After persistent rains upset the schedule of the 129th Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) Harris Shield inter-school cricket tournament, as many as 32 matches last week were decided by coin tosses due to wet ground conditions. Sixteen teams progressed to the next round without a ball being bowled, leaving several young cricketers disappointed. MSSA have since had a change of heart and decided that all those matches would be rescheduled.
“Many of these players are around 15 years old and are in their last year of school. We [MSSA] felt bad for them. The Harris Shield has produced many players who have gone on to represent India, so we felt these youngsters also deserve another chance,” MSSA cricket secretary Nadim Memon told mid-day on Sunday.
“So, we sat down with the MCA [Mumbai Cricket Association] and took a decision to reschedule all the matches that had been decided by the toss of a coin,” added Memon.
MSSA has postponed the tournament to November 4. “SSC students can finish the tournament and focus on their board exams now,” he said.