Meghalaya strengthened their bid for a Cooch Behar Trophy plate final berth on 11 December after sealing a 109-run victory over previously unbeaten Nagaland at the MCA Ground.
Nagaland, chasing 375, resumed the fourth morning on 208 for six but were dismissed for 265 within 90 minutes. Meghalaya captain Angkit Tamang completed the win with figures of 5 for 45, ensuring his side’s second consecutive outright victory. Mewankitbok Kharpuri claimed the other wicket of the session to finish with 2 for 71.
The match had swung decisively towards Meghalaya earlier in the contest. Their first-innings 312, anchored by Gaurav Narleng’s 127, was followed by disciplined bowling that restricted Nagaland to 165, with Sameer Choudhury returning 6 for 40. Meghalaya added 227 in their second innings to set a challenging target.
Meghalaya Cricket Association President Nababrata Bhattacharjee praised the “sterling team performance,” highlighting the efforts of Angkit, Choudhury, Narleng and Kharpuri, who now stands third on the plate group wicket chart with 24 scalps. He said the result reflected “commitment and high application” within the state’s youth structure.
The win has intensified the three-way race for a place in the plate final. Nagaland, who arrived in Shillong with three wins from three, remain second on 19 points, one ahead of Meghalaya. Manipur lead the group with 24 after four successive victories. Meghalaya’s only defeat so far was against Manipur last month.
Meghalaya will face Mizoram from 16 December in Anand, Gujarat, in their final round-robin fixture. Mizoram, winless in completed matches, appear the group’s weakest side, but Meghalaya must guard against complacency while keeping an eye on Nagaland’s clash with unbeaten Manipur. The concluding round is set to determine a tightly contested finish.
