Bud and City Cricket Clubs Set to Launch Final Round Campaigns in APCC

Our Sports Reporter

GUWAHATI: Two-time champions Bud Cricket Club will begin their final round campaign in the Assam Premier Club Championship (APCC) Cricket Tournament at Barpeta on Tuesday. The Guwahati-based side will face India Club of Silchar in their opening match.

Two teams from the Headquarters Zone have qualified for the championship round of the competition-Bud Cricket Club and City Cricket Club. City will also begin their campaign on Tuesday against Amar Bharat Sangha.

Bud had earlier won the Guwahati leg of the tournament after defeating City Cricket Club. However, City later took revenge by defeating Bud in the Headquarters Zone final.

Bud have enjoyed an impressive run in the competition this season. The team played nine matches in the earlier stages and lost only two on their way to securing a berth in the final round. Secretary of Bud Cricket Club, Mukut Kalita, is optimistic about his team’s chances in the decisive stage of the tournament, which will be played across two venues in Barpeta.

This season Bud have assembled a balanced squad combining youth and experience. The team is led by veteran Swarupam Purkayastha and also features experienced players like Sib Sankar Roy and senior pacer Pushparaj Sharma. Promising youngsters such as left-handed batter Swarnav Srihit Guru Das, Sanjay Kumar Singh and spinner Rohit Singh, also been impressive in the earlier matches.Two Bud batters scored centuries during the tournament this season and they are Swarnav Srihit Guru Das and Sanjay Kumar Singh. Meanwhile, spinner Rohit Singh has been outstanding with the ball, collecting 24 wickets during the first two rounds of the competition.

“We always try to promote young players in the team and I am happy to see that this time we have a good mixture of youth and experience. The encouraging part is that the juniors are contributing equally alongside our senior players,” said Kalita.

Speaking about the team’s prospects in the final round, Kalita said: “We don’t want to put pressure on the players. Our simple message to the team is to forget about the result and give 100 percent on the field. If we can do that, the results will follow. This competition is a good platform for young players and they should make the most of the opportunity to catch the eyes of the selectors.”

Team captain Swarupam Purkayastha also believes that the side is capable of delivering a strong performance in the final round.

“We have a good team and our aim is, of course, to finish on the podium. However, we don’t want to put pressure on ourselves. We will take one match at a time in the final round,” he said.

Bud Cricket Club have been placed in Group C alongside India Club and Nambor Club. They will face India Club on March 10 and Nambor Club, Golaghat on March 12.

Meanwhile, City Cricket Club will begin their campaign in the final leg on Tuesday with a match against Amar Bharat Sangha. The other team in their group is Star Sporting Club.

City finished as runners-up in the first round of the Guwahati leg and later went on to win the title in the Headquarter Zone, securing their place in the final round. Seasoned batter Rishav Das played a key role in the team’s victory in the Headquarter Zone final against Bud Cricket Club, scoring a remarkable double century. He received strong support from Rahul Hazarika, who contributed a half-century. Left-arm spinner Rabi Chetry also played a crucial role with the ball throughout the competition and helped the team to reach the final stage.

Speaking to The Sentinel, Rishav said that the team’s confidence is high after their title win in the Headquarter Zone and they are determined to perform well in the competition. “We played good cricket throughout the tournament and are optimistic to deliver the same in the final round also.”

He also added: “Our initial target is to qualify for the semifinals, and once we achieve that, we will focus on the remaining part of the competition,” said Rishav.

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