North go down by slenderest of margins

North choked at the death to throw away a game they should have won with ease at the CPT ground in Chennai on the final day of the CricInfo Rani Jhansi tournament today. Replying to South Zone's total of 164/9, North fell agonisingly short by one run, at 163/6. The number of wickets in hand tells the tale of how North failed to force the pace in the final overs. A magnificent 88 run third wicket partnership between Rajini Bhalla (56 not out) and Gurdeep Kaur (44) took North to 137/2 in the 42nd over.

The stand was broken in the only possible way that it looked like happening, a run out, and two more wickets fell cheaply. But with captain Rajini Bhalla around at the crease, North were still the favourites until the very end. Eight were needed from the last two overs and four from the last. Seema Wadhwa just could not get the ball away in the final over bowled by Mamtha. Two runs were needed from the last ball and Seema was bowled to give South a consolation victory and North a most inconsolable loss. Mamtha had done the trick for South with a spot on last over and finished with figures of 10-3-21-3.

Raakhee Mehra and Jaya Sharma had given North the ideal start with a 49 run stand in just under 18 overs. Both were dismissed at the same score, the latter trapped leg before by Mamtha, and the former being pointlessly run out. Rajini and Gurdeep made the task look easy as they kept the scoreboard moving relentlessly for the next 23 odd overs with some clean hitting, some deflections and some edges. The bowling held no terror as the two never looked remotely in trouble. However both began to tire towards the end, easing up in their running between the wickets so much so that a run out looked a distinct possibility. After Gurdeep had obliged South, Gulshan Sharma played out a maiden from Mamtha in the 44th over to pile the pressure on North. Yesterday North had mocked at an asking rate of 54 runs in 60 balls to take out Central but today they baulked at a much simpler proposition. There was a funereal atmosphere in the North camp after the match and as their coach launched into a tirade against them you really felt sorry for these girls who had played their heart out for the greatest part of the contest. Cricket can be a very unforgiving game.

Earlier a 75 run third wicket partnership between Sudha Rani and Harsha had helped South recover from the perilous depths of 17/3 but North hit back towards the end to peg their target down to 165. A combination of some poor running between the wickets and some inspired bowling by Vandna Gupta and Anjuman Bassi cost South dearly. South came into the match with a day's rest behind them and elected to bat after winning the toss against a rejuvenated North side playing the same eleven that beat Central yesterday. Vanita Viola cover drove Vandna Gupta to the boundary in the very first over. A no ball was called in Vandna's second over for illegally employing three fielders behind the popping crease on the leg side. Asha Jain at the other end was bowling to an unusual 7-2 field and in the 4th over of the day, Manjula patted a halfvolley straight back to her to fall for a duck.

Vanita continued in her aggressive vein, driving Vandna through mid off for four but South lost their second wicket when Karuna Jain played to square leg and set off furiously without any response from the other end. She was comfortably run out by a Gulshan throw. There was more hara-kiri to follow when Vanita was also run out by Jaya Sharma in the covers to leave South in an unflattering position. Sudha and Harsha now came together in a rescue act, playing with a lot of responsibility. They did take a few risks though, especially to Asha, with the great open spaces on the leg side being too tempting. The 12th over produced 11 runs as both batswomen took toll of the vacant deep midwicket region. Vandna Gupta was bowling a magnificent run denying length and produced three consecutive maidens at one stage to really tighten the screws on the scoring. The 50 came up with a couple to deep point in the 19th over as Vandna finished her ten overs on the trot with figures of 10-4-16-0.

Seema Wadhwa's first over produced ten runs as Harsha, after a period of relative quiet, drove one furiously past the bowler to the fence as she gingerly put out a hand to stop it. Seema had to endure three consecutive misfields in her next over, including a dreadful one by Anjuman at deep midwicket for four. But her luck finally turned when Harsha lobbed one gently into the hands of square leg for 31. Sudha seemed to be unperturbed as she took 11 runs in the next over by Reema, mostly coming through sweeps and pulls on the leg side and bringing up the 100 of the innings in the process in the 31st over. But in the next over by Seema, Sudha played a couple of horrendous premeditated heaves across the line and only managed to connect thin air. Off the first she survived a stumping appeal but the second time she got a nick to the keeper, Gurdeep Kaur. Having made 48, she should really have been looking to push the ball away for a single or two to a field that was pretty deep.

The score was now 107/5 and Kamakshi also ran herself out shortly after, when the non striker, Amsavalli, clung like a limpet to the crease. Anjuman came back for a splendid second spell of three overs without conceding a run, in the course of which she also snared Amsavalli, stumped as she played forward and missed. Her back foot was reckoned to be just out of the crease. The South lower order managed to accumulate a few useful runs in the later overs and more importantly play out their entire quota. Seema Wadhwa was the most rewarded bowler, with figures of 2-42.