New Zealand Cricket Academy (NZCA) and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) were slugging it out in a tense semifinal contest at the MA Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk today. The fall of opener Radhey Shyam Gupte in the last over of the day may have just tilted the balance in New Zealand's way. The oilmen closed out at 171/4, still 158 adrift and with the cream of their batting back in the pavilion. Earlier a combative unbeaten hundred from allrounder James Franklin and his 52 run last wicket association with Chris Martin lifted the visitors to 329. India seamer Amit Bhandari was the pick of the bowlers mopping up two more wickets today to finish with a bag of six.

Resuming at 252/6, the Academy boys lost three wickets for 25 runs in the morning. Bhandari scalped two in two balls taking out wicketkeeper Martyn Sigley and Bruce Martin to leave NZCA at 270/8. Left arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi then got into the act, upsetting Jeeten Patel's stumps for four. Then came the 99 minute rearguard action from Franklin, captain of the Kiwi side at the Under 19 World Cup in January this year, and Martin. ONGC got rid of the latter in the 132nd over, when he directed Sanghvi into the hands of Gupte at sillypoint. The lefthanded Franklin was left high and dry on a magnificent 115 (272 balls, 12 fours). Bhandari (6/45) and Sanghvi (4/122) shared all ten wickets between them.

ONGC commenced their reply shortly after lunch and with his fifth ball, right arm quickie Chris Martin despatched Gagan Khoda for a duck. The Rajasthan captain flicked him straight into the hands of an agile Michael Papps at forward short leg. Radhey Shyam Gupte, who replaced Ravi Sehgal for this match, and captain Gautam Vadhera then steadied the innings with a patient stand of 82. Vadehra looked the more enterprising of the two, tucking into left arm spinner Bruce Martin with gusto. At the opposite end left arm quick Franklin was getting the ball to land on a relentless off stump line as well as dropping it on the perfect length to tempt the batsman into a reckless waft outside off stump. Vadehra launched into one which went over the head of point who stuck out his left hand but the ball refused to stick.

Legspinner Aaron Redmond came on from the pavilion end and managed to get a leg break to kick up which Gupte gloved just over the slip cordon. It was Vadehra who departed first, slashing Martin straight into James Marshall at gully for 32. Virender Shewag, the stockily built Delhi strokemaker arrived in the middle and ondrove his first ball, a full toss, through the legs of mid on for four. Gupte took the cue from his partner, heaving Redmond over squareleg for the first six off the innings. NZCA captain Jacob Oram gave Chris Martin a well deserved break after an extended spell and brought himself on from the Indian Oil end. Shewag set the innings alight with back to back boundaries. The first a flick to backward squareleg that brought up the 100 and the second a delectable dab past gully to the backward point fence.

Oram decided enough was enough and introduced off spinner Jeeten Patel into the firing line. It was Redmond though who broke through, Shewag rocking back and indiscreetly forcing him uppishly into the off side. Chris Martin completed the low catch at deep point to leave the oilmen at 117/3. Jeeten Patel may be a brilliant bowler but not on the evidence of his showing today. Oram kept him on a shade too long and both Gupte and Rizwan Shamshad gleefully waded into him, taking the aerial route to midwicket and straight down the ground for boundaries.

Gupte had settled down to play a disciplined knock after some early jitters but he let his guard down in the last over of the day from Redmond. The second ball was sliced into second slip's midriff but the fielder agonisingly failed to close his hands over the ball. Two balls later Gupte went forward and tried to smother the spin. The ball popped up into the safe hands of Lou Vincent at silly point to deal a definitive blow to ONGC's aspirations.

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