13 JULY

SRILANKAN CC v TAJ PAVILION

Needing just one point from this game to stand alone at the top of the league table, the Srilankans did much more than that, making this the ninth win in their remarkable unbeaten season.

Taj batted first, opener Waquas making 38 in a promising start for Taj. But none of the Taj batters were able to follow his lead and their innings finished on a very respectable 146 ao. Against the powerful Srilankan batting lineup this was perhaps a few runs short of safety. Asanka took 3 wickets and Dileepa 4.

Not for the first time the Srlankan reply revolved around captain Dileepa. Openers Danuka and Niroshan fell cheaply, inviting Dileepa to an early appearance at the crease.

In usual fashion he started with two boundaries and hardly let up until he was eventually caught on 60, with the game almost safe. Anju (20) Riance (13no) and Asanka (13) went on to finish the game for the Srilankans in the 23 over, 148 for the loss of 6 wickets. Askar, Sony and Shaleru taking two wickets apiece.

Taj Pavilion 146 ao (3 points)

Srilankan CC 148-6 (8 points)

MOUFFLONS V WSBA

(Muhammad writes)

WSBA hosted Limassol Moufflons CC at Happy Valley Cricket Grounds on the last day of the 2008 league season.Moufflons after winning the toss decided to bat first. For Moufflons Rubel & Colin went out to see the opening ball pair of Rafiq & Hughes.

After watching Rubel playing out a maiden over from Rafiq - Colin was up against the challenge of Hughes. Hughes with his good line & length got the better of Colin and within his first over gave WSBA a dream start by

cleaning up Colin. Raju promoted up the order, went in to accompany Rubel in the middle. Both batsmen with their sensible approach were rotating the strike withease until Rafiq bowling the 7th over of the innings got rid of both Rubel & Raju in the same over. Rubel caught at mid-off, where Andy Mulkern running back took a left handed diving stunner & Raju caught in the slips after getting dropped on the previous ball.Muhammad joined Ghaffar in the middle and the 18 runs partnership between the two lasted only till the first drinks break when Ghaffar on the stroke of drinks gave debutant Ahmad his first wicket - once again finding the safe hands of Andy Mulkern at mid-off. Moufflons reached drinks (12 overs) with score at 38 and 4 wickets down.Darryl Davies joined Muhammad after the drinks break and got cleaned up after negotiating the first 5 balls of the over - a wicket maiden from Rafiq.

In the following over debutant Ahmad got rid of dangerous looking Muhammad - caught at mid-off by Andy Mulkern. Couple of overs later Peter Bond joined the rest of the top order batsmen when Khan accounted for his wicket. Moufflons were a rocky 51 for 7 after 21 overs, when Yasir joined Alamgir in the middle. Yasir playing his 3rd match and without any score to his name whole season and Alamgir playing his first match decided to prolong the innings for as long as possible.

With completely different approaches - Yasir using the long handle & Alamgir with nudges and pushes took the score to 75 at the second drinks break (24 overs).

After the drinks break two batsmen started dominating the bowlers and Moufflons reached 100 in the 30th over. An agitated WSBA side tried everything they possibly could to break the partnership but the two batsmen countered every WSBA attack with authority. A late flurry in the last 5 overs saw Moufflons scoring 40 runs, and reaching a respectable total of 143 for the loss of 9 wickets. Yasir contributing 36 runs before Andy getting him plumb in front and Alamgir reaching a well deserved half century before getting run out on the penultimate ball of the innings. Both batsmen were given a guard of honor on their return. A miraculous recovery by Alamgir & Yasir enabled Moufflons got hold of the two batting points. Rafiq returned with superb figures of 3 wickets for 13 wickets, and was

ably supported by Ahmad 2 wickets for 2 runs in 5 overs. Hughes, Khan, and Andy contributed with a wicket each.

Moufflons knew 143 is a defendable total - as they successfully defended it against a strong Amdocs line up at the start of the season. And with plenty of bowling resources available, Moufflons now had a clear edge on their opponents. Rubel & George were given the task to dismantle the opening pair of Spring & Khan. And it didn't took long for Rubel to get rid of Spring. Adil joined Khan in the middle; 5 different bowlers tried un-successfully to dislodge the partnership as the two bastmen took the score to 50 at the first drinks break (12 overs).

Doubts were creeping in at the drinks break, whether the pre-matchfavorites (Moufflons) have the steel to do it? as the two WSBA bastmen were cruising towards the target. After the drinks break Muhammad was introduced in to the attack.

Muhammad with his off-spin and occasional faster ones proved the x-factor. Adil got cleaned up by a faster one by Muhammad in the 13th over of the innings. Darryl Davies bowling from the other end got rid of newly arrived Morgan; but the dangerous Khan was still on the crease, and now accompanying him was none other than WSBA skipper Andy Mulkern himself. The two batsmen were taking the singles at ease, however, in the overs 19 - 22 the match comprehensively swung in Moufflons favor. When Muhammad first got rid of Khan (36) - caught in covers by George, and then in the following over cleaned up Hughes with another faster one. In between Khan & Hughes' wicket, Darryl got rid of Kazim and WSBA were wobbling after 22 overs with 6 wickets down and 85 runs on the board. Andy Mulkern along with Dean took the score to 90 at the second drinks break (24 overs - 6 wickets down).

50 runs were needed in the last ten overs; WSBA had 4 wickets in hand, and Andy Mulkern still on the crease.

Andy with his sensible approach was dispatching the bad balls to the boundaries and was protecting the tail by taking singles on the last

ball of the overs. With only 25 runs needed off the last 3 overs, Dan Comina fielding at Long On dropped a regulation catch of Andy Mulkern and it looked like as if lady luck has switched sides again. However, Moufflons' Alamgir had other ideas in his mind as he kept his composure and effectively sealed the match couple of balls later with

the wicket of Andy Mulkern (36). Rubel bowling the penultimate over got rid of Dean - who gave Andy good support for 12 overs.

14 runs were needed off the last over with only one wicket left. Rafiq tried un-successfully to clear the ropes on Yasir's bowling, however, at the end Yasir had the last laugh, as he cleaned up Rafiq on the last ball of the 35th over and in process helped Moufflons gain maximum points out of the match.

Moufflons holding on to their nerves and winning a thriller in the last over by 11 runs and securing the 5th position. Pick of the Moufflons

bowlers were Muhammad 3/31, Davies 2/15 - 6 overs, and Rubel 2/11 – 7 overs. Yasir, and Alamgir chipped in with a wicket each

Moufflons 143-9 (8 points)

WSBA 132 ao (2 points)

AYNIC v LIONS

Aynic were unable to field a team and so conceded the game to Lions

Lions (8 points)

Aynic (0 points)

6 JULY

SRILANKAN CC v AYNIC TAVERNERS

Winning this game would put the Srilankans in an unassailable position at the top of the league. And without too much fuss, win it they did.

Aynic batted first in a reduced game of 25 overs. With their usual determination they battled against the Srilankan attack of medium pace and spin to reach 106 for 6 wickets. A half century partnership between 16 year old David Bailey (36) and youth coach Ian McCarrick (32) set them on their way. Niroshan did most damage with the ball taking 3 for 16 in his 4 overs.

Despite the loss of their hard hitting opener Sampath T for 0, the Srilankans eased passed the total in 9.4 overs. Nalaga made 40, but it was their captain Dileep, with one eye on the batsman of the league award, who top scored with 53 no. The Srilankans were 104 for the loss of two wickets.

Aynic Taverners 106-6 (2 points)

Srilankan CC 108-2 (7 points)

25 over game

LIONS v TAJ PAVILION

Buoyed by their win last week over Fellows, Taj went into this game filled with optimism. Unfortunately the Lions were in no mood to indulge. Batting first they accumulated a dispiriting 205 ao in 34 overs. Askar and Dias formed the partnership of the innings worth 98 runs, with Dias on 30 and Askar punishing the unfortunate Taj bowlers with seven sixes and four fours on the way to his 86. Sampath A(24) and Roshan(20) brought up the rear. Sonu took 4 wickets with spinners Vishnu and captain Sahid Batti accounting for two apiece.

Needing a run a ball, Taj had no option but to attack. Loosing wickets rather than scoring runs they fell to 95 ao. Waquas top scored with 20 in an otherwise undistinguished Taj batting performance. Lions Manju took 3 wickets, Dilshan 3, and Sahid 2 wickets.

Lions 205 ao (8 points)

Taj Pavilion 95 ao (3 points)

DEKELIA v WSBA

Unable to raise a team, Dekelia forfeited the game to WSBA.

WSBA (8 points)

Dekelia ( 0 points)

On 61 points the Srilankan CC are all but crowned champions. Now on 53 points, a win by the Lions in their final game this Sunday at Aynic would bring them level. But then the Srilankans would have to fail miserably against Taj in their final game at the UN ground. A sliver of hope for the Lions, but not a scenario the unbeaten Srilankans are likely to entertain.

A maximum win by Mouflons, now on 40 points, in their final game against WSBA this Sunday ay Happy Valley would put them a single point above Amdocs now in fifth position on 47 points. A game Amdocs will be following nervously.

29 JUNE

SRILANKANS v LIONS

The only team who could yet unseat the undefeated Srilankan CC, last years league champions, the Lions, met their rivals in the heat cauldron of the UN ground, Nicosia. This game between the two Srilankan sides usually attracts attention, and this year the game was watched by the largest attendance of the season.

Lions, put in to bat, started well with opener Askar making a quick 37, with his team reaching 64 for 3 wickets. A promising partnership between Kapila and Taraka (13) was cut short with Tarakas run out, and with their powerhouse batsman Manju out without scoring, Lions were wobbling. It took a steadying partnership between Kapila and Sampath A (10) to put their innings back on course, accumulating 40 runs and bringing the score up to 130 when Sampath was the fifth wicket to fall. Kapila batted through with the tail, scoring 39 himself and taking the score onto 146 when, in the 28 over, his was the last wicket to fall. Anju took 3 of the Lions wickets, with spinners Dileep and Silva sharing two apiece.

The Srilamnkans started their innings in a mirror of the Lions with their hard hitting opener Sampath T looking to score quick runs. But with the score on 12, two wickets fell, Danuka and Susiri, both without scoring. Then with the score on 30 three more wickets fell, Sampath himself on 22 and Nalaga and Anju both on 0. They had been undone by Kapilas quick offspin, taking four wickets in the first two overs. Praneth (13) and Dileep managed to stop halt the onslaught, Dileep (44) riding his luck, when dropped at mid off and again at long on, to forge an innings with the middle order, Niroshan (10) and Asanka (15) to take the Srilankan score passed 100. With just two wickets to take and still 25 runs still to make, the Lions could not dislodge the determined Pradeep and Riance who managed to steer the Srilankanss home in the 22 over, with the score 147-8.

So the Srilankan unbeaten record remains intact. Although shaken after their hardest game of the season, they now have a clear run to the championship. Seasons top scorers Sampath Tsangerides with 210 runs in six games, Nalaga Agathocleus with 170, and captain Dileep top scoring with 221 in 6 appearances with 3 not outs contributing modestly to their success.

Lions 146 ao (3 points)

Srilankan CC 147-8 (8 points)

FELLOWS v TAJ PAVILION

Fellows were in need of six points to guarantee third place in the table and Taj were looking for a win over a favoured team to restore some pride in what has been, for last years league runners up, a miserable season.

Fellows were put into bat and were grateful to accept some gifted runs with some very wayward Taj bowling. But Taj soon gathered themselves back together and put together a succession of tight steady overs. After scoring quite freely Fellows found themselves pinned back and even worse loosing wickets. Wilfed went after a flurry of boundaries and this seasons top scorer Tahir after scoring only 4.This brought Kashif to the wicket and for a moment he and opener Haroon looked to have the makings of a partnership. Haroon was caught behind of Sonu for 31, and Fellows looked hopefully for no 5 Gill to build again with Kashif.  But when Kashif put up a catch into the covers Gill was on his own. He managed to steer short partnerships with the lower order on the way to his 55, an innings of four sixes and fours, taking Fellows onto a reasonable total of 166.

