Bhubaneswar lifted the trophy in the 1st State Level Cricket for Women with Vision Impairment, defeating Balasore by 10 wickets in the final at Bhadrak Autonomous College Ground in Bhadrak yesterday.

Apart from the Bhubaneswar and Balasore, Bhadrak and Betara participated in the tournament, which was organised jointly by Special Olympics Bharat-Odisha, Cricket Association for the Visually Impaired, Odisha and the Bhadrak District Administration (Social Security Cell).

Batting first, Balasore scored 38 for four in the allotted seven overs.  Basanti Hansda was the top scorer for Balasore with 13 runs. Bhubaneswar chased down target in just three overs without losing any wicket. Buduni Purti and Leena Swain scored 20 each for Bhubaneswar.

Leena Swain was declared as player of the final and player of the tournament, Smrutibala was adjudged player of the Tournament in B1 category. This event was the brainchild of international cricketer Mohammad Jafar Iqbal, Special Olympics coach Arpita Mohapatra and Special Olympics Bharat-Odisha Area Director of Prakash K Rath.

Bhadrak District Social Security Officer Sibaram Dhal provided necessary support from the District Administration. Bhadrak College sports in-charge Manoj Nayak provided necessary support on the ground. Matches were conducted by experienced coach and umpire, Chandra Sekhar Patnaik along with local umpires. Trophies and certificates were given away by the Guests including Md Jafar Iqbal, Arpita Mohapatra, Prakash K Rath and Sibaram Dhal.

Special Olympics international athlete Sarita Routray, who recently won the floor hockey bronze medal in the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria, was felicitated on the occasion. A 20-member team was selected to represent Odisha in the Inter-State Championships to be held in Jharkhand later this year.

``This is only the beginning. Special Olympics Bharat-Odisha and Cricket Association for the Visually Impaired, Odisha have pledged to take Women`s Cricket in this category from Odisha to the International Level within five years, said the organizers of the state tournament.
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PHOTO: Players of champion Bhubaneswar team with guests and organizing officials in Bhadrak on April 1, 2017.