Al-Barkaat Malik English School, Kurla put up a dominant performance as they won by virtue of the first inning lead to clinch the Harris Shield Trophy against Swami Vivekananda School, Kandivli, on a breezy Wednesday afternoon at the Bombay Gymkhana Grounds, Fort.

On the final day of play, Swami Vivekananda resumed their innings at 148/6, with left-arm spinner Saud Mansoori (5/54) continuing his magical spell. They could only manage to get 31 more runs as they were bowled out at 179. Rishi Shah, who was the last hope for his side, went back to the dugout with the same score of 60 runs in 105 balls, unable to find any solace.

In the three-day game, the winning team posted a mammoth total of 374 all out in the first innings and bowled out their opposition for 179. In the second innings, the Kandivali school ran out of time as it was already the third day. Al-Barkaat scored 37/2 and the game concluded.

This was Al-Barkaat's second trophy in four years. The last time they got their hands on the silverware was in the 2014-15 season. As soon the team won the match, the trustee of the school who was present at the venue handed his team a sum of Rs 25,000 as a reward for his students.  

Coach Nafees Khan was delighted after his team's formidable performance against a tough opposition. “It's a great achievement to win the title the second time. The semi-final was tough but winning it was a little relaxing. After winning that game, the lads were confident of winning the final,” said the coach, taking the kids to the nearest McDonald's outlet to celebrate the victory.

“The new CBSE pattern makes it tough for our kids to take out time to play but we manage it,” he added.