Confident that they had enough for their bowlers to defend, a very obdurate opening partnership of Satnan (26) and Happy (26) soon changed the Fellows minds. Their half century partnership was broken by two catches by keeper Wlfred off Kashif and Brar. No 3 and 4 bats continued with the same determination, and despite all Fellows efforts, would not concede their wickets. Twenty overs in Taj were on 84 and still only two wickets down. Askars run out was the breakthrough Fellows were desperately seeking, and capitalizing with a couple more quick wickets ,Fellows believed again that this might be their day. But Taj captain Bhatti and manager Vishnu doggedly stuck to their task, and first with singles and then with boundaries crept up and passed the Fellows total with 8 balls to spare, Bhatti topscoring on 30 no.

Fellows 166 ao (3 points)

Taj Pavilion 169-6 (8 points)

AMDOCS v WSBA

(Sunil writes)

It was a hot Sunday on 29-Jun-08. Playing their last game of the league, Amdocs were eager to take maximum points out of this game. WSBA, on the other hand, were missing lot of their players and at the start of the game, they barely managed to have 7 people on the field. Having granted the toss, Amdocs chose to bat first, which they have found to be a winning mantra this season. Soon, the opening pair put on a 50 run partnership in 10 overs. Kapil Sardana, continuing his good form, scored 36 quick runs, before he hit one straight back to the bowler. The ball deflected from the bowlerπs hand and carried to mid-off. Good anticipation from the mid-off fielder saw Kapil return back to the Pavilion with the scoreboard reading 51/1. Yogesh, Kapilπs opening partner, departed soon after scoring 14 runs. At first drinks break, Amdocs were 61/2 in 12 overs. Meanwhile, 3 more players entered the field for WSBA bringing some respite. Two new batsmen Anvay and Paritosh kept the scoreboard moving before Paritosh (playing his last game in Cyprus) was bowled after making 14 runs. Amit Chamoli joined Anvay at the center and started scoring briskly. With spin operating from both ends, Amit looked to hoist a low full toss to mid-wicket, but got a top edge and was hit next to his eyebrow and was retired hurt. Rajaram went in and started belting the ball to all parts of the park including 3 fours and 2 huge sixes. Anvay was run-out trying to take a quick single. Anvay made 26 valuable runs including 1 six. Amit came back at the fall of Anvayπs wicket and joined Rajaram in the onslaught. When Rajaram was eventually out on 44, the scoreboard showed a mammoth 160/5. Amit continued his hard hitting and made 39 runs which included four boundaries and a huge six. At the end of 35 overs, Amdocs put up a huge total of 200 for 6 wickets.

Chasing a daunting score and with only 9 people to bat, WSBA looked to deny the additional bowling point to Amdocs by trying to play out the 35 overs. Amdocs opening bowling pair of Sunil and Aman were not giving anything away to the WSBA batsmen. Sunil got one to nip back in to WSBA opening batsman Spring and bowled him through the gate to get the first breakthrough. When Aman had Emulk bowled, WSBAπs scoreboard was reading 13/2 in 10 overs. Han and Andy put a resistance and put together a partnership worth 43 runs that lasted 13 overs. Amdocs made several bowling changes in this process just to break this partnership and keep the wickets rolling. Han tried to flick one from Riyaz to find a fielder set exactly for this shot and found Rajaram at backward short leg who took a sharp stylish-looking catch. With 5 more wickets remaining and 8 overs left, Sunil brought himself on in the 28th over. The bowling change paid off when Sunil had Martin caught behind off the first ball and the well settled Andy bowled off the fourth ball of the over. Thus began the start of the collapse for WSBA. They managed to make just 82 runs in 33 overs before being all out. Sunil took 3 wickets for 12 runs in his 7 overs while Aman, Paritosh, Riyaz, Rajaram and Kapil took one wicket each.

Kapil Sardana has been the best batsman for Amdocs in the league scoring 227 from 7 games at an average of 32.43 including one 50.

Sunil Gururaj has been the best bowler for Amdocs taking 18 wickets from 9 games at an average of 12.89.

Brief Scores:

Amdocs Batting: 200/6 in 35 overs (Rajaram – 44, Amit – 39, Kapil – 36, Anvay – 26)

WSBA Bowling: Rafi - 7-1-36-1

WSBA Batting: 82 a.o in 33 overs (Han – 26, Andy – 16)

Amdocs Bowling: Sunil – 7-2-12-3, Aman – 5-2-4-1, Rajaram - 4-0-16-1, Kapil - 3-0-11-1, Paritosh - 4-0-14-1, Riyaz - 5-2-9-1

Amdocs 200-6 (8 points)

WSBA 82 ao (2 points)

MOUFFFLONS v DHEKELIA

(Muhammad writes)

Winning the toss Dhekelia decided to bat first. Whitcomb & Mathews were sent in to counter the swing of George Papa & pace of SH Rubel. Both openers started confidently and played some glorious off drives to kick start the Dhekelia innings in style. However, it didn't take long for George to get rid of Mathews (4) – thanks to a brilliant reflex catch by Qamar in the slips.

In the following over George accounted for Whitcomb (10) – caught in covers by debutant Marios Kyprianou.

Dhekelia reaching the first drinks break (10 overs) with the score at 38 for the loss of two wickets.

Soon after the drinks break Qamar cleaned up McDonald (8) to further pile the misery on Dhekelia batters. At that stage Robinson joined Sutton in the middle and the two batsmen started the repair works. Both looked comfortable and played some delightful cover drives & pull shots to guide Dhekelia to the second drinks break (20 overs) with the score at 88 for the loss of 3 wickets.

The third session of the innings was completely dominated by Dhekelia – though Muhammad & Qamar got rid of hard hitting Sutton (41) & Croasdale (20) respectively –nevertheless, Dhekelia pushed the score to 147 for the loss of 5 wickets at the end of 30 overs.

A late flurry at the end took the score to 175 for the loss of 6 wickets. Rubel getting rid of Robinson (44). While Burton (7*) & Toon (20*) remained undefeated.

Pick of the Moufflons bowlers were George Papa (2/20) & Qamar (2/23).

Moufflons had an uphill task of chasing 176 under scorching heat. A very tired looking but confident Moufflons opening pair of Rubel & Marios were sent in to counter the opening ball pair of McDonald & Sutton. With the ball moving viciously the two openers took their time to settle in.

However, soon after settling down the two openers started bludgeoning Dhekelia attack to all parts of the ground. If Marios' cover drives were a treat to watch – Rubel was not far behind with his authoritative pull and straight drives. The two openers racked up 50 runs in no time.

With drinks break not far away – a tired looking Marios (23) got caught behind by a rising delivery from McDonald. Couple of overs later Sutton accounted for Qamar (3) and Moufflons reached the first drinks break (10 overs) with the score at 59 for the loss of 2 wickets.

After the drinks break Ghaffar joined Rubel in the middle and the two batsmen with their care free approach took the score forward. However, Rubel (42) soon ran out of puff in Dhekelia heat as he got cleaned up by Sutton – only 8 runs away from a deserving half century.

Darryl Dickinson playing his last match in Cyprus joined Ghaffar in the middle and the two batsmen took the score to 113 (for the loss of 3 wickets) at the second drinks interval (20 overs).

63 runs were required in the last 15 overs with 7 wickets in hand.

Moufflons in complete control and Ghaffar playing his breathtaking strokes - ably aided by Darryl Dickinson took Moufflons passed the 150 mark. Also, in the process Ghaffar reached his maiden half century.

With victory not far away, heat took its toll on Darryl Dickinson (17) and Mathews accounted for his wicket. However, Dickinson's wicket was the last success Dhekelia bowlers enjoyed, as Ghaffar (71*) and Davies (5*) took no time in finishing things off.

A mighty performance from Moufflon's batsmen, led by Ghaffar (71*) & Rubel (42) made easy work of a competitive target of 175. Moufflons reaching the 176runs target in the 30th over for the loss of 4 wickets.

Pick of the Dhekelia bowlers was Sutton with 2 wickets. Mathews & McDonald chipped in with a wicket each.

Dhekeia 175-6 (2 points)

Moufflons 176-4 (7 points)

22 JUNE

SRILANKAN CC v MOUFFLONS

Played at the UN ground in Nicosia, in 40 degrees of unremitting heat, Moufflons wilted under the force of the Srilankans.

Batting first the openers Sampath T and Danuka pinned back the Mouflon attack. Batting for over twenty overs in a partnership worth 131 runs , Danuka was the first to fall for 42, while Sampath batted on with Anju (25) and Dileep (21) to take the score onto 248 ao, scoring 87 himself. Tipu was the best of the Mouuflon bowlers taking 4 for 25, with Muhammad following with 2 wickets.

In their last outing against Aynic Moufflons had scored 249 with opener Rubel making a century, so they had the armory to match this score. But this was not to be their day. In the face of some tight bowling from Niroshan (2 wickets),Nalaga (2 wickets) and Anju (4 wickets with a hat trick) they found themselves all out with only 90 runs scored.

The Srilankan CC are cementing their hold around the league trophy. They have not lost a game and with still three to play it will take a very good team on a very good day to beat them. Current champions Lions are due to play them this Sunday. All eyes will be on that game.

(Muhammad writes)

Moufflons after winning the toss decided to field first and take advantage of the un-predictable flicx pitch. However, the decision back fired as SriLankans openers Sampath (87) and Danuka (42) racked-up 125 runs without losing any wicket in the first 11 overs.

Moufflons attacked weakened by injury to Rubel during the game and withdrawal of several first team pacers suffered under extreme Nicosia heat.

As Moufflons struggled to find any luck with the pacers the ball was handed over to spinners to try and break the shackles.

The over-confident SriLankans openers' eyes lit up when they saw spinners coming in to action, and without hesitation decided to go after the off spin of Darryl Dickinson & Tipu.

Ably supported by the fielders the two off spinners ran through the SriLankans top order, sharing between them 7 wickets for 95 runs. A mind-boggling score board of 125/0 (11 overs) was soon displaying 240 all out.

Sampath (87), Danuka (42), Dileepa (21), Niroshan (15), Anju (25) were the main run getters. For Moufflons Tipu 4 wickets & Dickinson 3 wickets were pick of the bowlers.

Special mention must go to Rubel for taking some excellent catches (despite injury) and bringing back Moufflons in the game - including the unmatchable diving effort at square leg !

In reply to SriLankans 240; Moufflons started confidently, and at one stage with score at 40/2 after 9 overs – it looked like Moufflons are coping well with the task.

However, the unpredictable flicx pitch lived up to its expectations as Moufflons lost three wickets in one over and a delighted Anju celebrated his hat-trick with wickets of Rubel (ball rolling on to stumps after hitting the pitch), Darryl (ball crashing the gate after keeping low), and Muhammad (a dubious LBW decision with a ball going down the leg and batsman 3 meters outside the crease with a leg stump guard).

The tail wagged on and took Moufflons past the 70 run mark to ensure that Moufflons at least get one batting point out of the game – in addition to already gained 2 bowling points.

Pick of the SriLankans bowlers were Anju (4 wickets) and Niroshan (2 wickets). For Moufflons extras (28) top scored – in addition to Rubel (27) & Raju's (18) hard fought innings.

A guard of honor was given to Mustafa on his return to the dressing room for making his first league run of the season.

Darryl Dickinson will leave Cyprus happy after playing his last match of the season. John can proudly say that his Dad was one of the best bowlers on the day. Thank you John for fielding in place of Rubel under scorching heat ! The match was played in great spirits and both teams ended the day with hand shakes!

