CYPRUS CRICKET LEAGUE FINAL

Intercollege and Himalayan CC faced each other in the 2003 final played on Nov. 15th at Happy Valley.

Himalayan CC came as unbeaten winners of the Limassol League, with 12 points from 20, having beaten WSBA (5 from 15) into second place and Moufflons (2 from 15) into third.

Intercollege were unbeaten in the Larnaca league with 15 from 20 points, Spribgbok second (6 from 15) and AyNic third ( 2 from 15)

So two evenly balanced sides were set for a tough contest. It was ideal day for cricket, fine and sunny but cool enough to be comfortable. An advert for Winter cricket in Cyprus.

Himalayan choose to bat first. Their openers, captain Amit (13 runs) played a steadying role while Mukesh (9) batted more aggressively, But both found it difficult to settle down. Intercollege˛s opening fast bowlers Ali (1 for 17) and Bazeegh (for 15) offered very few deliveries for the batsmen to hit. Eventually both were frustrated into making loose shots, Mukesh caught very athletically by Shahzad in the slips of a very fast Ali delivery, and Amit misjudging Vicky˛s (2 for 28) out swinger, slicing a vicious swirling dipping ball to Doha at fly slip.

This became the pattern of the innings with the Himalayan batsmen frustrated by consistent accurate medium paced bowling. No3 bat Kamesh (5) went after a straight ball from Bazeegh flattened his middle stump. Anil (21), Himalayans most prolific scorer, and the dangerous Ravi (36) looked like settling into a partnership. As the boundary seemed out of reach they settled for adventurous singles, outmaneuvering Intercollegešs fielders. But the lack of high scoring shots forced both to take risks, and both fell as a result. Anhil caught in the covers by Shazad, and Ravi run out taking one risky single to many. Rohit (31) who had batted well with Ravi both finding the boundary in the last overs, was bowled in the last over by Imran (1 for 28). The only Intercollege bowler not to take wickets was Aamir who was also the most expensive (0 for 40).

Himalayan CC batted out their 30 overs with a total of 150 for 6. This was less than they may have hoped for. Intercollege bowling was mostly responsible but the conditions also played a part, where a softer slower outfield and cooler atmosphere seemed to make the boundary harder to find.

Intercollege openers Aamir and Shahzad(6) did not seem to have the same problem, though, scoring boundaries almost at will, as the early run rate ran well ahead of Himalayans. However Shahzad, a centurion in an earlier match against Springbok, was caught playing a careless shot to opening bowler Charanjit (1 for 18). This brought the second centurion of this season Aqeel (120 against the UK touring team) to the crease. He and Aamir continued to score freely until, to the delight of the Himalayan team, Aqeel too, was out to a lose shot, caught at deep mid off by Anil of Rajoram (1 for 29) for just 20.

Himalayan must have felt that they were back in the game, but they did not reckon with Aamir. This was only his second game with Intercollege and so the Himalayan team did not know what he was capable of. In his last game against Americanos College he had scored 72, batting through the innings, and he did exactly the same thing again here. With Taha (21) as a partner he continued to score steadily without giving a chance to the bowlers. Himalayanšs frustration led them to try different bowling combinations, using 8 bowlers, but nothing seemed to work for them. By the time Taha was out to Rohit (2 for 23) the match was all but over.

Although Bazeegh lost his wicket cheaply to Rohit, the Intercollege victory came soon after as Aamir hit a final boundary, taking him to 86 not out, and the team to 153 for 4 after 26 overs.

Congratulations to Himalayan CC for reaching the final and to Intercollege for winning it. Captain Bazeegh accepted the Cyprus Cricket Leaguešs crystal globe on behalf of the team. Aamir was awarded man of the match for his 86 no, batting through the Intercollege innings.

Thanks to Ron Cox and Des Hart for standing the long sixty overs as umpires

and to Debbie Beasleyfor her crystal clear and accurate scorekeeping.

That this competition has been completed without too many hiccups portends well for the Cyprus cricket league to be formed next year.

