LEAGUE FINAL 2006

After a long league season two teams were finally set to play for the championship.

This year all but one of the 32 scheduled games has been played. In previous years matches were abandoned and results skewed as teams have dropped out. No more than two thirds of the scheduled games were played. So for the umpires to be setting up stumps this late in the year reflects a growing commitment on the part of teams to play out the league to its conclusion.

Corfu Tavern, lying second and six points behind Srilanka CC knew that they would have to win this game with maximum points to secure the title. Srilankan CC needed only to win.

Put in to bat Corfu did not start well loosing opener Vishnu in the first overs. Captain Kashif came in to replace him. The Srilankans needed to take this wicket early. Once set Kashif has the ability to quickly take the game away from the opposition.

He was hitting some big shots, before he fell caught behind for 13. Corfu have a long batting line up but this was undoubtedly a blow.

Next in Mati slowly started the reconstruction, hoping to build a partnership with opener Arin. For a while that looked promising, but then both fell to some lively Srilankan bowling. Opener bowler Chamara was doing his usual demolition job with some fierce fast high bouncing deliveries taking two wickets including that of Kashif. Niroshan, already pumped from a stunning run out, hitting the stumps from deep in the covers, was bowling straight and fast to take another two Corfu wickets.

No 5 and 6 Deezan and Bhatti fell without making any impression on the score, and Corfu, now in trouble, were looking to their tail to pull a respectable total out the embers of their innings. Arif did his best, first with Saptih and then in a more impressive partnership with Apis together putting 44 runs on the board. Srilankans had now turned to spin to try to guarantee two bowling points, but they paid for their ambition. Spinner Delipa had bowled Sapteh in his first over but now had to watch the ball sail over his head as Arif and Apis hit some fine boundaries. Eventually he was rewarded for his persistence forcing Arif into a false shot and giving up a fairly simple catch.

With Arif out on 21, Apis, top scoring on 23, and Nirosh played out the remaining few overs to deny the Srilankans their bowling points. But Corfu had managed only 111, not a score that would intimidate the Srilankan batting.

It was however a bowlers day. With a blustery wind and overcast sky the ball was moving unpredictably in the air and it would need some good sensible batting to make sure of reaching even this modest total.

Sampath and Chamara started attacking from the first ball and paid the penalty, but not before they had accumulated 26 runs. Corfu went through an epidemic of dropped catches, even Kashif spilling a sitter at mid off.

Dileepa and Niroshan were now at the crease. Dileepa has been the in form batsman this year rarely failing to make a score. It was vital for Corfus chances that he was not allowed to get going. Bowling and fielding with more conviction Corfu still could not make an impression on the partnership. Batting with equal determination the two steadily got on top, Dileepa hitting a brutal 32 and Niroshan an elegant 17.

By the time the partnership was finally broken, with Niroshan loosing his wicket, the game had been decided. There was less than twenty runs needed for victory.

Askar and Dileepa followed soon after, bettered by some aggressive bowling, with Kashif back to his old pace. It was left to brothers Nalaga and Danuka to bring the Srilankans home in the 24^th over.

At the awards ceremony that followed Corfus Nirosh was named bowler of season with best figures of 5 for 8 and 4 for 12, Dileepa was named best batsmen, with three half centuries and an average near 40.

The Srilankan team lined up for their individual medals

And captain Danuka accepted the league trophy on behalf of his team.

Corfu Tavern League runners up 2006

Srilankan CC league champions for 2006.

FIRST PLAY OFF

LIONS V CORFU

From the outset this looked like being a fiercely contested game between two teams who had been running neck and neck through the summer and now at he end of the first round had only two points separating them.

Both teams have a wealth of talent, Corfu with batsman Kashif fresh from his half century last weekend, and bowler Nirosh with one five and one four wicket haul this summer. Lions have the prodigious and dangerous Manju in their batting line up along with the run accumulator Sampath Arthanayake, and Suria with a 78 against top of the league Srilankan CC. Bowlers Prassanna has taken two four wicket hauls this season with Manju, Sampath and Kapila regularly taking wickets.

Cortfu batted first with Sajid and Haroun starting carefully. Sajid’s innings came to an abrupt end as his off stump was sent spinning by a in swinging delivery from Sampath with only 19 runs on the board. Vishnu came in at no 3 and calmed the tempo down a bit, allowing Haroun time to settle in and start to find the boundary. Their partnership added 14 before Vishnu was out caught to Manju for 12.

Captain Kashif and Haroun formed a decisive partnership, both now hitting freely and scoring quickly. When Haroun was out on 29, again from a catch off Manjus bowling, they had pushed Corfus score onto 67. No 5 Zishan supported captain Kashif, both starting to hit big sixes as their partnership gained in confidence. By the time Kashif (30) and Zishan (16) had lost their wickets Corfus total exceeded 100.

They struggled to reach the 175 needed for batting points, and despite a good innings from Hafaz at no 10, and 32 extras given to them by some extravagant Lion bowling, managed only 168 for the loss of all their wickets.