Srilankan CC 248 ao (8 points)

Moufflons 90 ao (3 points)

AMDOCS v FELLOWS

Sunil writes

Amdocs won the toss and did not have to think twice to bat first. Cyprus National team opening bowling pair of Mike Kyriakou and Chris Markides started very well for Fellows giving away nothing. Amdocs opening pair of Kapil Sardana and Yogesh Davel found it hard to find the gaps. First bowling change for Fellows broke the partnership as Yogesh was out lbw to Zaman in the 7th over of the innings and the scoreboard reading only 8 runs, Fellows were on top. Anil Nair joined Kapil in the middle and started cautiously but steadily. At the first drinks break, Amdocs were a meager 35/1 in 12 overs. Kapil and Anil started hitting freely and remained at the crease to see the second drinks break managing to move the score to 110/1 in 24 overs with Kapil on 47 and Anil on 41. During this period, Fellows skipper Mike made several bowling changes to get a breakthrough and also giving their bowlers a break from the scorching heat. Kapil elegantly glanced the first ball after the drinks break to the fine leg boundary bringing up his maiden 50 in Cyprus and followed it with a cut past point for another boundary. It took a full 19 overs and 110 runs before Fellows could find the breakthrough. Anil, looking to clear the ropes, missed and Zaman hit. Anil got a well crafted 42 runs. Amit Chamoli joined Kapil in the center and made a quick fire 20 runs before being out off the bowling of Mike. It was the 31st over and Kapil wanted to push his scoring rate to make quick runs for himself as well as the team. Trying to hit right past the bowler, Kapil misread a ball from Gill and was bowled. A fine innings of 72 came to an end. Paritosh and Rajaram scored freely and ensured there were no further casualties. Paritosh made 15 runs while Rajaram made 17. The last over from Brar saw 15 runs being scored including a huge six off the first ball from the bat of Rajaram. At the end of 35 overs, Amdocs had made 188 for the loss of only 4 wickets thus denying any bowling points to the strong Fellows bowling attack.

Fellows knowing that they had a hard target to achieve to increase their lead in the league, started with Haroon and Wilfred. However, Wilfred was out in the fourth ball of the innings, edging an outswinger off the bowling of Amdocs skipper Sunil Gururaj. Amdocs were on top. Tahir joined Haroon and both of them batted cautiously to see off the new ball while dispatching the odd one to the boundary. At the other end, Shino Kurian sharing the new ball bowled a very good spell giving away nothing but unlucky not to get a wicket, the ball missing the stumps narrowly several times. At the first drinks break, Fellows were 49/1 in 12 overs and were in a good position with ample batting on the bench. With the partnership on 88 Tahir was bowled by Rajaram, making a good 36 runs. Matti joined Haroon with the score reading 89/2 and started hitting freely. Amdocs made several bowling changes and Sunil brought himself on after the second drinks break. The scoreboard was reading 118/2 in 24 overs. The ball was still swinging and the gentle medium pace and swing made it hard for the batsmen to score freely. Needing 71 runs in 11 overs and 8 wickets intact, Matti tried to push the run rate and misjudged an inswinger from Sunil to see his leg stump rattled. He made 25 runs in this process. Amdocs started to put pressure on the Fellows batsmen not giving too many runs. Brar (7), Gill (0), Mike (2) and Zaman (2) failed to capitalize on the good start and were bowled. Brar and Gill fell to Paritosh. Mike was bowled by Amit and Zaman by Rajaram. The required run-rate was shooting up and Haroon did not have anybody to support him. It felt as if he was fighting a lone battle. Needing 19 runs off the last two overs, Fellows managed to score only 5 runs off the penultimate over and also lost their skipper, Mike. 13 runs were required off the last over. With Haroon still around, it was quite possible. But Haroon wanted to keep the strike himself and denied a few singles that could have taken the Fellows closer to their target. Fellows managed only 5 runs in the last over bowled by Rajaram and also lost Zaman. Fellows finished the 35 overs making 180/7. Haroon carried his bat through the innings and remained unbeaten on 71. There were a few caught behind decisions that Amdocs felt did not go in their favour. Amdocs managed to keep their cool under the pressure in a fiercely fought game and went home with 7 points while Fellows managed to get 2 batting points.

Brief Scores:

Amdocs Batting – 188/4 in 35 overs (Kapil - 72, Anil - 42, Amit – 20, Paritosh – 15 n.o, Rajaram – 17 n.o)

Fellows Bowling – (Mike – 7-1-20, Zaman – 7-2-35, Gill – 7-1-46)

Fellows Batting – 180/7 in 35 overs (Haroon – 71 n.o, Tahir – 36, Matti – 25)

Amdocs Bowling – (Sunil – 7-2-28, Rajaram – 7-2-27, Paritosh – 7-2-21, Amit – 3-1-17)

Amdocs 188-4 (7 points)

Fellows 180-7 (2 points)

DEKELIA v CYPRUS COLLEGE FLAMES

This was the Flames last match of the season, and although the title is now out of their grasp, they wanted to finish on a high and look to secure third if not second spot in the title race.

Dekelia batted first and put up a very respectable total of 140 all out in the 32 over. Keith Brewster made a half century in a partnership with Matt (30) which put the Village into a competitive position. Offspinner Nishit took a toll of the Village batsmen with five wickets in his spell.

Flames Andrekos pulled out one of his stubborn innings, batting until the last two overs and making 38. Partnered by Sid who top scored on 49, together they all but guaranteed a Flames victory, passing the Village total in the 28 over with 8 wickets down.

Flames now stand again at the top of the table, albeit for a fleeting moment.

(Raj writes)

Flames played their last game of the league against Dekhelia village at Dekhelia on 22^nd of June. The conditions werenπt conducive for the play as temperature was soaring 38πC with the humid weather. Flames captain Mamraj won the toss and elected to field first.

Dekhelia started off with Mattheius and Whitcomb. But soon Mattheius fell to the Lokesh unplayable inswinging yorker. Whitcomb was joined by Kieth and they played 33 run partnership before Whitcomb was plumbed to Raj on 15. Dekhelia were 45/2 in 12^th over. Hard hitter Kieth was joined by Matt. After that Dekhelia cruises through the inning as first change Flames bowlers were struggling to find their line and length which was Keith capitalized by on with some lusty hitting. Keith reached his well deserving fifty in the 18^th over. Dekhelia were 113/2 in the 21^st over. Nishit was brought into the attack and results were soon seen as Dekhelia struggled to cope with the Nishitπs sharp offspin, which was aided with some good fielding. Kieth (59) fell as the first victim to Nishit. None of the Villagers was able to impress except Matt who made 24. The next five victims fall to Nishit. Last wicket was taken by Lokesh. Dekhelia once looking to make huge total were now to settle for 142 in 29^th over. Nishit finished with (5/17) in five over and Lokesh 2/10 in 6 overs were pick of the bowling.

Flames started with Jaimin playing attackingly and Andrekos patiently as always. Kieth got rid of Jaimin (14) in his second over with the beautiful outswinger. Lokesh couldnπt capitalize the chance and went for naught and Flames were 20/2. Sidd was the next man in and he started off immediately, dealing in boundaries and Flames were looking comfortable at 85/2 in the 16^th over, when Dekhelia produced the double breakthrough from Robbo. One of them was Sidd nervously getting out at 49 and Raghav bowled for duck soon after. The lower middle order played some quick little cameo in the form of Bhalla (20) and at the other end Andrekos (32) holding the fort patiently. Two run outs gave Dekhelia a slim chance to fight back as Flames were down to 135/8. But Raj (5) scored the winning runs and Flames won in the 28^th over. Robbo was the most impressive of the Dekhelian as he took 4/41 in 7 over, Steve took 1/27 in 7 over and Keith 1/32 in 7 over.

Nishit spell of 5/17 brought Flames back into the game

Dekelia Village 140 ao (3 points)

Cyprus College Flames 141-8 (8 points)

WSBA v TAJ PAVILION

Taj are the team that holds the championship in its hands. Playing against the top teams Fellows, Lions and Srilankans in the next three weeks, and improving with every game, they may still bring about an upset.

Their opposition on this day, WSBA, have not had a happy season, and this game did little to improve it. Batting first they dwindled to a total of 98-9 despite a fine fighting 40 not out from Andy Mulkern.

Taj opener batted through the innings to take his team past the WSBA total in the 23 over. WSBAs Rafiq took 4 wickets in a bright spell but on this occasion Taj were too strong.

WSBA 98-9 (2 points)

Taj Pavilion 100-7 (8 points)

15 JUNE

DEKELIA v FELLOWS

Playing at the notoriously lively pitch at Dekelia, Fellows choose to bat first. Within a few overs they seemed undone by some unerringly accurate bowling from McDonald and Brewster and that unpredictable pitch, as their top order fell away with the score still in the twenties. Opener Haron (19) battled through to help the middle order, taking the score on to 59 when he too was caught of a rising ball. It was a partnership between no 5 Gill and no 6 Mike Kyriacou that salvaged the Fellows innings.

Gill and Mike K in 110 run partnership 

Lasting over 20 overs and worth 110 runs, it brought the score up to a respectable 169 when Gill was caught off Robinsons bowling for 88. Mike K batted with the lower order until Sutton bowled him in the penultimate over for 55. After their 35 overs Fellows had reached 199 for 8 wickets. McDonald earned the best bowling figures with 3 for 21, dismissing the top order, with Sutton, 3 for 33, taking care of the tail.

Dekelia came out with guns blazing, with Brewster and McDonald hitting the ball to all parts. But Brewster, unable to control a sharply rising ball, was undone as the Fellows bats before him, caught wicket. McDonald and no 3 Whitcombe went on to forge the most productive partnership of the innings worth over 30 runs. But when McDonald (21) had to retire after the first drinks break Whitcombe (22) could not find a partner to stay with him, and the Village innings lasted only a further six overs, as they slumped to 66 all out after 18 overs. Fellows can congratulate themselves on some fine catching, the best bowling figures going to Matti 3 for 7, Brar taking 2 for I run in his single over, and the first league wicket for 14 year old Phillip Masey.

Fellows 199-8 (8 points)

Dekelia Village 66 ao (1 point)

AMDOCS v TAJ PAVILION

Last years league runners up,Taj, are bravely continuing in the league thanks to their captain Shahid Batti, despite their reduced strength. But today the cracks showed as their batting collapsed, all out for 76 in the 17 over. Captain Batti held the innings together with his applied innings of 29 runs, but the rest of the team came in blasting and went out runless thanks to some fine bowling from Aman Deep with 3 wickets for 11, and Rajoram taking a hat trick to end the Taj innings in the 0.4 overs he managed to deliver.

Despite the low score Amdocs almost contrived to loose. A promising opening partnership with Kapil making 21,was followed by a cascade of wickets, with only Amit (11) and Dinesh (14) standing firm, to take Amdocs passed the Taj total in the 21 over with 7 wickets lost.

Taj 76 ao (2 points)

Amdocs 77-7 (7 points)

8 JUNE

MOUFFFLONS v AYNIC TAVERNERS

(Mohammad writes)

Sunday, June 08, 2008 - Moufflons traveled to AyNik knowing that only a win can bolster their chances of finishing in top half of the league.

Moufflons after winning the toss, decided to bat first. Tipu & Robel opened the batting for Moufflons. The new ball responsibility was given to young Dan Barrett along with James.

Young Dan Barrett didn't disappoint his captain and in the very first over removed Tipu for 1. However, the joy was short lived.

Darryl Dickinson promoted up the order - joined Robel on the crease, and the two started dominating the bowlers. Robel with his care-free approach raced to his fifty in no time. Moufflons were 80 for the loss of 1 wicket after 10 overs.

Robel was particularly severe on James (3 overs for 46 runs) and Isherwood (7 overs for 58 runs). Soon before the drinks interval (17 overs) Robel reached his well deserved century. Moufflons reaching drinks with the score at 130 for the loss of two wickets.

After the loss of Dickinson's (7) wicket, Qamar joined Robel at the crease. The two bastmen played some big shots before getting out in quick succession. First to go was Robel caught on Jones' bowling. A brutal innings of 116 comprising 5 sixes and 15 fours coming to an end. A well deserved standing ovation was given to him on his return to the dressing room and equally well applauded by the bowling side.