Himalayan CC batting

Mukesh ct Shazad b Ali for 9

Amit ct Doha b Vicky for 13

Kamesh b. Bazeegh for 5

Anil ct Shahzad b Vicky for 21

Ravi run out 36 Rohit b Imran 31

Deepak not out 1

extras 34

total 150 for 6

Intercollege bowling

Ali 6 overs 17 for 1

Bazeegh 6 overs 15 for 1

Imran 6 overs 28 for 1

Vicky 6 overs 29 for 2

Aamir 6 overs 40 for 0

Intercollege Batting

Aamir not out 86

Shahzad caught b Chanjarit 6

Aqueel c Anil b Rajoram 20

Taha c Rajoram b Rohit 21

Bazeegh c Amit b Rohit 0

Ali not out 1

extras 19

total 153 for 4

Himalayan cc Bowling

Biju 4 overs 20 for 0

Charanjit 3 overs 18 for 1

Amit 3.3 overs 18 for 0

Anil 3 overs 27 for 0

Rohit 6 overs 23 for 2

Rajoram 6 overs 29 for 1

Dushyant 1 over 0 for 7

Mukesh 1 over 0 for 9

 

 

OTHER LEAGUE GAMES

The round robin stages of the competition have now been completed. Last weekends games (8th/9th Nov) between Himalan and Moufflons, Intercollege and Springbok were rained off, 1 point awarded to each team. So the final placings were in the Limassol league, Himalayan CC the winnners with 12 points form a possible 20, WSBA second with 5 points from 15 and Moufflons third with 2 points from15. In the Larnaca league Intercollege have 15 from 20, Springbok 6 from 15, and Aynic 2 from 15. The winners of each league Himalayan CC and Intercollege now play each other in the final on Saturday Nov 15th at Happy Valley, starting at 10.00.

 

ROUND 2 OCT-NOV 2003

26 Oct

SPRINGBOK(114 ao) v AYNIC(69ao)

Springbok Vs AyNic 25 overs a side at Ayios Nicolaos 26/10/2003 Winning the toss and choosing to bat the Springboks had to take on the weather as well as the AyNic bowlers, battling in difficult windy conditions. A solid innings of 45 from Mike K and good partnerships from Mike M (12) and Gary (14) took the Springboks to a score of 114 all out. Although controlling the ball might have been difficult, the wind made the pitch more helpful to the bowlers than the batters. Peglar and Robinson were the pick of the AyNic bowlers each taking 3 wickets for 22 runs, with Vinnie chipping in with 2 for 14. AyNic set with a score of 115 to win were in trouble from the start as Mike M took a wicket with the second ball of the innings. Wickets continued to fall regularly as AyNic reached 32/5 after the half way mark. Disciplined bowling and sharp fielding from the Springboks, with 3 run outs, led to AyNicšs demise, all out for 69 runs. Best bowling figures for Springboks were Chris (2-0-10-1), Mike K (4-1-3-2) and Gary (3-1-3-1)

With 5 points from two games, Springbok can overtake Intercollegešs fourteen points if they win their remaining two games with maximum points. Himalayans win over WSBA gives them a near unassailable lead in the Limassol league although Moufflons could catch them, but would need maximum points from their last two games..

With a maximum 20 points from four games, Intercollege lead in the Larnaca league after 3 games with 14 from a possible 15 points, Springbok have 5 from 10, and AyNic 2 from 15.

In the Limassol league Himalayan CC lead with 11 from 15 points after 3 games, WSBA have 5 from 15, and Moufflons 1 from 10.

29 Sept

INTERCOLLEGE (121-9 v AYNIC113ao)

After defeating Aynic, Intercollege have a near unassailable lead in the Larnaca cricket league. In a tense game, in which neither team were willing to give an inch, Intercollege's batsmen were made to look very ordinary by AyNics accurate medium paced attack led by Pegler with 3 wickets for 9 runs. Only Aqueel(30) managed to break out of the AyNic stranglehold, but when he was out, with only 58 runs on the scoreboard, Intercollege'e cause looked lost. A spirited revival from the tail batsmen, Haroun, Glen and Jatin, scoring 48 runs between them, gave Intercollege a final score of 121 for 9, a defendable score on a Dekelia pitch that was helpful to the bowlers. In reply AyNic's batsmen scored steadily, but were also loosing wickets regularly. By the 26th over they were 8 runs from victory but had lost 9 wickets. Chris Hood, who had looked more than capable of batting AyNic to a win, in an attempt to keep the strike, called a suicidal run on the last ball of the over. Recalling the Klusner/Donald disaster in the semi finals of the Cricket world cup at Lords, he snatched defeat from a certain victory as he ran himself out.