Lions went after the bowling from the first ball, with openers Susil and Sanjiva chancing with their wickets with Corfu failing to capitalise, putting down three catches in as many overs. Sanjiva was out first, bowled for 6. Susil and Sampath were starting to build a partnership when Susil was caught off Ahmed for 20. Manju came and went without scoring, caught behind, and when Sampath holed out at long off on 19, one of three decisive catches taken by Matti Ullah at long off, Lions challenge was all but over.

Corfu bowlers Zulfiquar and Ahmed carved up the wickets between them, with Zulfiquar taking 3 for 18 and Ahmed 4 for 25.

Dias looked dangerous for a while but fell to Matti on 15 and the remainder of the Lions batting departed for less than ten runs between them. Lions were all out for 95.

SECOND PLAY OFF

SRILANKAN CC v HIMALAYANS

In the second qualifying game, top of the league Srilankan CC sitting comfortably on 25 points took on Himalayans lying fourth on 16 points . With only ten points in play and with a nine point deficit, Himalayans had to break all records if they hoped to go through to play Corfu Tavern in the finals on Nov 5^th.

Batting first they were all out for twenty. It was a record of sorts but not the one they were hoping for. Credit to the exceptional Srilankan bowling, Chamara 5 for 5, Nalaga 3 for 1, Sajith 2 for 9, and Asanka 1 for 5

In reply Sampath and Chamara knocked of the total in less than two overs.

On Nov 5^th Srilankan CC, now on 35 points play Corfu Tavern, on 29 points, for the championship.With only ten points in play and six points behind, Corfu have a task on their hands.

They need to win the game with both batting and bowling points to give them the maximum ten points. They must also ensure that Srilankan CC gain no more than two points from the game, denying them either their bowling or their batting points.

The Srilankans have earned their points advantage by winning consistently over a long summer of cricket. But they need to win this game. Nothing else will do, if they are to show that they deserve the championship.

SECOND PLAY OFF

SRILANKAN CC v HIMALAYANS

In reply Sampath and Chamara knocked of the total in less than two overs.

On Nov 5^th Srilankan CC, now on 35 points play Corfu Tavern, on 29 points, for the championship.With only ten points in play and six points behind, Corfu have a task on their hands.

MOUFFLONS V CORFU TAVERN

On the last Sunday of the league Moufflons played two games head to head, the first against Corfu Tavern and the second against Lions.

Although not so important to Moufflons, who sit happily at the bottom of the league, these were vital games for Corfu and Lions who were fighting to better position themselves in the play offs.

Corfu batted first and posted an impressive total of 175 for 8 after 20 overs. Captain Kashif top scored with 68.

Moufflons dug in and refused to give up their wickets. With no chance of matching Corfus total they decided to play for an honorary draw, challenging Corfu to take their wickets. Which Corfu failed to do, managing only four wickets for 46 after twenty overs. John Bond was the thorn in Corfus side frustrating their strong bowling attack.

MOUFFLONS V LIONS

In the second game Lions steamrollered Moufflons. Loosing three wickets in the first over without scoring, Moufflons managed to grind out the game to the 14^th over when they lost their last wicket for 36. Once again John Bond occupied the crease for far longer than natural law should allow. Sampath Athanayake got the best bowling figures of the summer with five wickets for 2 runs.

It was Sampath who batted out the innings. On 33 not out, he took Lions passed the Moufflon total after five overs.

HIMALAYANS V CORFU TAVERN

Himalayans fielded first in a twenty five over game. Opening bowlers Amar and Suri, pace at one end and swing at the other, sliced through Corfus top order like a knife through silk.,. With five wickets down and less than 30 on the board the game looked over. Captain Kashif, usually a dependable scource of runs, came and went trying to hook a full toss and managing only to deliver up a gentle catch to the wicketkeeper. This seemed Corfus death knoll, but Himalayans failed to capitalise. With just the tail to mop up, rather than finish off Corfu, they offered them runs. No 7 Nirosha took advantage of some loose bowling and by the time Himalayans brought back their effective opening bowling pair, he was settled and confident, peppering the boundary at will. His innings alone turned the game around, scoring 43 himself, and giving Corfu a defendable total of 86 all out.

Himalalan openers Rajaram and Anil could not repeat their runscoring partnership of last week. Both were out cheaply and omens did not look good for Himalayans. Wickets fell regularly mostly to Nirosha, who trumped his own batting performance with an outstanding five overs taking five for 8 runs. Gaurev helped by the Himalayan lower order managed to drag the game back, tiptoeing up on the Corfu total. Needing just 7 in the last over they were bowled out five short. An unexpected win for Corfu in an enthralling game.