Soon to follow was Qamar, caught on Jones' bowling after making a quick 34 runs. Muhammad joined Davies on the crease and the two new bastmen ensured that the good work done by the top order don't get wasted. As both Davies & Muhammad took their time to settle down and then opened their arms much to the dismay of Taverners.

Muhammad was particularly harsh on Jones, collecting 26 runs in his one over (5 fours followed by a six). Davies with his straight drives made some vital contribution and ensured Moufflons get pass the 250 mark.

With only 5 overs remaining, Muhammad (62) & Davies (27) opted for big shots and got cleaned up by young David Bailey. Ghaffar(27*) & Raja(5*) added some quick runs at the end to take the score to 294 for the loss of 6 wickets in allotted 35 overs.

Major contributions coming from Robel 116, Muhammad 62, Qamar 34, Davies 27, Ghaffar 27. Pick of the bowlers were Jones 3 wickets, and David Bailey 2 wickets.

Centurion Robel

Chasing 295 against any team is not easy, and AyNik batsmen were aware of this improbable task - if not impossible.

David Bailey & Isherwood were given the job to counter the new ball attack of George and Hasan. Both bastmen started cautiously with the aim of playing out 35 overs and getting the two batting points available. However, Hasan soon accounted for David Bailey (6) caught by an acrobatic Alan.

George with his athletic fielding showed no mercy when he accounted for an unlucky Isherwood (8) who slipped while trying to get back to the crease. Norris stayed on the crease for a while for his 11 runs before Raja cleaned him up and then followed with Jones (1) wicket in the next over to leave Taverners tottering at 53/4 at drinks interval (16 overs).

After the drinks Danes joined Betteridge at the crease. Betteridge playing a watchful innings was offering no chances to the Moufflons bowlers. He along with Danes pushed the score past the 70 runs mark to gain half the batting points available.

George coming back for the second spell, soon got rid of Danes (16). However, Scourgie and Betteridge with their sensible approach kept the Moufflons bowlers at bay till the 33rd over. When Dickinson got rid of Scourgie (30), and in process getting his first league wicket - luckily Dickinson's 12 year old son John was on the field (in place of injured Ghaffar), and the father and son celebrated in style.

AyNik finishing on 146 for the loss of 6 wickets. Betteridge (44*) and Dan Barrett (0*) the not out bastmen. For Moufflons Raja (2), George(1), Dickinson(1), and Hasan(1) were amongst the wickets.

Soon after the match, century hero Robel was presented with the AyNik hat by the home side captain Jones.

Moufflons 294-6 ( 8 points)

Aynic Taverners 146-6 (3 points)

WSBA v FELLOWS

(Wilfred writes)

In the absense of Mike K, Wilfred took on the captaincy of Felllows, not under the most favourable conditions as the team had already been docked 3 overs for a late start and sacrificed the toss. Sent in to field first, Chris and Kashif bowled nicely and consistently which quickly resulted in the fall of a few wickets from Chrisås end. On the other end Kashif bowled well but unlucky on the few occasions he tried the slower ball, finding the ball summarily dismissed.

After Chris had finished his spell of 7 he was replaced by Zaman who bowled well considering he couldnπt get a good grip on the ball due to a swollen thumb. Kashif was replaced by Mati who swung the ball nicely and picked up wickets on the way.

The scoring rate was never high and wickets came at regular intervals which made it unlikely that Fellows would need to chase a high score. Fernando and Brar took up the bowling and Fernando quickly wrapped up the tail to get WSBA all out for 112 after 32 overs. Chris and Fernando shared the wickets with 3 apiece.

Opening partners Wilfred and Mati got off to a good start before Wilfred edged a ball onto his stumps. Soon after Tahir got out caught behind and no real partnership was created. The game got interesting as the middle order fell away, Fernando, Kashif and Sarwar, without any managing to make a score. All of a sudden at the crease we had Zaman and Chris, the last two batsmen, more recognised as bowlers than batsmen. They did well staying in (although luckily dropped a few times) and finishing it off in style in the 26 over as Zaman hit a six to secure the win over WSBA. Overall an exciting game with Fellows still in the hunt for a top spot in the league.

WSBA 112 ao (2 points)

Fellows 114-8 (8 points)

AMDOCS V LIONS

(Sunil writes)

Amdocs, going into the game against a strong Lions team with only four recognized batsmen, had a forgettable day in the field. Batting first, Amdocs managed to score their lowest total in the season so far making only 84 runs before losing all their wickets in the 27th over. At the 10 over Amdocs had been 44 for no wicket lost, but failed to establish another partnership. Opening bat Paritosh was the only one to cross double figures making 26 runs. Slow bowler Kapil was the best for Lions taking 4 wickets for 12 runs in 5 overs. Ravi took 3 wickets while Manju took 2 and Askar took 1. (Paritosh – 26; Lions Bowling: Kapil 5-12-4, Manju 7-15-2, Ravi 7-30-3)

Having to chase a very low total, Lions wanted to take on the Amdocs bowlers from the first ball and finish off the game in quick time. Manju made a brisk 32 including a big 6 before getting out lbw next ball to Sunil. Askar and Jeevan got out early bringing skipper Sampath to the crease. Joined by Diaz at the fall of Manjuπs wicket, Sampath went on to make 32 and win the game for Lions in the 19th over. Sunil took two of the three wickets that fell while Dinesh took the wicket of Jeevan.

(Manju 32, Sampath 32 n.o; Amdocs Bowling: Sunil 5-20-2)

Sampath now has a total of 213 runs for the season, with an amazing average of 71, albeit thanks to a number of not out innings.

Amdocs 84 ao (1 point)

Lions 85-3 (8 points)

CYPRUS COLLEGE FLAMES v SRILANKAN CC

With a game between two such determined sides, both with their eyes on the championship, sparks were certain to fly. But in this game competitiion slipped into acrimony, and sledging and bad temper took over.

Flames batted first and from the outset struggled with the Srilankan bowling. Only Lokesh managed to make any impression, scoring 24 in a generally disappointing score for the Flames of 105, all out in the 30 over. Anju (2-23), Riance (2-32) and Asanka (2-19) took the wickets with Niroshan bowling his usual tight spell conceding only 16 runs.

The Srilankans overtook the score in 11 overs, Dileep capitalizing on his 80 not out against the Fellows last week, with an undefeated half century. There were only two singles in the innings, Dileeep preferring not to overexercise, instead scoring four sixes and seven fours. Susuri stayed with him for a good part of his innings scoring 20. Raj took 2 wickets with Nicky taking one, as the Srilankans reached the total with 3 wickets down.

Flames 105 ao (1 point)

Srilankans 106-3 (8 points)

1 JUNE

AMDOCS v FLAMES

(Andrekos writes)

The top of the table Flames went into the Amdoocs match  at Happy Valley, with four selected players - three of whom were batsmen - unavailable and paid the ultimate price, losing to a spirited Amdoocs by 36 runs. Choosing to bat first, Amdoocs made 170 for the loss of 7 wickets, with some solid batting throughout, and helped enormously from the Flames fielders who coughed up at least 40 runs from miss-fields and wides. Amdocs were also aided by a number of dropped catches. The Flames, with only four genuine batsmen, started slowly and were 1/38 after 12. They threatened to get going two or three times but lost wickets at frequent intervals. Some tight Amdoocs bowling was enough to restrict the Flames to 8/134. Amdoocs take 7 points from the match, while the Flames missed out on their golden opportunity to stamp their claim to the title taking only 2 points. Now they must rely on other results to be in with a chance of winning the title, but they will be greatly aided by a win next week against the Sri Lankans.

(Sunil writes)

Amdocs took on Cyprus College Flames on a hot Sunday at Happy Valley on 01-June-08. Boosted by the return of Anil Nair, one of their most experienced players, Amdocs were all pumped up to face the league toppers. It all started very well for Amdocs when they won the toss for the fourth time in five games. Deciding to bat first, Amdocs made a steady and cautious start without taking too many risks. The opening pair put a decent 47 in 14 overs before Kapil (who made 19) holed out a catch to mid-off off the bowling of Balla. Anvay who opened along with Kapil had to retire at the same time, the heat getting the better of him. This brought two new batsmen to the crease in the form of Anil Nair and Shakti. Making a comeback after a long injury, Anil had determined to show what he is made of. He went on to make a brisk 26 before being bowled, contributing in a 50 run partnership for the 3rd wicket along with Shakti. With the score reading 99 for 2, a few quick wickets boosted the Flames confidence but Shakti had plans to stay at the crease until the end. That he did (well almost), before getting out on the first ball of the final over of the innings, scoring his maiden 50 in Cyprus in the process. Anvay (retired hurt) joined Shakti in the middle and went on to make an unbeaten 19. More than 40 extras helped Amdocs post a respectable 170 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 35 overs. Raj was the best bowler for Flames taking 3 wickets for 17 runs in his 7 overs.

Flames, chasing a daunting total, started slowly before the stable Andrekos was bowled by Sunil in the 7th over of the innings when the score was 13. Very good bowling changes saw wickets fall at regular intervals for Flames and some tight bowling by Amdocs did not help their cause. Raj showed some resistance before being stumped off the bowling of Riyaz. With 10 overs remaining and 87 required to win, Flames resolved to deny the additional bowling point to Amdocs instead of trying to achieve the target. They ended at 135 for the loss of 8 wickets in their allotted overs. Riyaz and Kapil took 2 wickets each for Amdocs while Dinesh, Sunil and Paritosh took one each.

Brief Scores: Amdocs 170/7 in 35 overs (Amdocs Batting: Shakti – 50, Anil – 26, Kapil – 19, Anvay – 19 n.o; Flames Bowling: Raj 7-17-3)

Flames 134/8 in 35 overs (Flames Batting: N/A; Amdocs Bowling: Riyaz 5-24-2, Kapil 4-15-2, Dinesh 7-12-1, Paritosh 7-25-1, Sunil 6-25-1)

Flames 134-8 (2 points)

Amdocs 170-7 (7points)

SRILANKANS v FELLOWS

This was a vital game for both teams as the winner would have an open road to the league title. Fellows had been through the hoop already, having played the top teams and having both lost and won. For the Srilankans this was their first game against one of the rated teams and their first test.

Fellows put in to bat, lost Sawar(5) in the second over, with fellow opener Wilfred (9) following three overs later. Fellows had come to rely on one of these two going on to a good score and supporting the middle order in the process. Now no 3 Tahir and no 4 Matti would have to start over again. Fortunately for Fellows they settled quickly and steadily built up the most productive partnership of the innings. When Matti(17) was caught off Niroshan the two had put on 50 runs with Fellows on 75.

Tahir was now joined by Gill. Both were beginning to open up when Tahir (46) fell to Praneth just 4 short of his 50. Gill(28) battled on but noone was able to stay with him. Sukdev (13) offered a glimse of a partnership, but short lived. Fellows found themselves bowled out in the 32 over for 160. Opening quickie Riance did most damage with figures of 4-34.

This has proven to be a reasonable score on the flicx pitch at the UN ground, and so all was far from lost. Spirits rose as Srilankans lost two wickets Sampath T (1) and Danuka (10) in the second over. But as Srilakans lost wickets Fellows were leaking runs, 21 already after the first 2 overs. No 3 Susuri and no 4 Nalaga settled the Srlankan inninngs down, as bowlers Mike K and Zaman began to get back some control over the run rate. Nevertheless the Srilankans were taking control of the game, stretching the field with well placed boundaries, when first Susuri(17) and then Nalaga (24) offered up catches. and some hope to the Fellows. But that hope was short lived as no 5 Dileep. smashed his first delivery for a six and showed no mercy thereafter. Bowling changes made no difference as he managed to savage all the Fellows bowlers in equal proportion. He took Srlankans over the 160 total in the 22 over, making 80 runs for himself.

