JAMMU, Oct 24: The Department of Youth Services and Sports, District Jammu, organised the Inter-District Division-Level Cricket Tournament for Under-17 girls at Kirpalpur Cricket Stadium, Mandal, providing young cricketers an opportunity to showcase their talent, skills and competitive spirit.
The tournament was conducted under the patronage of Director General, Youth Services and Sports, J&K UT, Smt. Anuradha Gupta, IAS, under the guidance of Joint Director, Youth Services and Sports, Jammu Division, Sh. Inderjeet Singh, JKAS, and the overall supervision of District Youth Services and Sports Officer Jammu, Sh. Sukhdev Raj Sharma.
In the first semi-final, District Samba defeated District Kishtwar by five wickets to secure a place in the final. After winning the toss, Samba elected to bowl first and restricted Kishtwar to 52 runs before dismissing the entire team in 12.2 overs. Ashita contributed nine runs for Kishtwar, while Money delivered an impressive bowling performance for Samba, claiming three wickets.
In reply, District Samba chased down the target comfortably, scoring 53 runs for the loss of five wickets in 8.3 overs. Sapaiya top-scored with 14 runs, while Sandhya took two wickets for Kishtwar. Samba’s disciplined bowling and effective batting helped the team register a convincing victory.
In the second semi-final, District Jammu defeated District Udhampur by 10 runs in a closely contested encounter. Batting first after winning the toss, Jammu posted 93 runs for three wickets in the allotted 15 overs. Tara scored 15 runs, while Jaspreet remained unbeaten on 14 runs. Gourangi was the standout bowler for Udhampur, taking three wickets.
Chasing a target of 94 runs, District Udhampur managed 83 runs for four wickets in 15 overs, falling short by 10 runs. Sadvi was the leading batter for Udhampur with 17 runs, while Sara claimed one wicket for Jammu. The Jammu team held its nerve to secure a place in the final.
The tournament was conducted by departmental experts, including Sandeepan Sharma, Jatinder Singh, Parveen Sharma, Jagtar Singh, Vikram Dogra and Dinesh Sharma, along with other technical officials of the department.
The competition highlighted the growing participation of girls in cricket and provided a valuable platform for young athletes to develop their sporting abilities, teamwork and competitive experience.