Shinde's six scalps give Police a whiff of Kanga title

MUMBAI: Santosh Shinde, whose uncanny knack of getting wickets with the new ball is unmatched in Mumbai cricket, did it yet again on Sunday. His 6/32 haul with fine support of skipper and off-spinner Rajesh Tandel (3/21) got Greater Mumbai Police the lead against Fort Vijay and put them in sight of the A Division title in the Strategen Dr HD Kanga league.
Police were one of four teams at the top with the points on the penultimate day. The other three -- Shivaji Park Gymkhana, New Hind and Karnatak Sporting -- drew their matches and lag behind on 11, two behind Police (13) with MIG who led Worli also catching up as fourth team in second spot. Parkophene, Payyade and Apollo followed with 9 each.
It could be a double whammy for Police on the final day on October 2 as their second string players, who proliferate in the Prabhu Jolly Young, team have taken the team to the top spot of the G Division.
An elated Police coach Amol Shejale, who guided Mumbai University to the title a few years ago, said, "The players train with amazing sincerity. The results are showing. We have no stars like the rest of the sides. But we click as a team."
Top-scorer for Police was Hirapure who had helped snatch a draw against New Hind last Sunday. In the top-table clash, a century by Srideep Mangela (110) and his 144-run opening stand with Sachin Wagh (64) gave Karnatak a score of 230.
Chasing 231 in 27 overs New Hind were lifted by sparkling 40-ball 81 with six sixes and six fours by Prashant Naik and another cameo by last week's centurion Parag Madkaikar (49). Naik, who leaves with the Mumbai team for the Irani Cup game on Monday, played some amazing shots -- slash with both knees bent, backfoot lift for six both off Mandeep Mangela and any number of pulls off Onkar Salvi. But trying another straight six he holed out at longoff missing out on possible the fastest hundred in the league. Baba Sidhaye had scored one in 59 minutes way back in the 60s.
"I was not aware of the record I was just trying to inch my team closer to the target," said Naik, who has been in and out of the Mumbai side and dogged by injury. Parsi Gymkhana's Suryakumar Yadav was the day's other centurion.
A 99-run fourth-wicket stand Nishit Shetty 67 n.o.) and Siddharth Chitnis (49) in just 70 balls helped MIG score over Worli.
Sahil Kukreja's century strengthened CCI's spot at the top of the B Division table.