Fellows 160 ao (3 points)

Srilankans 162-5 (8 points)

DEKELIA V TAJ

After a turbulent few weeks Taj have managed to put themselves back together and were out to show themselves and others that they are the force of last season. Dekelia batted first. Richard Cox was the guest celebrity in the Village side but he was unable to make an impression on the Taj bowling, as the Village slipped to 104 all out in the 25 over.

For a while the Village were in the game as Taj were rocking on 5 for 65. But the lower order held firm taking Taj past the total with 8 overs to spare.

Dekelia 104 ao (2 points)

Taj 106 -? (8 points)

25 MAY

FLAMES v MOUFFFLONS

(Muhammad writes)

Sunday, May 18, 2008 on a sunny day, Cyprus College Flames hosted Moufflons at UN Base Cricket Ground in Nicosia.

Moufflons after winning the toss decided to bat first. The flicx pitch at UN Base is not a batsman friendly one and it was evident from the start that batsmen will have a difficult time. With the ball bouncing unpredictably, finding the body more often than the bat, the distressed Moufflons batters opted for a more comfortable solution. Instead of spending time in the middle they opted for the comfort of the pavilion.

Ably supported by the fielders the Flames bowlers ran through the Moufflons batting line-up and shot them all out for 83 in 28 overs. With Extras (19) top scoring, only three of the Moufflons batsmen managed to cross the single digit. Qamar (13), Peter Bond (18), & Darryl Dickinson (11) to ensure that Moufflons at least won a batting point.

Of the Flames bowlers, 5 wicket hero Prasses was ably supported by Lokesh (2 wickets), Randy (2 wickets), & Bali (1 wicket).

In reply, Cyprus College Flames eased past the Moufflons total in the 13th over for the loss 3 wickets. Skipper Raj top scored with 21, other main contributions coming from Jaimin (18), Andrekos (14), and Lokesh (14).

George, Qamar, and Hasan were amongst the wickets for Moufflons.

The match was played in great spirits, and was very well umpired by Prabath despite some over-zealous appealing from the Flames bowlers. Credit must go to the umpire for a consistent approach through out the game and making some very good judgments.

(Andrekos writes)

The Flames bounced back after their defeat to Lions last week to register a comfortable victory against Moufflons at the UN Ground. Playing their first match at the ground, Moufflons struggled with the bounce and great bowling from the Flames. Three players made it to double figures, the opener Qamar (13), Peter (18) and Dickinson (11). The in form Muhammad was out for four. Prashes (åVickyπ) Patel took five for 11, while Randy in his first match took two wickets, Lokesh also took two and Bali took one. Ravindra took an exceptional one-handed catch in slips, while good catches were also taken by Raj and Andrekos. Moufflon were all out for 83.

In reply the Flames opened with Jaimin, in his first league match, and Andrekos. Jaimin was fortunate not to be caught at slip and by the keeper, and made Moufflons pay with a quick 18. Amit Balla came and left for nought. Lokesh joined the patient Andrekos, and they passed the 50 with ease. Then Andrekos, who had been earlier hit on the hand/wrist when attempting a catch off Muhammadπs batting, and again on the thigh during his innings, attempted to hit the ball over square-leg and was caught on 14. Raj joined Lokesh and played some stylish strokes to be not out on 21 with Lokesh not out on 14. George, Hassan and Qamar each took a wicket for Moufflons. The Moufflon attack was weakened by the injury of Muhammad.

In the end it was a comfortable victory by the Flames, who take 8 points, while Moufflon take the solitary point from this match.

Moufflons 83 ao (1 point)

Flames 84-3 (8 points)

LIONS V FELLOWS

Flames would have had on eye on this game as their chances of taking the league title would be considerably enhanced if only Fellows could bring down the mighty Lions. For Fellows a victory over Lions was also their only chance of staying in the race. For the Srilankans a Fellows win would also be very nice thankyou.

On this day Fellows made three teams very happy.

Fellows won the toss and bravely batted first, knowing Lions capacity for overtaking even 200 plus first inning totals. Opener Sawar has been the rock of Fellows batting this season and once again he didnt disappoint. Loosing his opening partner Wilfred (19) quite early, although with 39 runs already scored, he formed a second partnership with hard hitting no 3 Tahir, worth 80 runs and lasting 15 overs. Sawar was finally caught off Kapila for 48. Manju was introduced late into the Lions attack and bowling in tandem with spinner Kapila managed to put a break on the Fellows run rate. Fellows had been scoring freely, reaching 113 runs by over 20, but managing only a further 15 in the next five. Tahir continued with no 5 Matti, another big hitter, before Tahir was bowled by Manju for 64. As Manju tired, Matti and new partner Gill broke away, taking the score onto 222-5 with Mati not out on 42 and Gill bowled on the second to last ball of the innings on 20. Fellows had establish solid partnerships through their innings, with four of their top order contributing to what was hoped would be a difficult total for Lions to match.

Lions lost opener Dias, who has been scoring runs this year, on the second ball. Two left handers Jeewan and Taraka were left to rebuild. For fifteen overs they looked invincible, batting carefully, keeping the score rolling over, against tight fast medium bowling from Christo, Mike, Zaman and Gill. But inexorably the Lions were falling behind the run rate. At 15 overs they were 65 where Fellows had been on 82. The introduction of spin from Fernando invited the Lions to make up the difference. At times they seemed to be doing just that, but at crucial moments lost wickets, first Taraka caught off Gill for 33, and then Jeewan bowled by Fernando for 31.Two hard hitters were now at the crease Askar (19) and Manju (28), both very capable of taking the game away from Fellows. But both fell to one big hit too many off Fernandos off spin. Sampath A and Kapila took their place and the threat to Fellows was obvious again as Sampath opened up and started to find the boundary. But despite some big scoring overs for Lions, they were still falling behind on the run rate. Both batsmen knew they had to take risks if they were going to catch up. Fernando, now bowling in tandem with Kashif, tempted them, and first Kapila was bowled playing across the line from Fernando for 3, and then Sampath was caught on the midwicket boundary off Kashif for 25. Mike and Kashif bowled out the last overs, the Lions now far to far behind to catch up. Nalinda (15) put up stubborn resitance, falling to Kashif in the last over for Fellows to take maximum points.

Fellows 222-5 (8 points)

Lions 171 ao (3 points)

DEKELIA VILLAGE v AYNIC TAVERNERS

Dekelia Village were unable to field a team. As Dekelia have already used up their one life, Aynic are awarded all points for the game.

Aynic Taverners (8 points)

Dekelia (0 points)

(There is a process of appeal if the teams penalized feel they have a legitimate reason for canceling the game and their opposition agree to play the fixture on another date. Consult the rules to find out appeals procedure))

11 MAY

AMDOCS v AYNIC TAVERNERS

Amdocs won the toss and batted first. It was a decision hoped to bring about a reversal of their fortunes as in their previous games Amdocs been found wanting when they have been asked to chase a total.

An encouraging opening partnership between Kapil (34) and Paritosh (21) putting on 62 certainly justified the decision. Both fell within an over of each other but the third wicket partnership between Shakti (7) and Sachin (20) held firm, putting on another 30 runs, before Sachin was out lbw. No 5 Amit kept the innings on track, scoring 39 runs, two sixes amoung them, supported well by the middle and lower order. After their 35 overs Amdocs had scored 182 runs for 9 wickets. Scorgie was the main wicket taker with 3 for 30 off his 6 overs.

The taverners reply started ominously with Gilway( 16) looking in good form, helped by no 3 Sear (25) But it wasnπt until Betteridge came in at no 5 that their innings took off. Coming in at 4 for 33 he took the score to 110 in a partnership of 77 with Sear, and an individual score of 53. However the lower order collapsed, adding only 8 runs for a total of 118 ao. It was an untypical tale of a team holding all their catches, 9 in total, that won the game for Amdocs. Amandeep returned the best figures with 3 for 13 off his 7 overs.

Amdocs 182 -9 (8 points)

Aynic Taverners 118 (ao) (2 points)

LIONS V CYPRUS COLLEGE FLAMES

Played at the Nicosia Un ground, up to now a lucky ground for the Flames, this was one of the defining gamers of the season. Top of the table Flames knew that a win over Champions Lions would confirm their new found status as Champions in waiting.

Flames batted first and started well. Opener Manraj top scored with 36, and with Ravi(15) and Lokesh (17) offering support Flames were an imposing 80 for 3 at the half way stage. An unfortunate and untypical collapse left them 127 ao after 29.2 overs. Sampath and Kapila did most of the damage with 3 wickets apiece.

Lions breezed past the Flames total in just 18.5 overs. Dias (17), Jeewantha (24) did the early damage, with Askar (15no) and the in form Sampath (33 no) taking the Lions home. They finished on 131-4. Rajen was the best of the Flames bowlers with 2 wickets for just 11 runs.

Flames now have to wait for a Lions defeat at the hands of one of the other teams to put them back in the race.

Lions 131-4 off 18.5 overs (8 points)

Flames 127 ao (1 point)

WSBA v SRILANKANS

WSBA has been in unpredictable form this season, running Lions a close second scoring over 200, but then defeated by the Aynic Taverners. The Srilankans were a little unsure which WSBA team they were going to face.

WSBA batted first and started well. Han and Andy Spring put on 40 before Han lost his wicket on 17. No 3 Left took forged a new partnership with Spring batting steadily but held in check by some very accurate Srilankan bowling. Spring fell on 27, and Left (43) and Wendy (27) continued with their steady progress but never managing quite to get on top of the bowling. After 35 overs WSBA were 156-6. Ashanka had taken 4 wickets for 36 runs but Niroshan, although wicketless had conceded only 8 runs in his 7 overs.

Opening Danuka (19) and Sampath (40) batted for 12 overs to start to pull the game away from WSBA. Nalaga (35) and Susuri (27) made sure of it, with Srilankans finishing the game after 27 overs loosing 5 wickets.

Srilankans 157-5 (7 points)

WSBA 156-6 ( 3 points)

MOUFFLONS v TAJ PAVILION

The mighty Taj have been having problems this season with their organizer away in India after a family bereavement. They could not field a team against Moufflons and as this is the second time they have withdrawn, Mouflons are awarded all the match points.

Moufflons (8 points)

Taj (0 points)

4 MAY

FLAMES v TAJ PAVILION

(Mamraj Sajwan writes)

The Flames are genuine contenders for the title after beating Taj by 9 runs at the UN Ground. Next weeks match against the Lions at the UN Ground promises to be one of the games of the season.

Mamraj decided to bat first and Andrekos kept losing partners until he was also unlukily run out in a close decision for 13. Then Ravindra held the fort while he too lost partners, until Prashesh came in at 8 down and gave him support. Ravindra made an excellent 43 and Prashesh the valuable 17 allowing the Flames to have a total of 111. The best of the Taj bowlers were Sarfaraz(3/18), Satnam(3/30) Bhatti(2/38).

Taj, no doubt believing that they could win, with some very experienced players from last season also started with one of their openers holding the fort Haroon(24), while he lost partners cheaply at the other end, with some good fielding efforts from Nishit who ran out one batsman and took a important catch to take the wicket of Danger man Kashif. Taj were 4 down at drinks(17 overs) for 62. It could have been worse after the Flames dropped two catches in the last over before drinks. The over after drinks brought 21 runs from Naveed(22) and Taj were well on their way with 83/4. Then the Flames manufactured the most remarkable of recoveries, taking the last 6 Taj wickets for 19 runs in 5.3 overs. The pick of the bowlers were Prashesh(3/16), Lokesh (2/22), Raj (2/30). The Taj were all out for 102.

The Flames prove again that they are arguably the best bowling team in the competition. Through relentless pressure on the Taj batsmen they managed to create numerous chances and these were enough to bring about their win.

