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Irate batsman knocks bowler dead in 'friendly' cricket tie

Michael Gonsalves in Pune

In a bizarre and shocking incident at a friendly cricket match between two local sports clubs in Pune, a 19-year-old youth was killed on the spot for making an appeal to the umpires that the "star batsman" of his rival cricket team was out.

The gory incident occurred on Saturday afternoon at Fergusson College grounds when the friendly match was being played between Modern Cricket Club and Golden Cricket Club, both the clubs hailing from down town Kasba Peth locality of the city.

The deceased, Atul Prabhakar Awachat, an FYBA student of the Marathawada Mitra Mandal College and a resident of Kasba Peth was the strike bowler for the Golden Cricket Club.

According to the Deccan Gymkhana police, the two clubs were playing the match at Fergusson College grounds since Saturday morning. Atul's striking delivery hit Modern Cricket Club's batsman Amit Shivaji Shinde, also 19, on his legs, prompting the bowler to make an lbw appeal to the umpires.

Unfortunately, even before the umpires could give their decision, the players and the supporters of Modern Cricket Club rushed to the field, setting of a heated arguments. With tempers rising high from both the clubs, soon it was free-for-all with members and supporters of both the clubs attacking each other with bats and stumps, the police told Rediff On The Net.

In the melee, an irate star batsman Amit came from behind and smashed bowler Atul's head with a bat. A profusely bleeding and unconscious Atul was rushed to the nearby Deen Dayal Hospital. A CT-scan revealed formation of a blood clot in his brain.

Atul succumbed to the injuries even before the doctors could perform an emergency operation, the police pointed out.

Amit was arrested after Atul's friend Prafulla Deshpande lodged an FIR against him at the Deccan Gymkhana police station, the police said.

Prafulla, in his FIR, claimed that Atul was totally taken aback as Amit came from behind and smashed his head with a bat, knocking him to the ground.

The police said Amit, a drop out after passing HSC, was employed with a private company in the city.

Atul's body was consigned to the flames at the Vaikunta crematorium on Sunday evening. Police Inspector Ramchandra Kondalkar of the Deccan Gymkhana is Investigating the case

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