RIYADH: After 17 seasons in search of a championship trophy, Sheraton Riyadh Hotel & Towers finally succeeded last Friday when it beat Riyadh Conference Palace by 55 runs in an exciting finals match at the Najd School grounds in the Saudi capital.

Against a backdrop of intense anticipation, Sheraton batted first in the match attended by cricket fans and fanatics.

Euphoria was intense among the spectators as the game kicked off and went under way with intense silence as backdrop. Chants and shouts from the crowd sporadically broke the silence as both teams scored runs. Sheraton tallied 162 runs to Riyadh Conference Palace’s 107.

Fired up by the desire for a championship diadem, Riyadh Sheraton Hotel’s Mohsin Awan projected himself as the “Man of the Hour” as he took five wickets and scored a total of 15 runs at the end of the match.

Awan teamed up nicely with Sajad Awan, who also made a good account of himself by scoring 50 runs in the exciting three-hour match.

“We finally made it after several years of competing for the coveted trophy. We almost won the championship last year against Riyadh Conference Palace but they were luckier. This time, the Sheraton 11 are luckier,” said team captain Qamar Khan.

Khan also cited the partnership between Sajad Awan and Nawaz Akhter.

He said that when the team lost the championship last year, they knew that “sooner than later, they would romp off with the championship trophy and call themselves champions in the game they and they elders played back home.”

Khan said that their victory involved not only a lot of hard work and physical conditioning but also due to the unqualified support of Sheraton’s top management.

“For the victory, we give our kudos not only to the Sheraton 11 for their team spirit punctuated with camaraderie but also to the management headed by the young fatherly General Manager Gerald Chevasson,” the team manager said.

For his part, GM Chevasson congratulated the team for a “job well done.”

Declared Player of the Tournament was Sajjad Awan while the Chief Guest was Riyadh Sheraton GM Gerald Chevasson.

The semifinalists of the tournament were Courtyard Hotel, Riyadh Conference Palace, Makarim Riyadh Hotel, and Sheraton Riyadh Hotel & Towers.