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Post by mangeshakerkar on Jul 27, 2010 16:11:11 GMT
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Post by wheels on Jul 28, 2010 19:35:07 GMT
Championes!
Won by 5 wickets chasing 93, 7 overs to spare. Details will follow, but not tonight as we're off to the pub...
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Post by barrowboy on Jul 28, 2010 20:24:42 GMT
Well done boys. Thoroughly deserved
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Post by wheels on Jul 29, 2010 9:10:36 GMT
A bit more detail, copied from ESCA message board:
Murrayfield DAFS won the final at Newfield by 5 wickets:
Standard Life 92 all out (18.5 overs)
R.Thornton 26 M.Gandhe 21 T.Wheeler 3-13 R.Davanagere 3-20
Murrayfield DAFS 93 for 5 (13.3 overs)
A.Mohammad 37 S.Fergusson 24* G.Das 2-17 R.Thornton 2-25
Cracking fightback to pull SL back from 72 for 2 in the 13th over to 92 all out, then some great hitting from Asif to take us most of the way home - though still left us time enough for a characteristic wobble before Sam saw us over the line.
Entertaining final played in the best of spirits. Good luck to SL in the Parks final next week.
More detail follows if I get time over lunch...
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Post by wheels on Jul 29, 2010 13:03:02 GMT
As half-promised...
Following their one run win over Musselburgh on Monday, we faced a Standard Life side largely made up of Kirk Brae first teamers. For once Maggy's mind control over opposition captains at the toss failed to work and we were sent out to field first. The early signs weren't great as SL raced to 25-0 from 3 overs, with both Melvyn and JP (and later Raj) seeing their first balls disappear for four.
Some smart thinking from Maggy and Melv brought about a field change with a packed off side to cut off the batsmen's main scoring areas, a move that bore fruit straight away as opener Colvin, looking to manufacture runs as the dot balls mounted up, was superbly bowled through the gate by Melvyn for 12. Dangerous opener Gandhe moved rapidly to 21 before Raj trapped him LBW with a beauty that nipped back, but Thornton (26) led the way as SL moved to a strong-looking position of 72 for 2 in the 13th over, although skipper Maggy's miserly bowling helped to ensure we remained in the game.
It's long been the case that a game of cricket can turn on a single moment of good fortune, good play or some combination of the two. This was certainly the case here as Thornton launched Raj straight down the ground for what looked a certain six, but your correspondent surprised everyone (himself very much included) by running round from long on and taking an unlikely running catch in mid-air. Quite opportune given that he had only just been "promoted" from fielding third man to third man for the first half of the innings. Melv slightly harshly (but fairly) suggested that Willie might require resuscitation after witnessing such an improbable event...
The suspicion that Tom should have bought a lottery ticket was further increased as he came on to bowl the next over and had Sangster caught by JP at midwicket off a nasty long hop, then Gul sharply taken by Luke behind the stumps off the occasionally-deadly Wheeler arm ball. 72 for 2 had become 74 for 5 - soon to be 75 for 6 as Blake was castled by Raj without troubling the scorers.
It was nearly 76 for 7 as Kumar hit Tom to Asif at long on, but after taking a fine catch his momentum carried him over the line and he immediately signalled six - to his very great credit, given that the umpire and opposition could not possibly have seen that he had stepped over. Excellent sportsmanship and a good illustration to all present of what our club is all about.
One ball later Kumar did depart, driving another quicker ball to Raj at cover, who made a sharp running chance look easy. Tom might have had a fourth as a difficult return catch flicked the end of his fingers and ran down the ground to Madhu, who took advantage of a mix-up between the wickets to throw back to the bowler and run out Das for 2. Maggy tidied up the tail in two balls and SL were all out for 92 off 18.5 overs, having lost their last 8 wickets for just 20.
It should have been a straightforward chase, and felt that way as Asif and Luke put on a quick 29 for the first wicket before Luke was well caught by the diving Colvin behind the stumps off Chouguley for 13. We were then treated to the familiar sight of Asif going massive, hitting six fours and one enormous six to the long boundary on his way to 37 off 24 balls before falling to another fine catch from the giant Colvin, this time off Thornton. This sparked a mini-wobble, with Regan (1), Madhu (7) and Anand (2) all falling cheaply, but throughout this time Sam played with elegant ease, launching Das for a tremendous straight six to ease the nerves of his watching team-mates. Tensions were released further by the sight of Maggy walking into bat - surely the best number 7 in the competition - and he and Sam saw us home with ease, Sam hitting two successive fours off Kumar to finish the game with 6.3 overs to spare.
After presentations and photos, we decamped to the Stockbridge Tap (formerly Bert's) where much victory beer was supped - first round to Tom after receiving the man of the match award, to take pride of place in the Wheeler hovel alongside his under 13s player of the year trophy...
A great effort from all and great to claim some silverware for the third consecutive season, after the memorable Cow Corner victories for 2008 and 2009. Two more trophies for the 1s to go for - the ActivCity 20/20 (formerly Cow Corner), and the big one - the division 2 title. So at the moment it's not even a job half done - but still fantastic to get that winning feeling. Very well done to everyone who played in the final, and in the entire Terry Newcombe campaign.
Tom
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