SRILANKANS V FELLOWS

In the second game of the day no 5 fellows took on the league leaders knowing that a win would pull them into the no 4 place and a place in the play offs. But it was not to be. Batting first , openers Sarwar and Matti lost their wickets with only 14 runs on the total. The knowledge that only a win would do, effected the batsmen who strove too hard to find the boundary only to hole out. Richard S (22) managed a rearguard action but Fellows total of 90 was always going to be too little against Srilankans long batting line up. It was no 3 Dileepa, who put the nail in Fellows coffin, hitting 32 in less than five overs. When he was bowled, a phyrric victory for Chris Markides after suffering under Dileepa’s onslaught, it took Asanka (21) and Niroshan just a few overs more to clean up. Srilankans won by five wickets.

FELLOWS V HIMALAYANS

In a late bid to make the play offs Fellows have been putting together a string of good results. Under Usman’s captaincy the team have stepped up a gear and look good enough to beat the best.

This time it was the Himalayans who took on Fellows. Laying equal fourth in the league and a good few points ahead of Fellows, Himalayans should have felt confident. Winning the toss, batting first, Fellows got off to a slow start. Chris Vassiliades was pushing for singles at one end while Salim was going for big shots at the other. Inevitably one of Salim’s boundary attempts fell short as he was caught at deep midwicket. Rashid, no 3, and Fellows most consistent run scorer, played his usual cameo, making a half-century in next to no time. With five sixes and three fours, his 57 set the game up for Fellows. Despite a strong batting line up Fellows did not really capitalise. Chris Vassiliades found it difficult to up the pace and at the other end the big hitters were unable to get on top of the Himalayan bowling. Fellows finishing on 149 for 6 after 20 overs.

Himalayan’s openers Rajaram and Anil set about the bowling with such gusto that the game threatened to be over in the first ten overs. Thankfully for Fellows both were out before that could happen, Rajaram on 33 with five 4’s and Anil on 38, hitting two big sixes and three 4’s.

No 3 Jalag, who had also been Himalayans most dangerous bowler, looked to guide his team to the 150 needed for a win. But some tight bowling, particularly from Mike Kyriacou stifled the run chase. Falling behind, inevitably loosing wickets to run outs as they tried to catch up; Himalayans needed 28 from the4 last four overs. Two big sixes from consecutive balls from Jalag put them right on course. But then, disastrously for the Himalayans, on the third ball of the same over Jalag ran himself out going for a third run.

With him gone Himalayans hopes faded. Needing 6 off the last over a typically tight over from Mike Kyriacou gave them only a single. Fellows won by five runs.

In the race for the play offs, WSBA, with all their games played, have fallen away on 14 points. Three teams on fifteen, Himalayans, and Lions have a game in hand, Corfu has two games to play. Sri Lankans are safely in the lead on 21 points with one game to play. Fellows coming up on the outside on 12 points need a win against Srilankans this Sunday to stay in contention. Himalayans need a win against Corfu this Sunday to guarantee their inclusion in the play offs.

FELLOWS V LIONS

Played at Happy Valley a twenty over game which was critical for the league aspirations of both teams. Fellows batted first and got off to a fine start with opener Mati Ullah hitting the ball freely, taking best advantage of the fielding restrictions of the first six overs. Manju was severely taken to task giving away 42 in his four overs. Off spinner Kapila restored some control, and took wickets, first that of the dangerous Mati for 36, and then no 3 bat Sarwar Bashir for 25, who was threatening to go on to large score. After the first 10 overs Fellows were in the 80s but failed to capitalise in the next 10, due mainly to Kapilas tight off spin. Arif held his wicket while the middle order was falling at the other end. On 20 he was stumped, once again off Kapilas bowling while the rest of the batting struggled to get into double figures. Fellows managed to add fifty runs to their ten over score to finish on 140 for 8.

This was a total well within Lions reach, especially with Susil, Malinda, Sampath, Manju and Kapila in their top order. Openers Susil and Malinda failed to spark, giving up one catch after another which Fellows obligingly managed to floor. Eventually Usman bowled both in a fine third over. No 3 and no 4 bats Sampath and Manju were forming a match winning partnership, taking apart Fellows bowlers Mati and Arif, when Sampath on 23 mistimed a pull off a full toss from Mati giving up a simple catch to mid on. Manju was joined by Kapila and a new partnership threatened, when Manju was caught on 16. Kapila was left on his own to chase down the total, losing one partner after another. Finally he too went, lbw to Arif, on 39. This was the crucial moment of the game. The tail tried in vain to hit the big shots they needed, inexorably falling behind the run rate and then loosing wickets in the attempt to keep up. In the last over Lions were all out for 130 as Sarwar took a fine stumping to dismiss no 11Tounil.

SRILANKANS V HIMALAYANS

Batting first Srilankan CC soon found themselves in trouble. Loosing both openers and then and then the powerhouse of their batting Chamara and Dileepa, one to a magnificent one handed catch right on the long on boundary, with hardly any runs scored. It was left to the middle order to redress the balance. A fine partnership between Ashanka, 39, and Nalaga,20, earned them a respectable score of 117 for 8 after 20 overs.

Even so Himalayans must have been confidant of reaching that total. Unfortunately it was not to be. Rajoram scored 30, and Amit 25 but noone else reached double figures. Some fine bowling from Sajieh with 3 for 23 was key in restricting Himalyans to 94 for 7 after 20.

