Rain dampens youngsters' spirits

Kerala and Tamil Nadu picked up three points each in their South Zone Under-14 Tournament match at the Municipal Stadium, Tellicherry on Friday after the third day was washed off without a ball being bowled.

Kerala, batting first, fizzled out for 144 in 87.5 overs. RI Hari Kumar top scored with 40 and RN Suraj chipped in with a patient 34. Guru Kedarnath bagged four wickets for 30 runs.

In reply, Tamil Nadu openers did well to put up an unbeaten partnership of 56 runs off 17.1 overs before play was interupted by rain. H Gopinath (32) and K Srikkanth (17) were at the crease at close of play. The match was affected by the wet conditions and the post lunch session was called off on the second day due to wet conditions. The match thus ended in a tame draw.