In the Larnaca league Springbok must win all three of their remaining games to catch Intercollege.If AyNic beat Sprinbok in their next game then Intercollege are through. Intercollege have 14 from a possible 15 points, AyNic 1 from 10 and Sprinkbok 1 from 5. In the Limassol league the crunch match between WSBA and Himalayan CC should decide who goes through to the final. Himalayan are on 7 points from 10, WSBA on 5 from 10 and Moufflons trail with 1 point. These two games should be played at Agios Nicolaus and Happy Valley in the weekend of 18th/19th October.

ROUND 1 OCT 2003

WSBA(135-4) v HIMALAYAN CC(136-8)

Sept 7

At Happy Valley WSBA military lost the toss and were put into bat. Rick Crowther and Andy Ecclestone put on 36 before the fall of the first wicket, bringing in the swashbuckling bat of Duncan Ayre. He didn't disappoint, with an brutal 57 not out, batting with Andy(23) and Ian Cuthbert(18) to take the WSBA score to 135 for 4. In reply Himalayan CC started like a train, with Mukesh hitting some powerful boundaries off the opening bowlers Rob Buckley and Dave Place, racing to 38 off only 7 overs. Then three quick wickets left Himalayan cc 44 for 3. A measured partnership between Anil and Ajay took the score along to 66 before Ian Cuthbert took the prized wicket of the ever dangerous Anil surely now giving the upper hand to the WSBA military side. Ravi and Ajay started a fightback taking the score along to 96 before Ajay was caught. Then 3 quick wickets left Himalayan cc 102 for 8 With only 2 wickets remaining, 36 runs required and overs running out the result seemed a formality. Himalayan tail took up the challenge. Never looking to be in trouble Rohit and Manesh took the match away from WSBA with Rohit hitting 2 masive sixes. Himalayan cc's final score was 136 for 8 after 26 overs Ian Cuthbert was the best bowler for WSBA taking 4 for 25.

INTERCOLLEGE (182-7) v AYNIC(128ao)

Sept 7

The second game at Agios Nicolaos, Intercollege played AyNic. AyNic put Intercollege in to bat, a decision that left them to field on a very hot and humid morning. Aqueel, the Intercollege no 3 bat reached 62 in a controlled innings, supported by Shayzad with 32 runs. By the time these two were out Intercollege were in a commanding position with over 100 runs on the board. They went on to score 182 for 7 wickets after 30 overs. AyNics bowlers were taken for around six an over with Harvey 4 wickets for 44 runs taking the valuable wicket of Aqueel just as he was beginning to score freely. AyNic's opening batsmen then had to face a blistering fast bowler attack from Bazeegh (3 for 34) and Barber (4 for 21) which gave very few balls to score from. Resistance was left to Vincent who continued to play his shots even as wickets fell about him scoring a belligerent 36. With less than 100 on the board the last two batsmen Ritchie(22no) and Robinson(15) defied all attempts to dislodge them, taking AyNic to 128 all out and one batting point. The points for the competition are awarded 3 points for a win, 1 batting point for scoring over 125 runs, and one bowling point for taking 10 wickets. So the table so far Limmasol District Himalayan CC 4 points WSBA 1 point Moufflons still to play Larnaca District Intercollege 5 points AyNic 1 point.