CORFU V SRILANKANS

On the treacherous Potamia flicx pitch two consecutive games produced two low scoring thrillers.

The first Corfu Tavern against top of the league Srilankan CC left Corfu, batting first, with a score of 120 all out. Only Kashif managed to conquer the demons in the pitch to top score with 39. In reply Srilankans could only manage 111, mainly thanks to an inspired innings by Dileepa with 59. Once again the bowlers held the day on a definitely bowler friendly pitch.

HIMALAYANS V LIONS

Lions Prassana took four wickets for 21 in a demolition job on the Himalayan batting.

Lions managed 90 all out in their innings. Susira top scoring with 29 and Sampath with 18. Vijay with 3 wickets was Himalayans most effective bowler.

In reply Himalayans were all out for 60, after Prasannas fine bowling spell. It included the wicket of Anil when on 29. He had batted with a conviction that had allowed Himalayans hope that they might yet save the day.

Not helped by two run outs Himalayans feel the pain of their first defeat this season.

ESBA V FELLOWS

In a shortened game of 20 overs Fellows played ESBA in the oppressive heat of Aynic with swirling dervishes playing with more than just the dust.

Fellows batted first with their preferred opening partnership of Usman and Chris Vassiliades. Both are very fit and frustrate an opposition by taking singles where no runs seem possible. Despite some useful medium pace bowling from Will Bean and Bill Malloy they were scoring at just under ten an d over and then went t to town against the unfortunate first change bowlers. It took fourteen overs before the first wicket fell, Usman bowled by Matti first ball on 41, scoring four fours and two mighty sixes.Wickets fell regularly after that but Chris batted to the end of the innings, finishing not out on 73, with Fellows on 177 for 4.

ESBA's innings started miserably with a run out on the first ball, followed by a caught behind on the second both on the same batsman (who had been given a second life by Fellows captain) and a catch in the slips for the grumbling Malloy. Will Bean offered some resistance until caught off a loose drive at mid off for 8. There followed a potentially match winning partnership between Arif and Mati, which made Fellows regret their earlier generosity. They were threatening Fellows total and seemed notably unimpressed with the Fellows bowling attack. At last Usman bowled Arif in the final overs for 63 but Mati was still threatening an Esba victory. Finally he lost his wicket on 59 caught off Chris Vassiliades in then penultimate over and Esba's attack fell away, finally scoring 155 for 7 off their twenty overs.

WSBA v FELLOWS

In this, their last first round league game, WSBA were desperate to gain maximum points to give then any chance of progressing to the second round. Fellows can be a tough team to beat on their day as they demonstrated with a record run total in their game against Moufflons earlier in the season. Their form since has not been so impressive loosing badly to Corfu Tavern.

Winning the toss Fellows went out to field. In their team were two initiates to the game Ivan and Dino who seemed to enjoy playing irrespective of the probable outcome. WSBA opening bats Han and John Conway played cautiously against some very good bowling from Chris Markides and Usman so cautiously that after 10 overs WSBA were still to reach fifty. With the opening bowlers bowled out pickings were easier and the run rate steadily increased. John Conway was dropped four times before, finally, in the later overs of the innings, he was caught behind off Kashif attempting a very tired drive. He had scored 49 and his partner Han 72 when he was bowled by Cheema soon after. Their partnership had secured WSBA a respectable score leaving the middle order to pick up some quick runs in the final overs. WSBA finished on 169 after 30 overs.

Fellows reply fell well short. Loosing wickets quickly it was left to Usman, and then Richard S and Zino in a late partnership to give Fellows some respectability. In the end the only issue was whether WSBA could bowl Fellows out. They managed it in the 29^th over with Fellows on 96. WSBA achieved their goal of maximum 4 points, keeping them in contention now lying second in the league table.

WSBA v ESBA

WSBA travelled to Aynic to play the only military on military game of the league.

Long ago ESBA would have expected to get the better of these encounters but fortunes have reversed in the last couple of seasons and this game confirmed the shift of cricketing power.

In the tradition of English cricket this was a game where the focus was on team performance rather than individuals. ESBA batted first and without anyone finding a big score batted for 22 overs for 108 runs, eventually bowled out by the persistent line and length of the WSBA bowlers.

In reply WSBA overtook the score after 18 overs. WSBA sit in the middle of the league table,ESBA sulk near the bottom. Lying fifth with only one game to play last years champion s WSBA look certain to loose their crown.

SRILANKAN CC V MOUFFLONS

On the second game played this year at Potamia, Srilankan CC matched up to Moufflons.

SriLankan came into the game favourites with maximum points from their three games while Moufflons still have to make an impression on the league table.

Moufflons won the toss and preferred to field which initially seemed a wise decision as Srilankans found themselves 53 for 5 after ten overs. He flicx pitch at Potamia is not batsman friendly and wickets can fall to ordinary bowling. But Moufflons young bowler George excelled again taking two wickets in this early stage of the game.

