JEDDAH — The Hyundai Afternoon Tournament being organized by the Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA) saw thrilling encounters here recently. In the first match, AOT Youngstar beat MCH Green by 23 runs. Batting first, AOT scored 145 in 17 overs. Malik hit 28 and Anas 44. Amir took 3-38. MCH Green's Hassan and Arif were out after scoring 14 each. Amir added 28. The team could manage only 122 runs as Hisham took 2-26 and Ali 3-20. The second match saw Dopco Safa Al-Bawadi beat Al-Safri by seven wickets. Al-Safri posted a target of 164 in 20 overs. Opener Rehan scored 58 runs and Manjeet added 30. Rashed claimed 2-26 and Waqas 2-27. Dopco reached the target for the loss of three wickets. Murtaza scored 44 and Qasim 45. In the third encounter, Crown Blue beat Natcom by seven runs. Batting first, Crown Blue set a target of 158 in 18 overs. Babar and Fahad scored some quick runs. Irfan and Pasha bagged two wickets each. Natcom openers Waqas and Amer Shahzad scored 35 and 39, respectively, for the first-wicket partnership of 80. But once they were gone, the wickets fell like tenpins and Natcom was all out for 151. Zafar took three wickets. The fourth match of the day saw Mazco thrash AMI by six wickets. AMI put on 171. Imad hit 30, Azhar 33 and Imran 35. Tausif and Bilal took 3 wickets each. Mazco reached the target in 17.1 overs for the loss of four wickets. Imran played a brilliant unbeaten knock of 113 (2x6 and 15x4). Zafar claimed two wickets. In the fifth encounter, Elite humbled Contraco by nine wickets. Contraco, batting first, tallied 128. Khurram scored 22 and Amjad 24. Amjad clinched six wickets. Elite reached the target in 17 overs for the loss of one wicket. Opener Atif remained unbeaten on 60 and Foaz hit 25. Hala Academy Blue beat Desert Lions by four wickets. Desert Lion put on a target of 123. Omer hit 37 and Ramesh 15. Safiuuddin and Rafay bagged three wickets each. Hala Blue reached the target in 17 overs for the loss of six wickets. Amjad was the top scorer with 40. Philip claimed three wickets. Fuchs Al-Hamrani beat UCC by six wickets. UCC, batting first, scored 145. Zahid Mehmood scored 55 off 36 balls and Junaid hit 35. Maqbool took three wickets and Razzaq four. Al-Hamrani chased the target in 16.2 overs. Ghafoor scored 34 and Nasir 41. Al-Saudi beat Hala International School by 56 runs. Al-Saudi set a huge target of 204. Ghuyoor hammered 43 (3x6 and 3x4), while Mazhar scored 65 (4x6 and 6x4). Noman claimed two wickets. In reply, Hala could score only 148. Naveed bagged two wickets.
