KARACHI: Karachi and Sukkur won their respective matches in the ongoing 6th Inter-divisional Softball Championship with contrasting results at Hyderabad Club, Hyderabad on Saturday.

After a neck and neck battle with Mirpurkhas, Sukkur side won the match by a single run. Sukkur scored 13 runs in their three innings while Mirpurkhas scored 12 runs in their three innings.

Sukkur took one-run lead in the first inning as it scored four runs followed by Mirpurkhass three. In next two innings, both teams scored identical five and four runs, as the first innings lead sustained for Sukkur. Rataba and Ifra scored three runs each for the winners in the match. Sadaf scored three runs for the losing side.

In the other match, Karachi recorded a convincing five-run victory over Shaheed Benazirabad team. Karachi scored 13 runs while their opponents managed only eight runs. Karachi took a three-run lead as it scored six runs, while Benazirabad responded with three runs. Karachi team performed below par in the second inning after getting overwhelmed by its performance in the first inning and took their opponents lightly, who let them score only one run. Benazirabad score three runs reducing arrears to 6-7.

The game seemed well poised in the third and decisive inning, but Karachi side seemingly learned from its complacence it showed in the second inning and bounced back in the third inning scoring six runs to take the teams total score to 13 runs. Benazirabad responded with two runs to concede a five-run defeat.

Bushra Javed, Alizeh, Zarlasht Shakeel, and Shumaila Qureshi scored two runs each for Karachi while Feiza Shahid and Memona played well for Benazirabad scoring three runs each.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2019