After 20 overs the Srilankans had made a comeback, thanks largely to a developing partnership between Niroshan and Riyashie. Now on 129 for 5 they were now in ca commanding position. In the 29^th over the last Srilankan wicket fell with the score on 199. Niroshan was bowled on 98, two short of his century. His partnership with Riyansie (24) had been worth 139. Dileepa, the only other Srilankan batsman to score runs was out on 34.

Moufflons weak suite is their batting, and once again they found themselves on the wrong side of 50 with all wickets down. They were all out in the 15 over for 46, a lost game but with the consolation of earning their first league point having bowled out the Srilankans. Srilankan bowlers fared well. Aslam finishing with the remarkable figures of 4 wickets for a single run, Saeieh 3 wickets for 11.

LIONS V ESBA

Having lost their way, Lions turned up so late for the game that the sun had almost set over the Aynic playing fields. Conceding the two bonus points to Esba, before starting the game, Lions were playing for only two points available for a win.

In a reduced twenty over game Esba batted first reaching a reasonable total of 97 for 9. Lions bowlers Kapila, 4 for 12, and Manju, 3 for 18, did the damage.

Lions overtook the Esba total after 13 overs losing 4 wickets. Sampath was on 37 not out at the end, Manju out for 20.

SRILANKAN CC V LIONS

In one of the defining matches of the season the two Srilankan sides Lions and Srilankan CC took each other on in the blistering July heat at Happy Valley.

A late start resulted in a reduction of ten over for each side and in a shortened game it was going to be difficult for either side to gain batting and bowling points.

Lions batted first and set a total of 141 all out in only 24 overs. Suria top scored with 78. Srilankan wicket takers Nalaka 4-19, Riyansie 3-22 and Niroshan 2-15.

In their reply Srilankan CC passed the Lions total in just 21 overs for the loss of seven wickets, with the prolific Dileepa top scoring with 60. Lions bowlers Sampath and Suria shared two wickets apiece but noone managed to contain the powerful Srilankan batting.

WSBA CC V C0RFU TAVERN

Sunday 9^th July saw WSBA cricket club in action once again, this time a league match against recently formed Corfu Tavern who are a Larnaka based team made up of Sri Lankan`s and Pakistani’s.

With Corfu Tavern only having 5 players at the agreed start time WSBA won the toss automatically and put the opposition into bat.

This was a must win match for WSBA in order to keep their dreams alive of qualifying for the second half of the league, spirits were high and everyone knew what was expected of them. Stand in captain Marcus Holden led the team on to the pitch in his third successive game as captain. The familiar opening pair of Wg Cdr Conway and Roshan started in tandem once again. In the third over came an early break through for the WSBA, with Jon Conway trapping Niroshan caught behind by Flt Lt Graham Chipperfield after only scoring 2 runs, just the start the WSBA wanted. Next to the crease was the Corfu captain, Vishnu, a dangerous player as we have seen before.

Cashif opened up as expected and added a good 20 runs to the total which included a massive six, but then Roshan broke this partnership as Cashif went for another big boundary but skied it up to Captain Marcus Holden. So with 6 overs gone, the score was 26 and 2 wickets down, excellent news for the WSBA looking to take advantage of this great start. Drinks came and went with no extra wickets being taken but Corfu raising the total to 38 off the 10 overs, a steady rate but one that WSBA would be happy with at the start.

Then Cpt Dave Woodhouse struck for WSBA breaking the partnership of Vishnu and Zaihid when Vishnu top edged the ball with the attempted cut shot and SAC Gaz Derbyshire awaited the simple catch. Unlike Derbyshire many of the team dropped catch after catch as 7 catches went down in total and proved costly in the end.

Next was an incident we really didn’t want to see, Graham Chipperfield was hit in the mouth when attempting to stop a wide ball, a freak accident that we don’t see often and we all wish Graham the best for his speedy recovery.

With what just happened it was understandable peoples minds weren’t 100% on the game, as Zaihid started racking up the total hitting the wayward WSBA bowlers around the park, the total reached 111 with 4 wickets down at the 20 over drinks break.

After drinks, WSBA had a job to do, but Cofu made them work for it, another 30 runs were added to the total before the next wicket fell, this was that of Matif, bowled by Roshan for only 9 runs and then Han was the next WSBA bowler to get results, getting Zaidide caught and bowled for only 1 run. Suddenly WSBA were fancying them selves to bowl the opposition out, but with only four overs left and 3 wickets needed they had to work hard. They did and got the eighth wicket, that of Faihid, caught again by Han off Roshans bowling. But no more wickets were taken the final score of 178 – 8 was impressive and left the WSBA batters a great deal to do.

Bowling figures Jon Conway 1 – 17 – 6 overs, Roshan bowled brilliant with figures of 3 – 26 – 6 overs, with both Dave woodhouse and Andy spring picking up 1 wicket each. The Corfu team had a lot to owe to Zaihid who scored an impressive 67.