INTERCOLLEGE(241-5) v SPRINGBOK(126ao)

Sept 14

Opening bat Shayzad scored 100 runs in Intercollege's convincing win over Sprinbok CC. In a crafted innings he supported no 3 bat Aqueel (71) who was brutally setting about the Springbok bowling. After Aqueel was out, Shayzad took on the bowling himself with some destructive batting, including three powerful sixes in the final overs. Intercollege made 241 runs for 5 wickets in 30 overs. The Springbok lost quick wickets to Intercollege's fast bowling attack Ali (2-18) and Bazeegh (1-22), falling to 13 for 4 wickets, not helping themselves by contriving two runouts. Only a spirited partnership between Mike (67) and Chris (20) brought them some respectability. The Springbok were all out for 126 after 25 overs,with Barber (3 for17) taking most of the remaining wickets.

WSBA (159-2) v MOUFFLONS(137-9)

Sept 14

Electing to bat first the WSBA Military made a fine start with both Cuthbert (72no) and Cayless (27) taking the score along to a steady and impressive 66 before Cayless fell lbw to Carr.. No 3 bat Ayre was uncharacteristically bowled cheaply by Michelides for only12 but then both Cuthbert and new batsman Craig (24no)set about the Moufflons bowling taking 49 off the remaining 7 overs, to give the WSBA Military a final total of 159 for 2 off 30 overs. Best bowling figures for the Moufflons were Michelides (6-1-24-1) and Carr (6-0-38-1). The Moufflons innings started brightly with both Dias and Bond taking the score along to 25 for 0 before Bond was caught by Craig off the bowling of Buckley. Dias batted superbly for his 46, but wickets were falling around him at regular intervals and only Sunil (17) and Stubbings (22no) got into double figures. After being 122 for 5 the Moufflons collapsed to130 for 9, finishing on 137 for 9 wickets off 30 overs. Best bowling figures for the WSBA Military were Craig (4-1-19-3 including a triple wicket maiden over), Bailey (6-0-26-2) and Buckley (6-0-26-2)

MOUFFLONS (95-9) v HIMALAYAN CC(96-4)

Sept 21

Against Himalayan CC Mouflons batted first, collapsing to 10 for 4. A partnership between Darren and Robert slightly revived their fortunes, putting on 70 runs. But they could not recover from the early loss of their top order finishing with only 95 for 9 after 30 overs, once again refusing to give up their last wicket and denying the opposition an extra bowling point. The best of the Himalaya bowlers were Suribaba and Amit both taking two wickets. Opening batting collapse seem to be contagious as Himalayan CC fell to 20 for 4. But a steady partnership between Himalayans two most dependable batsmen Amit (35no) and Ravi (33no) took them to a comfortable victory. Himalayan CC 96 for 4 after 23 overs.

Now, half way through the competition in the Limasssol league, Himalayan CC are ahead with 7 out of a possible ten points, WSBA have 5 and Mouflons trail with 1 point. In Larnaca, Intercollege are well ahead with 10 points, AyNic and Springbok who each have played only one game, each have 1 of a possible 5 points.

CYPRUS FIRST INTER COLLEGE CRICKET

26 0ct

The first cricket match between higher education colleges was played at Happy Valley on Oct 26h. Americanos college from Nicosia took on Intercollege from Larnaca in what became a very competitive and tightly fought contest. Americanos batted first with their opening pair Mohit and Ranmeet scoring steadily against a very aggresive fast bowling attack from Vicky and Sumith. Ranmeet was caught by a viciously rising ball and was forced to retire hurt. Undaunted Mohit went on to bat through most of the Americanos innings scoring 43, supported by Abhinau(27) and Dhiya (41), to give Americanos College a daunting score of 176 for 6. Intercollege reply was muted with the loss of quick wickets for very few runs from a some very accurate fast bowling from Sandhu. When Intercollegešs highest scoring batsman Aqueel (120 in his last innings against the UK touring side) was caught after scoring only 15 runs, hopes were fading, with 4 wickets down and less than eighty runs on the board. However opening batsman Aamir was still at the crease and looking more and more confident, and in a steadying partnership with no 7 bat Richard started to accumulate runs, hitting big boundaries. With 16 needed from the last two overs first Richard run out for 22 and then Aamir caught on the boundary for 73, left Intercollege with 173 for 8 wickets, 3 short of the Americanos total.