Date-stamped : 09 Feb96 - 22:16 Ranji One-Day West Zone League 1995-96 Bombay v Gujarat. Sardar Patel Stadium, Bulsar. 12 December 1995. Gujarat batted after winning the toss, but did not have the resources to produce a challenging total as their key batsman Mu- kund Parmar failed. Opening batsman Alpesh Patel drove Manish Patel smartly for two boundaries and square-cut left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni to the fence, but the rest of Gujarat batting was unable to come to grips with Bombay`s three medium pacers, Abey Kuruvilla, Amit Dani and Manish Patel. Kuruvilla`s first two overs cost him 14 runs and he was re- placed by Kulkarni, who also got a bit of stick as Gujarat com- menced their innings at a fast clip - and started losing quick wickets afterthey crossed the fifty mark. Kuruvilla re- turned to destroy the Gujarat middle order mainly by pitching a shade outside off-stump and forcing the batsmen to edge catches to the slips. Half the side was back in the pavilion for 66 runs in 20.5 overs, and Gujarat had virtually lost the match. Kuruvil- la ended with figures of 4/27 in 10 overs (ie, he had a spell of 4/13 in 8 overs, to wreck the middle-order). Alpesh was Gujarat`s highest scorer with 39 off 46 balls with five boun- daries, while No 10 and No 11 batsmen Hiren Patel and debutant Mubarak Patel were next best with 16 and 19 respectively. Mubarak hit the only six of the match. Bombay all-rounder Amit Dani sent down his 10 overs without a break. The medium pacer was re- warded for consistently attacking the stumps with a haul of three wickets, one less than Kuruvilla. When Bombay bat- ted, Tendulkar was out cheaply and it was left to Sanjay Manjrekar to thump a chanceless, unbeaten 58 in 65 balls, and see Bombay home in 22.5 overs in exactly 100 minutes. If Ten- dulkar has a batting weakness, it is it fast delivery pitching on middle and leg. Gujarat`s opening bowler Tejas Varsani delivered one right there and at midriff height. Sachin attempted to raise his bat out of harms way, but the ball took the handle`s edge and flew up to a group of eager Gujarat fielders who slowly made way for Alpesh Patel to take the catch. But Manjrekar and Manoj Joglekar, who notched up 29 runs with five hits to the fence, scotched whatever hopes Gujarat might have entertained of making a match of it with a 91 run second wicket stand. Manjrekar got most of his seven boundaries on the off- side. The houseful stadium and the fans on the tall buildings over- looking the ground had the satisfaction of watching Vinod Kam- bli - but he only had the time to strike one boundary, off the first ball he faced, a powerful pull off spinner Hiren Patel. Abey Kuruvilla won the Man of the Match and Best Bowler awards, while Sanjay Manjrekar was declared the Best Batsman. Both received gold chains from a local sponsor. Contributed by Sadiq (sidi@iastate.edu)