Flames 111 ao (7 points)

Taj Pavilion 102 ao (3 points)

27 APRIL

WSBA v AYNIC TAVERNERS

(JJ Jones writes)

On a bright but breezy Sunday WSBA hosted Ayia Nik Taverners at Happy Valley. The WSBA team captain Holden won the toss and decided to put the Taverners in to bat first. Play commenced at 11.00 and WSBA took to the field still awaiting the arrival of 3 players, these promptly arrived during the first over and battle was joined in full. A steady start from the Taverners openers of Sear and Usherwood was matched by equally good bowling from the WSBA opening bowlers of Spencer and Holden. The deadlock was broken when Holden bowled Sear with a delivery that kept low in the 6th over with the score on 17. This brought Betteridge to the middle, who went on to make 25 after being dropped early on. Usherwood and Betteridge went on to see off the opening bowlers and their partnership was only broken 2 balls before the break with score having moved on to 66. It was Usherwood that fell caught and bowled to Green, his dismissal brought an early drinks break with the match evenly poised.

Only 2 overs later Danes, playing his first game for the Taverners, was bowled again by Green, trying an audacious shot back over the bowler that never connected. Betteridge was joined by McCarrick with the score now on 73. McCarrick played a good little knock at this stage of the game moving the score on regularly, taking a particular liking to Han's bowling despatching him for 3 boundaries on the trot. However WSBA took the wicket of Betteridge in the 23rd over with the score on 83. Betteridge had made 25 off 53 deliveries and had done a good job of steadying an always shaky Taverners batting line up, proving to be quite a find this season with 3 good performances in the middle and his good glovemanship behind the stumps.

MaCarrick (25 off 29 deliveries) and Scorgie (27 off 52 deliveries) made the bowlers and fielders toil until McCarrick was bowled by the pacey Rafiq who had earlier taken Betteridge's wicket. Bailey came to the wicket with the score on 114 after 29 overs and saw off the remaining overs accompanied by Scorgie taking the Taverners to their highest score this season closing at 157/5.

After the lunchtime interval the Taverners took to the field trying to defend their total against the opening pair of Stone and Holden. Despite some initial wayward bowling from Usherwood the bowling pair where well matched against the WSBA openers who had just started to look comfortable when Usherwood had Holden (caught Betteridge, behind) for 6 in the 7th over with the score on 25. This brought the big hitting Spencer out the the middle and in his fourth ball of the game despatched Sear for a lusty 6 over mid wicket. Together Stone and Spencer saw off the opening attack from Ayia Nik, Butterfill and Danes where thrown into attack next. Danes in the side for his batting was a surprise choice to bowl but with his 3rd ball brought a smile to the face of his captain when he bowled Stone (12) as he looked to try and get Danes away. 2 overs later Danes had Spencer (35 off 37 balls) caught and bowled, a big relief for the Taverners as Spencer looked a real threat with his big hitting.

WSBA went in at the drinks break with 3 wickets down and the score on 77, Thomson and Han at the crease. On returning to the field the Taverners captain Jones brought Sear and Usherwood back into the attack. The free scoring Han had looked to have swung things in WSBA's direction when he looked to be LBW to Usherwood only to be rescued by the umpire however the very next ball and the result Usherwood hoped for when a similar decision went the Taverners way. Han had made 17 off just 14 deliveries including four 4's.

At this stage WSBA where on 93 in the 19th over. Sear had his just reward for some great bowling with his very last ball when Betteridge caught acrobatically behind the stumps to remove Thomson (12). However this brought Bailey into the attack for the Taverners in what was to be a match winning performance. Bailey, 16 years old, is in his third season for the Taverners. Barret, Butterfill and finally Scorgie bowled from the other end while Bailey laid siege to the WSBA team from his end, the first of his victims was Hanson (5) who was clean bolwed in his second over before taking 2 wickets in 2 balls in his 4th over, removing Green (5) with another fine catch from Betteridge before making a mess of Shields stumps with his very next delivery, then assisting with the run out of Stone with the help of Usherwood. The dangerous Spring calling for another run as he was being starved of deliveries that could help see his team to a victory. Indeed victory could have gone either way for much of the match, WSBA found themselves on 115 in the 26th over, needing 43 runs off the last nine over to see them across the line.

When Scorgie removed the last WSBA wicket of Rafiq (0) bowled they had fallen just short of the required target, reaching 142 all out. The Taverners best bowler Bailey returned figures of 3-16 off 6 overs which swung the game away from WSBA and back towards the Taverners, as the WSBA batsmen struggled to get him away from good wicket to wicket bowling.

Aynic Taverners 157-5 (8 points)

WSBA 143 ao (3 points)

DEKHELIA VILLAGE v AMDOCS

Amdocs unusually poor season continued with an unexpected defeat against last years wooden spoon holders Dekhelia Village. Batting first Dekhelias opening partnership put on a display of aggressive batting, Alex King in particular hitting out from the first ball. Halfway through their innings the Taverners were 91 for 5, all out in the 32^nd over for 175, thanks to a powerful last wicket stand, 18 runs taken off the last over before their final demise. Sunil was the best of Amdocs bowlers with figures of 5 for 33.

Amdocs started steadily putting on 28 by the 7^th over without loss. Their opening partnership between Sachin and Anvay had reached a half century before Anvay was bowled, followed by no 3 on the next ball. Sachin batted throughout the innings for his 47 no but saw partners fall at too frequent intervals. At halfway Amdocs were 67-3, and finished 165 ao after 34 overs. With two overs to go they needed 18 runs but their hopes died on the last ball of the 34^th over with the fall of their last wicket. The game was remarkable for three potential hattricks, none of which unfortunately or fortunately materialized.

Dekhelia Village 175 ao (8 points)

Amdocs 165 ao (4 points)

20 APRIL

FELLOWS v FLAMES

(Andrekos and Mamraj write)

On 20th April at the UN Base ground in Nicosia the top team after two matches, Flames, played the Fellows, the team had given the Flames its biggest mauling last season. That time, however, the Flames who been missing Andrekos and had played with only with ten players. This year Flames also have a number of new players.

The match did not get off to a good start for Fellows as they arrived at 11:20 and were docked five overs and conceded the toss. The decision by Mamraj to bat first, however, did not yield the desired result, as Raghav was run out by a direct hit, Andrekos failed to keep down a fullish ball that rose and gave up a sitter, Ravindra was bowled and Mano, Nishit and Mahesh also came and left. Before the Flames knew it they were six down and had not reached 40. Chris (2/19) and Gill(3/23) were the main destroyers. It was left to Lokesh and Mamraj (17) to keep the flame burning. They rebuilt the innings with care and with glimpses of flare, as they got the score to 90, before Mamraj departed. Then Amit joined Lokesh and together they passed the hundred before Lokesh was out on 37. Amit would go on to top score with 40 not out, while Siddharth again shone with a quick 14. The Flames staged a miraculous comeback to be 9/158, while the Fellows failed to put out the flickering flame of the Flames and allowed it to burn ever more brightly..

In reply Flames started with one bowler short, as Mahesh had injured his foot injury while batting. The Fellows set off well.Sarwar capitalised on some dropped chances and smacked the struggling Flames bowlers. The Fellows were progressing at quite a high run rate of 8, till the 11th over, when they were 90. Although Sarwar who made 55 was losing partners to the in-swing of Lokesh and pace of Prashesh. Fellows had a good partnership of 50 odd runs between Sarwar and Tahir (22).

Known for their lethal bowling attack Flames made a comeback. The partnership was broken by Mamraj who got rid of the slogging Tahir with an exceptional delivery, caught by Prashesh. In the next over Ravindra experimented with some gentle medium pace and took two wickets in two balls including Sarwars all important wicket, caught behind with sharp catch by the keeper. Sahi and Fernando followed, again excellently caught by Prashesh. This was Flames second "team" hatrick. 

Flames gave Fellows no chance to recover after that. Gill and Mike went cheaply and although Sukhdev(14) tried his best to save the sinking ship, it was to no avail. The Fellows were all out on 129 , the Flames winning the game by 29 runs. 

Lokesh finished with 3/35, Mamraj 3/38 and Ravindra 2/8 and Prashesh 2/22.

The Flames appears now to be genuine contenders for the title having knocked over the 4th and 5^th placed teams from last year to be sitting on top of the table with 24 points having taken every point on offer from their three matches.

Flames 158-9 (8 points)

Fellows 129 ao (2 points).

LIONS v MOUFFLONS

(Muhammad writes)

On a sunny day at Happy Valley 1 Cricket Ground, Moufflons were pitted against the Cyprus Cricket League Champions and current holders Sri Lankan Lions.

Lions after winning the toss decided to bat first. Askar & Dias opened the batting for Lions and the new ball was shared between Robel & Yasir for Moufflons.

From the start it was evident that Lions were not in the mood to show any sort of mercy and both Dias & Askar started with an aggression.

Askar (14) facing his first ball (second over of the match) launched Yasir for a straight six, followed by two consecutive fours over long-on region. However, his cameo didn't last long as he was shown the way back on the fourth ball of the over by Yasir.

However, joy was short-lived as Tharanka joined Dias at the crease and started where Askar left off. With both batsman in attacking mood; it was becoming increasingly difficult for Moufflons' bowlers & fielders to stop the run flow, and the only option available was to take wickets.

Moufflons kept faith in the two opening bowlers, despite some attacking shots, and were soon rewarded with the wicket of Tharanka (19) – caught off the bowling of Robel.

At the fall of Tharanka's wicket; the most experienced Lions campaigner & Cyprus International came to the crease – Sampath. Fresh from his match winning half century against WSBA – Sampath started with a steady approach – much to the relief of Moufflons team. With the fall of the wicket, Dias also eased down a bit.

Both batsmen were in complete control; when Muhammad lured Sampath to play a pull over Square Leg and Robel placed just before the over for the particular shot – took a well judged running catch to get rid of Sampath (15).

Lions reached drinks (17 overs) in commanding position with Manju & Dias on crease and score at 122/3.

After the drinks, Moufflons got the breakthrough, they could have only dreamed of – Manju caught on Muhammad's bowling after surviving a loud LBW appeal on the previous ball. With Manju gone on zero, Moufflons struck again and this time the blow was even more crucial as Qamar got rid of a well settled Dias (39).

Lions for once were in a shaky position with score at 140/5 in 20 overs. At that stage Kapila started recovery, and along with Idunil took charge of the proceedings.

Both were batting sensibly when Moufflons Under-16 stalwart George got rid of Idunil (10) and followed with Lasan's (0) wicket to put Lions under further pressure. However, Kapila was in no mood to give up the advatage gained by the front line batsmen – as he reached a well deserved half century.

The last overs saw Lions opting for big shots and as a result lost some quick wickets. Ankit getting the prized wicket of Kapila (54) – a well judged running catch by Muhammad. Yasir cleaned up the tail with the wickets of Nalin (17) and Larantha (1).

Jivan (11) who provided good support to Nalin was the not out batsman, as Lions were all out in 33rd over with score at 222. All Moufflons' bowlers used were amongst the wicket. Yasir the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets, ably supported by Muhammad 2 for 23 and George 2 for 37. Robel was the most economical, with his 7 overs costing only 25 runs.

Moufflons had a tough task in front of them. Chasing 223 to win in 35 overs against any team is difficult, and especially against a Lions attack bolstered with fiery pacers; it was a daunting task to even put a respectable total.

Moufflons started their reply with Tipu & Qamar. Lasan & Edunil were given the opportunity to share the new ball for Lions. Moufflons for once got off to a good start – as the openers posted 30 runs in first 8 overs. When Tipu (11) trying to hit got caught on the bowling of Idunil. Peter & Ghaffar didn't lasted long and soon followed Tipu without opening their accounts.

This brought Muhammad on the crease with the score on 35/3 in 12 overs. A very familiar situation for Muhammad – who had been digging Moufflons' out of such situations (against Fellows 16/4 & against Amdocs 14/3) with Hasan in both previous matches. And this time Muhammad found a partner in the shape of Qamar.

Muhammad and Qamar started repair works and took Moufflons to 55/3 at drinks (17 overs).

After drinks both batsmen re-started the innings with cautious approach and objective of playing out 35 overs and gaining the max available batting points (140 runs).

