RCA Purples and RCA Reds won their respective matches in the RCA Challenge Cup U-17 Cricket Tournament on Sunday. The splendid batting of Naveed Babar and the excellent bowling of Abdul Mueez, Shizal Farooqui, and Muhammad Rehman played a key role in these victories.

In the first match of the day, RCA U-17 Purples defeated RCA U-17 Yellow by a clear margin of 52 runs.

Deciding to bat first, the Purples team was all out for 186 runs. Naveed Babar laid the foundation of the innings and scored a brilliant 74 runs with the help of six fours and three sixes. He was supported by Muhammad Shah Zain with 27 and Muhammad Bilal with 18 runs.

For the Yellow team, Muhammad Mujeeb (3-31) and Abdul Aziz (3-59) took prominent wickets, while Muhammad Murtaza Taqi dismissed two players.

In reply, the Yellow team’s batting line collapsed for 134 runs, with Talha Afridi being the top scorer with 29 runs. For the Purples, slow left-arm spinner Shizal Farooqui bowled devastatingly, taking four wickets for just 16 runs. Arbaaz Ahmed and Owais Sohail also took two wickets each.

In the second match, RCA Reds U-17 defeated RCA U-17 Whites by 38 runs in a low-scoring contest.

The Reds set a total of 142 runs before being all out. Muhammad Hamza (36) and Muhammad Mustafa Umair (28) were the prominent scorers. For the Whites, Abdul Mueez bowled brilliantly, taking five wickets for 29 runs, while Jawad Ahmed dismissed two players.

In pursuit of a modest target, the Whites team faltered and was all out for 104 runs. Muhammad Haris (21) and Muhammad Yaqoob Soneja (18) showed some resistance. For the Reds, medium-pacer Muhammad Rehan played a key role by taking four wickets for 22 runs, while Abdullah Zakir provided excellent support by dismissing three batsmen for 33 runs.