a quick 9 off 5. Syed Arzan (12 off 10) and Gandharv Ghavnalkar (12) top-scored, and the Warriors batted into the 25th over before being bowled out for 100.
“Boys, every match is a learning opportunity! Let’s work on our batting partnerships, bowling discipline and teamwork. Keep your heads high, keep believing, and come back stronger.”
Coach Vivek
U12 Ajman lose by 10 wickets (Division B)
SPSA Ajman U12 35/7 (17 overs) · Legends Warriors U12 38/0 (3.1 overs)
25 October, DCS Stellar Ground, Al Batayeh · Full scorecard
SPSA Ajman chose to bat against a Legends attack that used nine bowlers and gave very little away. Player of the Match Muhammad Sarim took 2 for 1 from 2 overs, and Naksh Ankush bowled two maidens. Atharv Emmaneni showed real determination, batting 37 balls for 5, and Krithik Arora batted 17 balls. Captain Karthik Gopish was 1 not out when the innings closed on 35/7 in the 17th over.
Legends’ openers Aanav Shetty (24 not out) and Abdullah Salman (11 not out) knocked off the runs in just over three overs. A difficult morning for a young squad in its first ECB season, and one to learn from.
Coming up this weekend
Five SPSA teams are in action on 31 October and 1 November. The U15 Rangers’ and Mavericks’ matches have been postponed, with new dates still to be confirmed, and the U12 Warriors don’t have a fixture this weekend. The Raiders take on Defenders Cricket Academy, unbeaten leaders of their Division C group.
| Date and time | Team | Opponent | Competition | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 31 Oct, 8:00 AM | SPSA Raiders U15 | Defenders Cricket Academy U15 | U15 Division C | Vision Cricket Grounds |
| Sat 31 Oct, 10:45 AM | SPSA Avengers U12 | Dunes Warrior U12 | U12 Division A | MCC 2 Ajman |
| Postponed, new date TBC | SPSA Rangers U15 | Desert Cubs Eastern Eagles U15 | U15 Division B | – |
| Sat 31 Oct, 3:30 PM | SPSA Ajman U12 | Dunes Rising Stars U12 | U12 Division B | MCC 1 Ajman |
| Sat 31 Oct, 3:30 PM | SPSA Falcons (Girls U15) | Zayed Cricket Academy | Girls U15 League | MCC 2 Ajman |
| Postponed, new date TBC | SPSA Mavericks U15 | Zenith Falcons U15 | U15 Division B | – |
| Sun 1 Nov, 10:45 AM | SPSA Guardians U18 | AR National Sports Academy U18 | U18 Division B | MCC 2 Ajman |
Fixtures can change at short notice, sometimes just before the weekend. Tap a team name for its latest schedule on the ECB’s CricClubs site, and check with your coach before setting off.
The Falcons, Avengers and Guardians all play at home at MCC 2 Ajman, so come along and cheer them on. See you back here next week for the Week 5 roundup.