After losing three wickets for 22 in less than seven overs, BPL Sports Club did well in getting as much as 259 in 79.4 overs in their first innings against National Cricket Academy on the opening day of their three day match in the Coromandel Cement Cup tournament at the RSI ground in Bangalore on Saturday.

Put in to bat, BPL were set back by the NCA opening bowlers Srivatsav and Agarwal. Openers S Puranik (2) and A Mishra (8) and skipper Yere Goud (0) were the batsmen to be dismissed. V Madyalkar (36) and N Mulki (35) initiated a recovery process by adding 65 runs for the fourth wicket off 19.3 overs.

The momentum was maintained by the middle order. KN Ramesh got a valuable 25 and then C Raghu and wicketkeeper SN Shiraguppi shared a seventh wicket partnership of 94 runs off 32.3 overs that carried the BPL score into the realms of respectibility. Raghu, who top scored with 73 before being run out, faced 130 balls and hit ten of them to the ropes. Shiraguppi, who was ninth out for 37, faced 97 balls and hit five fours and a six. The last four wickets fell for only 22 runs leaving Srivatsav as the most successful bowler with four for 52 off 16 overs. Agarwal took 2 for 59 while A Mishra had two for 57.

In the four overs before stumps were drawn, NCA openers Gautam Gambhir (6) and Vinayak Mane (5) came through unscathed with the total on 12.

Play is restricted to 90 overs in the first innings and 40 in the second. Play started late in the morning due to wet pitch conditions and the action went on till almost 6 pm.

© CricInfo