Jon Conway and Han were the opening pair for WSBA, with the plan of staying there until drinks at least. Corfu started well and bowled the first 6 overs for just 16 runs, Zaihid and Sajad were the opening bowlers. Some tight bowling made it very difficult for Conway and Han and they were forced to knock the ball round and run the quick singles, hard work in the blazing heat. Drinks came and WSBA were 24 without loss and they were given the nod to open up and push the score on. With time being of the essence due to WSBA having been penalized 3 overs because they were too slow bowling their 30 overs, runs had to come quickly. Both batsmen tried and tried but the ever tight Corfu bowling made it difficult.

Jon Conway was the first victim of the good bowling, after scoring 8, he was caught behind off the bowling of Niroshan. Andy Spring was sent in to bat next in the hope of some quick runs, this was not to happen as was caught off the bowling of Faihid with just 1 run added to the score. So this left WSBA on 33 for 2 off 15 overs, a lot to do and Martin Downs was next to the crease.

Han held up one end and batted his way to a good 41 before he was caught behind. This invited SAC Gaz Derbyshire to the wicket. Some impressive hard running from Downs and Derbyshire added the runs on to the total but not enough. Derbyshire was next to fall victim as he was bowled by Corfu captain Vishnu. With only 3 overs remaining and 100 runs needed for victory, it was very unlikely the points were coming WSBA`s way. Cpl Martin Downs and Cpt Dave Woodhouse finished off the innings with 20 and 2 respectively.

So good bowling by Corfu made things difficult for WSBA, Han and Martin Downs were the pick of WSBA batsmen scoring 41 and 20 respectively. The bowling figures to stand out were Zaihid. 0 – 2 off 4 overs and Niroshan 1 – 9 off 5 overs.

With players constantly becoming unavailable due to holidays, injuries and postings it is very important that any new talent is spotted in the WSBA, anyone interested can contact SAC Richie Williams on 99188689 for more information.

CORFU TAVERN V FELLOWS

On the first game played at Potamia this year Corfu Tavern met Fellows. Mike who rents the ground to us had made a special effort to present us with an emerald green carpet on the outfield and after applying the heavy roller to the flicx pitch a reasonable playing surface as well.

Corfu choose to bat first, not too surprisingly as they included heavy guns Sahid and Kashif in their squad, taking a day off from their lucrative careers on the tapeball circuit.

Sahid opening with Sujit was scoring too freely from a very shaky start from Fellows bowlers, 28 runs taken in the first two overs. But the bowling steadied and wickets fell, Sujit to a stunning low left hand slip catch by Arif, Kashif caught in the covers by Rashid. All the time Sahid was scoring first steadily and then very rapidly as he found the tempo of the unpredictable flicx pitch. Partnered by Arif he set the pace of the partnership with boundary fours until Arif joined in with sixes. Finally he was undone on 42 by a very fine over from Mike Kyriacou who first contained him, and then bowled him as he danced down the wicket in an attempt to hoist the ball over long on.

Unfortunately for Fellows further partnerships developed between Arif and Shaid and then Shaid and Sajid together worth over 60 with Sajid scoring 41 mostly with powerful boundaries.

Nevertheless Fellows managed to dismiss Cortfu by the 27^th over thanks to some really fine fielding, another stunning catch scooped off the ground by Chris Markides which complemented his run out of Ebad with a direct hit. But Corfus total of 200 was a little daunting.

In their reply Fellows were neck and neck with Corfus run rate up to the 12th over and it looked like this was going to be a close run game. By the 15^th it was all but over, with Rashid caught off Sajid by Kashif at square leg, Usman run out after a very bad call, and Mike Kyriacou bowled by Hafiz. Only Arif of the Fellows batsmen kept going and when he was out caught by Vishnu off Said for 39, Fellows resistance was truly over. Hafiz mopped up the tail, giving him figures of 4 for 7 and Fellows sunk to 85 all out after only 18 overs.

WSBA V HIMALAYANS

Himalayans won the toss and elected to bat.

Starting with only 10 men Wsba found gaps opening up in the field, which the Himalayan opening pair Amit and Paritosh were looked to exploit but without success. With the usual opener Wing Commander John Conway not there for the first overs it was up to Captain Dave Woodhouse to raise to the occasion, opening the bowling with Roshan. Roshan struck in the 2nd over after Paritosh hit a ball straight up in the air for Han to take an easy catch. The Himalayan batsmen started to look settled as Amit began to move into his stride. First change bowler John Conway, now on the field, took just six balls to take Anils wicket playing back onto his stumps.

Jalig came in next, looking calm and settled he began to get his head down.

If Wsba had controlled the first session of play now Himalayans took control of the second, with Amit reaching his half-century. Then in the 17th over Han got the breakthrough, Jalig out from an outstanding catch from Cpl Martin Downs. Akshay was the new man in, and didn't look comfortable. He was lbw the first ball of Roshans second spell.

ESBA V SRILANKAN CC

Played in the heat of mid summer ESBA took on the powerful Srilankan CC. Srilankan batted first and set a challenging total of 225.