However, a Kapila delivery in the 19th over, completely changed the mood of the Moufflons batsmen. With score at 62 for 3 in the 19th over, Muhammad while trying to sweep Kapila's slow left arm got hit on the upper lip, and required urgent first aid attention.

Thanks to Darryl Dickinson and his great efforts, a bleeding Muhammad got up on his feet and decided to continue the innings. What followed next was a nightmare for the Lions' bowlers as a rampant Muhammad hit the following Kapila delivery over Square Leg for a six.

Kapila coming back for the next over got another hit for a six in the same region. With Muhammad chancing his arms over the slow left arm of Kapila – Lions introduced Tharanka in to the attack – only to see him getting hit for a mid wicket four and a long on six.

Opening bowler Lasan was re-introduced in to the attack to counter Moufflons' aggressive approach – but Muhammad had other ideas as he hit Lasan for three consecutive sixes over mid wicket to bring up his half century with 6 sixes and 2 fours in 30 balls (Muhammad's last 41 runs coming off just 12 balls).

Moufflons raced on to 139 for 3 in 25 overs. With only 84 runs required of last 10 overs, Lions started to feel the heat and looked liked that they might have lost the plot. However, a bowling change brought Idunil into the attack and he ended Muhammad & Moufflons' heroics.

Idunil first got rid of Muhammad (63), soon accounted for hard hitting Robel (11) – as he was trying to follow up on the six that he hit in the previous over.

Meanwhile, Qamar (55) playing a steady innings reached a well deserved fifty –  however, his resolute efforts that had lasted for 30 overs were brought to end by Idunil's yorker.

With the main batsmen gone – Lions cleaned up the tail in no time to register a 48 run win and end Moufflons spirited reply.

Moufflons were all out in the last over with score at 174. Major contributions coming from Muhammad (63) and Qamar (55). Pick of the Lions bowlers were Idunil 4 for 35 and Askar – who cleaned up the tail and ended with 3 wickets without conceding a single run.

Lions 222-ao (8 points)

Moufflons 174 ao (4 points)

Muhammad 63

13 APRIL

WSBA v LIONS

In the highest scoring match of the season to date, WSBA set off at a screaming pace. Batting first they accumulated 209 runs for the loss of only 5 wickets from their 35 overs. Han scored 56, Dickson 53 and Mulkern 58. Manju suffered most amoung the Srilankan bowlers seeing 49 rund off his 7 overs with no wickets, Sampath Arthanayake was economical as ever with only 6 runs taken from his 4 overs. Roshan and Kamara took the wickets with 2 apiece.

This was a daunting score for the Lions to match but they are not champions for nothing. Askar scored 27, Dias 42, (another in a string of high scores recently), Kapila 30 and the mainstay of the Lions batting, Sampath, 52 no overtaking he WSBA total in the 31^st over, a Lions total of 211-4. John Conway has most success amoung the WSBA bowlers with 2 wickets for 58 runs. It seems injust that one of WSBAπs best performances should gain only two points.

Lions 211-4 (7 points)

WSBA 209-5 (2 points)

DEKHELIA v SRILANKANS

Dekhelia continue their revival, scoring a respectable 124 in 34 overs against the powerful bowling of the Srilankans. Niroshan took 2 wickets for 17, Rience 2-30 and Dileep bowling his sly off spin 4-32.

A total of !24 however is not enough against the top teams and the Srilankans rattled the score off in just 12 overs. Sampath Tsangerides took 20 balls to reach 55, and Nalaga continured his good form with 32. The Srlankans were 124-4 after 12.4 overs.

Srikankans 125-4 off 12 overs (8 points)

Dekhelia Village 124 ao (1 point)

AYNIC v FELLOWS

Aynic decided to bat first. The opening partnership of Sear(36) and Usherwood (11) seemed at ease against the Fellows attack. The benign bounce of the newly laid Notts Sports pitch at AyNic favours the traditional British front foot batsmen, and the Aynic opening partnership played straight, helping any stray delivery on its way to the boundary. By the 12 over drinks break the Taverners were fifty plus and no wickets lost. Fellows were a little bit of trouble.

After the break Usherwood fell to a catch plucked by Fernando out of the air off Wilfreds bowling,. No 3 Norris followed soon after followed by another catch taken by Fernando of his own bowling. Now Fellows were feeling more at ease. A third wicket stand between Sear and no 4 Bettteridge (29) tipped the scales back again, taking the score up to 100, but once these two were dismissed there was little to follow in the Taverners line up at least on this day. Scorgie (15) stayed with the tail but now runs were hard to find and wickets easier. Aynic batted to the end, with a flourish in the last two overs, reaching 121-7 after their 35 overs. Fernando took 3 wickets for 26 with his off spin of varied flight and pace as well as taking two impressive catches in the covers. Gill supported with 2 for 21.

Fellows opened with Wilfred and Sawar, who had had such an impressive partnership against touring side Trent College last Sunday. It was not to be repeated this time, however, as Sawar walked on a caught behind appeal for only 11. Wilfred found the Notts pitch much to his liking, playing for the first time in Cyprus on the same surface he is used to in his native Holland. Without playing a false shot, until his dismissal on 57, he pushed the ball for boundaries through mid on and mid off making 44 of his 57 with fours. Matti was the other half of the Fellows partnership, scoring runs but giving up chances as well. Dropped five times, mostly off the unfortunate David Bailey, he went on to score 47 not out, finishing the game with a mighty six over mid ons head. Fellows finished on 126-3 after 18.2 overs.

Fellows 126-3 off 18 overs (7 points)

Aynic Taverners 121-7 (1 point)

MOUFFLONS v AMDOCS

Muhammad writes

On a sunny day Moufflons hosted Amdocs at Happy Valley 2. Before this game, both teams had played a game each and recorded loss against the superior oppositions - however, both were aware of the fact that they can record their first league win in this match.

 With plenty of bowling options available; Amdocs after winning the toss decided to bowl first. And the decision paid off immediately, Moufflons losing their first wicket on the second ball of the match. Robel to the slow-medium swing of Amdocs captain Sunil Gururaj.

Peter Bond joined Qamar at the fall of Robel's wicket and both looked comfortable against the opening bowlers. However, a miss-communication between them resulted in Qamar's run out. Couple of overs later a quick single call from Muhammad resulted in Peter Bond's run out, and Moufflons were in deep waters at 14/3 in 8 overs.

At that time Hasan joined Muhammad at the crease, and both started the repair works. Both put their heads down and opted for singles and decided against risky shots. Moufflons crawled to drinks without further loss at 44/3. (17 overs)

The partnership between Muhammad and Hasan grew further after the drinks and both started dominating the bowlers with some hard hitting. Muhammad reaching his 50 in the 21st over by taking 15 runs of one Paritosh over including a six over long-on.

The next over saw Hasan getting retired after being hit on the box. At that time Tipu joined Muhammad on the crease.

An over later, a tired looking Muhammad threw his wicket trying to clear the ropes and only succeeding in giving a catch. This brought Hasan back to the crease.

With plenty of overs at their disposal and run rate nearly 4 runs per over (86/4 - 22 overs), both batsmen sensibly opted against big shots.

However, some tight bowling from Amdocs resulted in Tipu losing his patience and giving a catch on Shino's bowling. Soon to follow was Colin - cleaned up by Amit. (98/6)

With tail exposed, Hasan decided to chance his arm as well, and hit 3 crisp boundaries before getting out on 38 - a well crafted innings brought to end by Aman.

Vital contribution from Darryl Davies (11) and some good running between the wickets saw Moufflons crossing the 140 mark in the last over and in the process gaining the max available batting points.

Moufflons finishing on 141/9 after 35 overs. Major contributions coming from Muhammad (58) & Hasan (38).

Moufflons knew that 141 is not a big total but is a competitive and defendable one - as they saw Fellow defending it couple of weeks ago against them.

Moufflons with a bowler short and minus the services of both Yasir & Alan (5 wickets hero against Fellows); opened the bowling with fiery Robel and Muhammad. Amdocs openers Paritosh & Sachin negotiated the opening spell with calmness. However, the two bowlers didn't give away many runs to the dismay of the batters. With 10 overs gone - there was 28 runs on the board with all 10 wickets intact.

First wicket came in the shape of Paritosh (13) - caught behind off the bowling of Muhammad in the 12th over. Hasan soon accounted for frustrated looking Sachin. Amdocs reaching drinks in commanding position at 62/2 in 17 overs.

After the drinks Shakti & Amit, re-started the innings and looked in complete control. Shakti in particular was impressive with his running between the wickets & sensible approach. However, a bowling change in the face of Qamar brought to end a dogged effort from Amit (8). Rajat joined Shakti in the middle and an over later left the crease in bewilderment - as a direct throw from Muhammad (from deep) caught him short. Couple of over later Qamar accounted for Anvay (4) to leave Amdocs wobbling at 80/5.

At this point Reddy joined Shakti in the middle. With the wickets falling Shakti lost his concentration and tried to hit Davies over mid-off; only to see Muhammad taking a blinder & Davies getting his first league wicket. Next to go was Aman (4) - caught behind on Qamar's bowling. Amdocs reaching 100 with 7 wickets down.42 runs were required of last 8 overs and Amdocs had 3 wickets in hand. Reddy & Shino were at the crease, but some tight bowling and sharp fielding was making their life difficult.

The next 6 overs leaked only 18 runs & also saw Reddy going back to the pavilion - cleaned up by Hasan. The pressure was growing on Amdocs batsmen.

With only 2 overs remaining Amdocs needed 23 runs to win with 2 wickets in hand. It was a do or die situation for Shino & Dinesh. They had no other option but to throw their bat at everything. Hasan bowling the penultimate over conceded 11 runs and finished with figures of 2 wickets for 31 runs in 7 overs.

With 12 runs needed; Muhammad brought back Qamar for the last over & gave him the responsibility to register Moufflons first win of the season. Qamar with 3 wickets already to his name was brimming with confidence and bowled some good line & length. However, some miss-field and over throw was not helping his & Moufflons cause. As Moufflons conceded 7 runs off the first 5 balls.

Last ball of the match, and Amdocs needed 5 runs to win. Dinesh was on strike. Qamar took his run-up and Dinesh smacked him to covers - immediately, everyone thought its a four and match has resulted in a tie - but not Tipu and neither the batsmen. As Tipu ran all the way to the boundary and sent a flat throw to got rid of Dinesh on the last ball of the innings - as he was coming back for a third run.

Moufflons holding on to their nerves and winning a thriller on the last ball of the game by 2 runs!

Moufflons 141-9 (7 points)

Amdocs 139 -9 (2 points)

6 APRIL

FLAMES V AYNIC TAVERNERS

(JJ writes)

On an overcast and windy day the Flames won the toss and decided to bat. A good start from the Flames openers was compounded by some wayward bowling from Usherwood seeing the ball disappearing to the boundary on to many occasions early on. Sear at the pavilion end bowled tightly through out his spell and was rewarded with the wicket of Andrekos (19) breaking the opening stand of 36 from the Flames openers with a catch in the deep. 2 overs later Nishit (0) was again seen off by some good bowling from Sear with a caught and bowled.

This however brought Ravindra (73) to the middle and along with Raghav (67) and they continued to make the Taverners bowlers and fielders toil until drinks at 17 overs. Together the pair put on 101 for the next wicket which saw the Flames then at 143/3. The breaking of this partnership lead to a mini collapse seeing the Flames reduced to 154/6. Siddharth entered the fray coming in at 7 and with some poor bowling saw him quickly get to 29 hitting three 6's in his innings all down the leg side.

Pollitt returning for his second spell bowled bowled much more tightly and was rewarded with 3 late wicket returning figures of 43 for 3 off his 7 overs. A late flurry of wickets gave a brief hope of the Taverners dismissing the Flames just shy of their 35 allotted overs, but Mahesh and Prashes stood firm for 5 balls. Sear with figures of 24 for 2 off his 7 overs was the pick of the bowlers and deserved more from his pace bowling which had troubled all the batsmen. This left the Taverners facing a target of 224 for the win.

