Last year’s runner-up and hosts, University of Mysore (UoM), registered an exciting two-run win over a fighting Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, in a keenly contested quarter-final match in South Zone Inter-University Men’s Cricket Tournament, conducted by UoM and played at SDNR Wadiyar Platinum Jubilee University Grounds here yesterday.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, UoM, helped by some useful contributions from all-rounder M. Venkatesh (71, 68b, 3×4, 3×6), Nandan Narayan (43, 31b, 3×4, 1×6) and Kishan S. Bedare (35, 47b, 3×4, 1×6), posted a total of 235 for eight in 45 overs.

Nandan Narayan and Venkatesh added crucial 98-runs for the sixth wicket to boost the total. Left-arm spinner Navin Kumar impressed for Bharathiar taking four for 40.

In reply, Bharathiar University, needing four runs off the last over bowled by off-spinner S.J. Nikin Jose, could only score two runs, and were all out for 233 in 44.5 overs. S. Vijay top scored with a well-compiled 63 (90b, 3×4, 1×6). Md. Ashik (58, 42b, 8×4) was the other useful contributor. K. Shashank, M. Utham Aiyappa, Thushar Harikrishna and M. Venkatesh took two wickets each for UoM. Venkatesh was adjudged as the ‘Man of the Match (MoM)’

In the other games, Jain University, Bengaluru, JNTU, Hyderabad and Hindustan ITFS, Chennai, registered good wins over their respective rivals and entered the semi-finals.

Scores – Quarter-finals

UoM: 235/8 in 45 Overs (M. Venkatesh 71, Nandan Naryan 43, Kishan Bedare 35, Vishnu Priyan 25, S.J. Nikin Jose 23, Navin Kumar 4/40) bt Bharathiar Varsity: 233 in 44.5 overs (S. Vijay 63, Md. Ashik 58, K. Shashank 2/51, Utham Aiyappa 2/47, Thushar Harikrishna 2/32, Venkatesh 2/30); MoM: Venkatesh.

Anna University, Chennai: 227 in 45 overs (Vaibhav Sankaran 72, Shridharan Rajendran 38, Rajkumar Krishnamurthy 29, Kavin Gupta 3/53, S. Praneeth Raj 2/36) lost to JNTU, Hyderabad: 228/3 in 30.5 overs (N. Anirudh Reddy 89, M. Sai Pragnay Reddy 76, M. Abhirath Reddy 41 n.o.); MoM: N. Anirudh Reddy.

SRM Varsity, Chennai: 160 in 43.3 overs (U. Vishal 53, Vignesh S. Iyer 31, L. Kiran Akash 3/26, N.S. Harish 3/27, P. Ajith Kumar 2/29) lost to Hindustan IT&S: 161/3 in 33.5 overs (S. Sudhan Sanjeevi Kandepan 67, M. Adithyan 64 n.o., AVR Rathnam 3/21); MoM: M. Adhityan.

Jain University: 226 in 44.5 overs (Munim Moosa Mehdi 85, Arjun Arora 39, Aman Fakhruddin N. Khan 32, T.D. Lokesh Raj 3/47, G.S. Samuel Raj 2/30, R. Thameem Ansari 2/37) bt University of Madras: 160 in 35.4 Overs (S. Aravind 71, Kishore Kamath 3/15, Vyshak Vijayakumar 2/37, Aditya Somanna 2/27); MoM: Munim Moosa Mehdi.