However ESBA had the consolation of bowling their opposition out and after only 27 overs. Srilankan batsmen shared the runs, Nalaga top scoring with 59 supported by his brother Danuka with 31 and Dileepa with 23. All good news for the Cyprus national side as these three players come into form.

In reply ESBA were bowled out for 108, their captain Martin Frangleton top scoring with 20. Srilankan bowlers shared the wickets with Sajiph outstanding taking 3 for 20.

LIONS V CORFU TAVERN

A disappointing game for Corfu. Playing at Happy Valley 1 Lions batted first scoring 191, Manju top scoring once again with 60.

In reply Corfu found themselves all out for only 78, an unusually low score for a normally strong batting side. Lions bowlers were economical, Sampath 3 wickets for 10, with Prassana taking the most wickets 4 for 22.

MOUFFLONS V HIMALAYANS

Moufflons unhappy season continues. Playing on Happy Valley 2 Moufflons batted first. Despite the loss of two early wickets in the first overs to Sunil’s out swing, Moufflons steadied with a partnership between Mohammed Hussein and Grenville. Mohammed who started carefully gained in confidence taking the Himalayan bowlers for 20 in a single over on the way to his half-century. With the score in the eighties Mohammed was out lbw for 59, the first of Jalags victims. Grenville followed soon after, run out, by a spectucar piece of fielding from Anil. There followed a dismal collapse by the rest of the Moufflon batsmen which saw a respectable score of 80 for 2 morph into 95 all out. Jalag who was introduced late into the attack was primarily responsible for the collapse with figures of 6 wickets for 9 runs.

Himalayans opened with their hard hitting batsman Anil who eased Himalayans passed the Moufflons score, making 60 himself without loosing his wicket. At the other end two wickets fell in consecutive balls to Moufflons 15 year old left hand in swing bowler George Papaonisiferos, bowling Himalayan top order Navneet and Rohan and finishing with figures of 2 for 14 in his 4 overs. A indicaton of the talent in the Cyprus under 15 team who tour Holland in July.

WSBA v MOUFFLONS

Moufflons were out for 74. Rukesh top scored with 22 and captain Jez supported with 17. WSBA Œs Roshan took 5 wickets for 13 runs. John Conway (32 no) and Richie Williams (28 no) knocked the runs off in next to no time with no wickets lost.

WSBA v LIONS

A very late start forced a reduced over game. Batting first and with just 25 overs to bat in Lions managed 105 with the loss of 8 wickets. Woodhouse was the best of WSBAs bowlers with 3 wickets for 22 off his five overs. This seemed a modest demand on WSBA¹s batsmen, but a tight line held by Lions bowlers made the task a little difficult. Sampath as usual was economical giving only 10 off his five overs, so was Sanjeeva with only 8 runs taken off his 5 overs. Time was running out for WSBA and the 105 runs posted by Lions seemed a receding mirage. Eventually it came down to the last, very exciting, over. WSBA needed 9 runs to win but managed only 7, reaching 103 for 5. Nanjaker did the most damage for the Lions with figures of 3 for 20 In such a low scoring game, highest scorer for both teams was extras. Lions giving away 14 wides and WSBA 12.

ESBA v HIMALAYANS

On a breezy day at Aynic , in a 30 over game,Himalayans batted first with Amit and Paritosh opening. This was to be Amit¹s day. Supported at the other end by Paritosh (25),Ashay, Jalaj(20) and Vijay(17) he batted through the innings to be undefeated on 94. No 3 bat Anil. Himalayans most destructive batsman was caught by diving Martin Frangleton, having run back from mid on to take a spectacular catch on the long on boundary. The first of two good catches Martin took on that day. At the end of their 30 overs Himalayans were 233 for 4, with Amit just 6 runs short of his century. In reply ESBA started cautiously, not loosing wickets but not scoring too fast either. Eventually they were undone by some good swing bowling from Paritosh (3wickets) and effective off spin from Jalaj (3 wickets). After 28 overs they were all out for 133.

WSBA V SRILANKA CC

WSBA won toss by default and elected to bat. WSBA`s opening pair, Jon Conway and Roshan started slowly adjusting to the new ball in the new saeason, getting used to happy valleys unpredictable pitch once again. With the score creeping along to 22 off 6 overs. The first wicket fell in the seventh over, as Roshan was caught behind off E. Roshans bowling. Next to the crease was WSBA`s new Paphos based cricketer, Han, who has shown great promise in the earlier friendly matches. This was not to be his week though, sent back bowled by Asanka for only 3 runs with a the score on 50 off 16 overs. This then brought WSBA`s captain Ian Cuthbert to the crease. This match certainly was set up for a captains innings and Cuthbert produced the goods. As the Sri Lankan bowlers plugged away and worked hard in the midday heat, Conway and Cuthbert settled in at the crease and steadily moved the score along. Conway played a fine innings moving onto get his first 50 of the season. He converted his fifty into a fine century, a maiden century for him and a potential match-winning century for the team.

