PAMPORE: Shining Star Pampore pipped Jhelum Blues Pampore in what turned out to be a thrilling summit clash to emerge victorious by two runs in the finals of the Big Bash T20 Championship played at Iqbal Stadium Tanchibagh.
The grand final of the tournament was jointly inaugurated by Tehsildar Pampore Zuber Ahmad Bhat and SDPO Pampore Mir Imtiyaz Ahmad in the presence of SHO Khrew Manzoor Ahmad, ZPEO Pampore Syed Masarat Hussain Andrabi, Tehsil official Mir Murwat Hussain and other sports enthusiasts.
Aadil Bhat, Adnan Shah, Second in Commandant 50RR Rajeev, and other guests were also invited to the closing ceremony.
Shining Star Pampore won the toss and scored 148 in 20 overs while batting first. In reply, Jhelum Blues Pampore managed 146 only thereby allowing Shining Star to lift the title by the barest of margins of 2 runs. Aqib Mir was declared Player of the Match for his all-round performance while Muzafer Waqar was declared Player of the Tournament for being the most consistent player throughout the tournament.
On the occasion, the Sports Fraternity of the Saffron Town Pampore felicitated outgoing SDPO Pampore Mir Imtiyaz Ahmad on his transfer from Pampore.
As many as 32 cricket teams from different areas of Kashmir and a team from Uttar Pradesh participated in the four-month-long tournament.
The tournament was organized by local youth of Saffron Town including Mohammad Ashraf Malik, Arif Chat, Aqib Mir, Mehraj-Ud-Din Chat, Zahid Mohi-Ud-Din and Shabir.
The guests distributed cash prizes, and trophies among the winner and runner-up teams.
The winner and runner-up teams were awarded trophies and cash prizes of Rs 50,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively.
Asif Ramzan, one of the top-performing players from Shining Stars Pampore, urged the players to make the most of the opportunities provided during these tournaments.
“Young players should inculcate professionalism and will to learn from their seniors so that it helps them in shaping up their careers,” he told Kashmir Reader.
Nazir Tiger, one of the famous cricketers of Saffron town, congratulated organisers for successfully running the tournament and providing the cricketers with a platform to showcase their talent.
Adil Bhat, a local from Pampore, appreciated the organisers’ efforts in keeping the young generation attuned to sports activities.