Pollitt and Norris looked have played themselves in well but Norris picked out the only fielder in the deep in front of the wicket on his first attempt to push on giving Prashes a wicket with his first ball, with the score on 18.

This brought Sear to the middle and he was to carry his bat for the rest of the game. Pollitt was unlucky to be given LBW to a ball that sounded to have come off the bat, particularly as this was his last game for the Taverners before he departs for dear old blighty. Indeed the bad luck continued as Fleming was given out caught to a high beamer of the bowling of Lokesh whose controlled bowling eventually returned figures of 14 for 2 off 5 overs. This left the Taverners reeling on 25/3 however some dogged batting from Sear and Betteridge saw the Taverners go in to the drinks break at 17 overs without conceding another wicket.

The first ball after the drinks break was a pearler swinging in to remove Betteridges middle stump having made 25, Mahesh the bowler went on to take 2 more wickets with a fine display of accurate swing bowling returning figures of 31/3 off 6 overs. At this time he was bowling in partnership with Bhalla who bowled well and was helped with some poor batting from the Taverners which saw them collapse from 72/3 to 91 all out. Bhalla bowling wicket to wicket came away with figures of 11 for 4 off 4.3 overs. The last five Taverners batsmen failed to register a run between them.

(Andrekos writes)

Agi Nick Taverners hosted the Flames in the second match of the 2008 League for both teams. After the first round results this match did not appear to be a mismatch as the mawling the Taverners received last year. It may not have been a mawling in the end, but nonetheless it was a very convincing win by the Flames. Choosing to bat the Flames started well again with Raghav and Andrekos making 36, before Andrekos lofted a ball into the strong wind and was caught at deep mid wicket for 19. Nishit came and left quickly, caught and bowled to the deceptive Sear Then Ravindra joined Raghav at the crease and they both piled on the runs in a brilliant batting display that produced a 101 run partnership, a first for the Flames. Raghav, although lucky to be dropped once, made 67, while Ravindra was given out LBW on 73, scored their runs with some slashing strokes square and some majestic pull-shots, using the strong wind to great effect. Mano and Lokesh came and left without troubling the scorers much, Raj made a handy 13, Bhalla 7, but it was Siddarth who really looked impressive with a lusty 32, before he was given LBW, despite seemingly getting an inside edge. The Flames made a healthy 223, their highest ever score. In reply Agi Nick never looked like getting close to the target as wickets fell too regularly and once the partnership between Sear and Betteridge was broken straight after drinks with Betteridge falling, the Flames managed to slowly gather the scalps needed for the full points. Bhalla did the damage, with 4/11 in 4.3 overs, including an excellent stumping by Siddarth; Mahesh again impressed with 3/31 in 6 overs; Lokesh did the damage early with 2/15 in 5 overs; and Prashes took 1/16 in 5 overs. Agi Nick were all out for 94, with Sear remaining stranded on 28. The Flames, like last week against WSBA, take the full 8 points on offer, restricting their opponents to 3 points. Agi Nick host Fellows next week, while the Flames v Taj match has been postponed until 4 May, so their next match is also against the Fellows on 20 April at Potamia.

Flames 224ao (8 points)

Aynic Taverners 94 ao (3 points)

30 MARCH

FLAMES V WSBA

(Andrekos writes)

Flames beat WSBA by five wickets in a great all-round performance from the entire team. The game was delayed because of the late arrival of the WSBA team and they were docked seven overs. The pitch, owing to the rain, seemed to be better suited to bowling first, and the new Flames captain, Mamraj, decided to do just that. With his first ball (of the second over of the match), Lokesh took a wicket with a viscious inswinger. Thereafter, WSBA had a solid partnership of over 50 between Spencer and Rory, which produced some lusty hitting, although the Flames had a few chances. After the partnership was broken, wickets fell at regular intervals to Bhalla and Lokesh, who took four wickets, although WSBA managed to pass the 120 mark. The turning-point of the match came when Mahesh took a hat-trick, including Marcus, the captain, in a majestic over, which left only one wicket to end the WSBA innings. An auspicious inauguration for Mahesh who with Raghav was playing his first league game for Flames.The last wicket was tough, but it came in the last over, thus giving the Flames the two bonus points and WSBA a total of 139, one short of earning their second bonus point.

With the target of 140 to win, the Flames started well and despite some fiery bowling from Marcus and Van, Raghav and Andrekos made a solid 35 run opening stand before Andrekos middled a drive straight down the throat of midoff. Every Flames batsman made a start: Raghav making a solid 20; Nishit a patient 15; Ravindra looked set before falling on 12; and Mano made a steadying 10. Nobody went on to make a big total. The not-out batsmen were Lokesh, who hit some powerful straight drives in his 22, and Siddharth, who made a swashbuckling 20 off 13 (after not scoring from his first six balls), that included two sixes. They eclipsed the target in the 24^th over for a loss of five wickets. Although it was a great team effort, the three standout players for the Flames were Lokesh with his four wickets and top-score of 22 n/o, Mahesh with his hat-trick and Siddarth with his cameo and solid keeping, while for WSBA Spencer played a very fine all-round match with his 35 runs and two wickets, and Rory with his 33 runs and a wicket. Mamrajπs first match as captain of the Flames begins with a solid win over a side that finished one place higher than the Flames in 2007. The Flames take eight points from the match, while WSBA has to settle for two.

WSBA 139 ao (2 points)

Flames 144/5 (8 points)

MOUFFLONS V FELLOWS

(Muhammad writes)

On an overcast day (well, there was a thunderstorm in Paphos & hailstorm in Limassol an hour before the game started) Moufflons took on the mighty Fellows at Happy Valley 2 on Sunday, March 30, 2008.

Fellows arriving 12 minutes late lost 3 overs from their batting innings; after winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Fellows started with experienced Richard Steenhuis & Dutch U-23 International Wilfred. Moufflons starting the bowling with Yasir & Robel. The raw pace against the experienced campaigners.

At one end Robel was making life difficult for the openers with his pace and maiden overs whereas on the other end Yasir was making the ball move viciously to the discomfort of the batsmen. It didn't took long before Yasir got his first league wicket with the prize scalp of Richard Steenhuis. Wilfred followed soon when Yasir cleaned him up with a ball that kept a touch low. Moufflons right on top with 2 wickets within the first 8 overs and nothing much on the board.

At that stage Fernando Thushara was joined by Tahir and the only notable partnership of Fellows innnings started to develop - courtesy of 4 dropped catches - both made Moufflons bowlers toil in search of wickets till drinks (16 overs).

Soon after the drinks Moufflons made a bowling change and introduced Alan Broadbent in to the attack and the things started changing dramatically, first Alan had Fernando stumped and soon accounted for dangerous Tahir - trapped right in front of the wickets.

Cyprus Internatioanl Mike Kyriacou started a recovery with Habib but Alan was in mood to give anything away - cleaning up Mike before getting the new batsman Lokwinder on a duck and then finishing off with Habib's wicket. A 7 overs burst that broke the Fellows backbone and accounted for 5 wickets.

The tail wagged on till the last over but not before the accurate Robel got hold of hard hitting Gill for 1 and finishing with amazing figues of 7 overs for 8 runs (3 maidens & 1 wicket). And Muhammad getting a consolation wicket of Chris Markides with a diving catch from debutant keeper Ghaffar.

Fellows finishing on 142 for 9 wickets in their alloted 32 overs.

Moufflons knew the game is their's for the taking. They only had to see off the opening pair of Mike Kyriacou and Chris Markides.

But Mike & Chris had other ideas in their minds. Moufflons started their reply with Qamar & Colin and soon found themselves in trouble. First to go was Colin, followed by Qamar, and then by Tipu all cleaned up by Mike - if that was not enough Chris accounted for Robel and left Moufflons tottering at 15/4 in 8 overs. All seemed lost for Moufflons! The much hyped and talked about top order back in the hut and the same old story for Moufflons.

At that stage Muhammad was joined by Hasan - both started cautiously but unfazed by the loss of the wickets - and soon the counter attack began. First Muhammad flicking Chris twice over square leg for two beatifully timed foures and then launching Gill for a massive six in the same region and reaching drinks without further loss at 52 for 4 (17 overs).

The partnership developed further, however, the introduction of Thushara into the attack slowed things down a bit but some loose bowling from the other end was not helping Fellows' cause. First Muhammad banging WIlfred for a six followed by a four and then Hassan joining the party with a crisp four.

After 26 overs Moufflons were 97/4 and it seemed that Fellows were fighting a lost cause. Both Muhammad & Hassan were playing their strokes freely and taking singles at will.

Muhammad playing a captain's knock - untroubled by any of the bowlers - and in complete control of the game called for a suicidal run with the ball in fielder's hand - although there was enough time to get back but shocked by the partners send refusal to run remained stranded in the middle of the pitch - much to the delight of Fellows players.

The whole match turned with the run out - in the very next over Hasan threw his wicket away to Chris Markides and Moufflons reached 100 with the loss of 6 wickets in the 29th over.

Soon Darryl Davis & Darryl Dickinson followed, leaving the last wicket pair of Ghaffar & Alan to see out the remaining over.

However, both Alan and Ghaffar decided to have another go. With 2 overs remaining, Moufflons had 1 wicket in hand and they needed 24 for victory.

Sukhi bowling the penultimate over got smacked for 14 and the match went to the last over with 10 runs needed.

Ghaffar took the single on the first ball, but the game was all over the very next ball when Alan trying to hit got caught from Lokwinder's bowling. Fellows won by 8 runs.

A thriller with a nail biting finish - Cyprus League couldn't have asked for a better start !

Fellows 142/9 (8 points)

Moufflons 134 ao (2 points)

SRILANKAN CC V AMDOCS

Srilankan CC batted first on the unpredictable Potamia pitch. This was to be a perfect start of the season for Nalaga who forged an innings of grace and determination to set the foundation of the demoralising total of 214 for 9 for the Srilankans. Nalaga scored 69, Anju 42 and Danuka 30. Amdocs failed to take their chances against the top order but managed to rectify their errors taking the last 5 wickets for just 20 runs. But when the top five wickets had cost 194 that was little consolation. Joshi bowled well, taking 4 wickets, in an otherwise lacklustre Amdocs fielding performance.

When their turn came to bat, Amdocs lost wickets at too regular intervals. Good medium pace from Nalaka (3 wickets) Riance (2 wickets) and Niroshan (2 wickets) kept the Amdocs bats under control. A late order flurry from Manish and Shakti held up the inevitable for a while, and a spirited partnership from 10 and 11 bats, frustratred the Sriklankans for a while longer but in the end the task was too great and Amdocs finished on 169-9. In any other match played on this day that would be a winning total.

Srilankan CC 214 -9 (7 points)

Amdocs 169-9 (3 points)

Dhekelia Village v Lions

Batting first Lions were taken aback by the unexpected quality of the Village attack. Gone are the days of automatic point accumulation for visiting teams. Dhekelia Village are out to prove that they are now a team to be reckoned with and they certainly suceedeed in this match. It was thanks to a half century from captain Sampath Arthanayake and a 35 from Taraka that Lions posted a competitive score finishing their innings 165 ao.

Dhekelia Village managed a solid total of 122 in reply aginst the powerful Lions bowling attack, fast bowler Taraka taking 3 wickets. Not enough to challenge but enough to send a message to the other teams that points are no longer for the taking at Dhekelia.

Lions 165 ao (8 points)

Dhekelia Village 122ao (3 points)

AYNIC TAVERNERS V TAJ PAVILION

The storm that rolled across the island so very nearly washing out the first day of the cricket season, finally suceeded at Aynic where by good fortune it had failed elsewhere.Taj were on a rocky 129-8 when the heavens opened and the game abandoned.

Taj Pavilion 129-8 (3 points if game is not played)

Aynic Taverners DNB (3 points if game is not played)