John Conway on the way to his maiden century

On 101 Conway was bowled by Riensa, an innings of eight 4`s and four 6`s, soon followed by his partner Cuthbert for 38. Their partnership was worth 126 runs. After 35 overs WSBA were 181 for 4 wkts A very tight spell of bowling from E Roshan produced figures of 1-15 off 7 overs. Of the other bowlers Allada finished with 1 - 27 off 7 overs, and with Sahied with 1-30 off 7.

After the interval WSBA`s bowlers knew that they had to keep their lines tight as the style of batting from the Sri Lankans would suite the new fielding restrictions. Jon Conway and Roshan also opened the bowling, with Conway having an early strike in the third over, the wicket of Ashkar caught behind after scoring a quick 10. This wicket didn’t come cheap though for Conway, going for 20 on his first over from a display of batting that showed just how dangerous the Sri Lankans can be.

Niroshan joined Sampath at the wicket, Sampath now firmly set and quickly getting to his half century. The two moved the score onto 87 after 11 overs before Niroshan lost his wicket after scoring 25. This then introduced Dileepa, and he and Sampath pushed he score onto 103 when Sampath was bowled by Ian Cuthbert for a total of 54. Madaranga came and went caught off Cuthbert’s bowling for a duck. With the score now on 114 off 16 overs the game looked to be going to a tight finish. Nalaka and Dileepa took the score to 161 before Nalaga was out to the promising young bowler Marcus Holden.

With only 20 runs needed off 10 overs Dileepa and by Riense strolled passed the total with 8 overs remaining, with Dileepa finishing a great innings on 59 not out. WSBA bowlers worked hard but didnt get any reward. Ian Cuthbert was pick of the bowlers having figures of 2-36 off 7 overs and Han with figures of 1-38 off 7 overs.

A great opening game to the season showing some impressive batting and bowling, and if players keep up this form then we could have some exciting and impressive cricket played this year in Cyprus.

FELLOWS V MOUFFLONS

The newly formed Moufflons took on Fellows ay Happy Valley. Moufflons are organised by Colin Relton who doubles as manger for the Cyprus Under 15 side. Some of his best fifteen year olds are testing their skills in the adult league playing with Moufflons. Fellows who finished fourth in the league last year are a stronger side this year with the inclusion of some of the Springbok side, a few talented new recruits, and the young South African players now a year older and a year better.

Fellows batted first and it soon became clear that this was going to be a one sided affair. Salim, still in afterglow of his century in the Heytesbury game, set about the Moufflon bowlers with relish. Partnered with no 3 bat Usman, they accrued 165 runs in the first 19 overs. before Usman fell for 57. Left hand Arif Mir took up the mantle and he and Salim put on a further 50 runs before Salim finally was caught just five runs short of another century.

With the score, now on 212 after 23 overs, Fellows might have relaxed. But Arif and Rashid turned the screw even tighter, harvesting a further 120 runs from the remaining seven overs. This was mainly due to a series of the excruciating straight drives from Rashid. In seven overs he scored 76 runs. Mouffflon captain Jez Framm, with just 18 runs taken from his first five overs stepped up the crease to try to contain him. A less generous captain might have handed the ball to someone else. Just six balls later his figures were transformed to six overs for 48 runs, with Rashid having taken him for three sixes and three fours. Fellows finished their 30 overs with 322 runs for three wickets. Arif was not out on 36.

This was a higher total scored at a faster rate than the Lions 315 of 35 against Heytesbury a few weeks ago. That had looked to be an unbeatable record.

The unfortunate Moufflons now had to come out to bat. Definitely in denial their opening pair set about their business as though there was a match to be won. But the illusion did not last long. First Rukesh and then Colin and then a succession of batsmen fell one after the other. Granville put up a stolid resistance with Moufflons highest score of 18. Chamlin took five wickets for 10 runs in his five overs, Richard S mopped up the tail with his donkey drops taking three wickets in four balls. Moufflons were all out for 94 after 22 overs.

ESBA V CORFU TAVERN

ESBA and Corfu Tavern started their season on a breezy hot May Sunday morning at AyNic. ESBA promise to field a stronger side this year drawn from a larger squad of players from both Dekhelia and Agios Nicolaus. The pitch at AYNic has been relaid after damage to the old pitch last year. With the pleasant sea breeze that blows from the west the conditions for cricket were ideal.

ESBA batted first and soon found themselves in familiar territory with wickets tumbling for not too many runs. The new wicket played slow benefiting neither batsmen nor bowlers. Corfu Tavern is a Larnaca side put together by Vishnu Naik. Last year they played friendly games and they proved themselves a difficult side to beat. This year they are in the league and promise even to be even more difficult to beat. ESBA were all out for 96. The parsimonious Nirosha took 4 wickets in his 7 overs giving away only 12 runs.

Corfu Tavern overtook ESBA total after 18 overs loosing two wickets. Opening bat Arif Shabbir 42 not out. A good start for Corfu Tavern, a too familiar story for ESBA.