Ali Abid shines as Rawalpindi win Chevron-SOS crown

RAWALPINDI: Hosts SOS Rawalpindi gave an impressive display of their firepower to beat Sargodha by 21 runs and claim the Chevron-SOS Inter-Village Cricket Tournament 2015 here at Ayub Park on Saturday.

All-rounder Ali Abid was the star for Rawalpindi as he smashed a whirlwind fifty and then took a wicket to guide his team to the trophy in front of hundreds of school children.

Playing in freezing conditions, both the team gave an impressive display of their cricketing skills to make the finale a high-scoring encounter.

Ali Abid, 18, was named both man-of-the-final and best batsman of the tournament which was contested by 150 players from participating teams that represented 11 cities of the country. Rawalpindi’s Hafeezullah was adjudged best bowler of the tournament.

Ali hit an unbeaten 51 after Rawalpindi opted to bat first and piled up 109 runs in the allotted eight overs. It was the highest score of the tournament.

Sargodha, who recorded impressive victories in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, tried their best but could only make 89 run.

At a colourful prize distribution ceremony which was preceded by an impressive tableau presented by kids from SOS Children’s Village Rawalpindi, chief guest Naeem Ur Rehman, Manager Direct Industrial Business, Chevron Pakistan Lubricants (CPLPL), gave away the trophies.

Also present at the occasion were Sanam Sheikh, National Director SOS Children’s Villages Pakistan and Nasim Muzaffar, Chairperson SOS Children’s Village Rawalpindi.

In her speech, Sanam Sheikh hailed the participating players for their excellent skills. She also lauded Chevron Pakistan Lubricants for backing the exercise.

The idea behind the tournament which takes place annually is to promote physical activity and healthy competition among schoolchildren. This year Chevron teamed up with SOS to organise the Chevron-SOS Cricket Tournament 2015, held for five days.

Chevron arranged for eleven SOS Youth Home teams based in 11 different cities of Pakistan — Quetta, Lahore, Muzaffarabad, Karachi, Sargodha, Sialkot, Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Abbottabad and Islamabad, to congregate in Rawalpindi and compete in the exciting event.

The event was attended by 300 schoolchildren and staff from SOS Children’s Villages Rawalpindi and Islamabad, SOS senior regional team and donors, Chevron leadership and employees, and other respected members of society.

The tournament opened with a colourful inauguration ceremony on December 22, followed by three full days of thrilling matches. On December 25, the visiting teams took a break and enjoyed a fun-filled outing and then geared up for the semi-final and final matches held the next day.

On the final day, the two semi-final matches were also played. In the first semi-final, Sargodha stunned Multan by five wickets. Batting first, Multan accumulated 84 runs and Sargodha managed to reach the victory target after a few hiccups.

In the other semi-final, Rawalpindi batted first and scored 84 against Islamabad. They won it by 17 runs after restricting Islamabad to 67 runs.