MCCC vs Seveno, Saturday 23rd September

At the backend of September one cannot hold up hopes for any decent weather, but all and sunder were pleasantly surprised by the day that greeted us on the final game of the season against Seveno. It was a glorious last gasp effort at summer, a balmy 25 degrees, no clouds and a cool breeze, drifting across a slightly damp pitch. One could imagine the greats through history (Lille, Bradman, Richards and Capitao) had experienced the same weather as they walked out to the middle in the land that created the beautiful game. On this fine occasion our skip AJ, broke with tradition and decided to win the toss (Won 2 – Lost 10 – Drawn 0 a fine record indeed) and elected to bat. Once again the days activities would show how successful that decision was.

Chris “RyderCup” Whitfield and Mark “Pilgrim” Bartram ambled off to the crease to face. The most unlikely pair of cricketers you have ever seen, probably more suitable for a Laurel and Hardy episode (Chris you aint the skinny one) rather than a game of cricket. However, both lads can hold a cricket bat, and on most occasions face the right direction as well. Seveno, had some missing players (mainly there opening bowlers), so elected to open with their first change bowlers instead. The opening pair, didn’t waste any time in getting stuck straight into the wicket that looked like a green sponge used for cleaning the dishes. Put a layer of icing over the top and serve it with tea! The bounce would have put Andre Agassi off his game at Wimbledon. Cuan “Plays for both teams” Brown, was elected to fill in for the missing fielders and was fortunate enough to watch the drama unfold (and spend almost the entire day on the field!), however its said he enjoyed sledging both teams equally. The opposition barely had time to bowl the first deliveries before MCCC started offering their wickets like free kebabs to drunken antipodeans outside the local Walkabout Pub at 11pm! Unfortunately the wickets did not have the staying power of the renowned garlic mayonnaise (which haunts the breath for days afterwards) that is liberally applied to the kebabs. Instead the top order was evacuated, as easily as the chilli kebab the morning after!! Mark (6) and Chris (2) both departed while the score was on 10. Our superstar Capitao entered the fray, needing a not out, or a 50 to ensure that his average stayed above 50. He started in great fashion slapping the opening bowler back over his head to the long boundary for 6. However, it is alleged that the Aussie superstar had been negotiating with some bookies in the pub in Waugh/Cronje style and had orchestrated an early finish so that he could get back to please the lady in the hopes of seeing action on Saturday and Sunday. (Cricket Action that is, but I like the way you think). All seemed to be going to devious plan when some solid bowling, movement off the wicket and good catching dispatched of Capitao (6), Malik (1), Watt (0) and Clifford (0). (Almost like the queue for the free kebabs). This made eye watering reading of the scoreboard and a scorer that had not seen actions since the 90’s.

Our Skip AJ and Jason “Never Gona Give You Up” Ware attempted to steady the boat (That looked like the result of the “Titanic” & “The perfect Storm”) on 32/6 in the 11th over. Andy “I double step ever bowler” managed to restrain himself for 4 overs in staying in his crease and only getting 2 runs. AJ was tragically denied 4 runs, after a lusty blow back past the bowler was stopped on its way to the boundary as Jason “2-stepper” Ware attempted to move out the way of the accelerating missile. His ballerina steps, that looked something like an act out of Fanstasia, did nothing to prevent the scud like rocket as it homed in on his well padded buttocks. In absolute frustration at both the fielders and his batting partner allowing him to get runs Andy decided to give his wicket away and go smoke up a storm with Nick and Azam, which caused a 3% increase in the Camel Cigarettes company share price.

Cuan “No timing” Brown had to run off the field to get padded up and then run back onto the pitch. This created another Laurel and Hardy pair at the wicket, who at 41/7 in the 15th over, seemed to be starring down the proverbial barrel of a rather large gun.
It so amused the opposition that they brought on the original opening bowlers to clean up the tail so they could get into the pub on the rather warm afternoon. This introduced the paceman that looked and bowled like the famous son of West Indian cricket, Malcolm Marshal. As you can well imagine, the scoring rate plummeted and it looked as if the game was about to come to its abrupt end. Both batsmen did not help themselves by performing remarkable stunts of holing out to the same fielders, 2 deliveries in a row and were summarily dropped both times. Once again, the cricketing gods decided to intervene and change the fate of the game. Both batsmen set anchor, battened down the hatches and called to arms all sailors and weathered the opening pair’s storm. The solid attack progressed well into the 20th overs and the run rate had been but a trickle of singles and quick twos. By the end of the 20th over, Jason “Steel Eye” Ware and Cuan “Streaky” Brown, had managed to double the score to 80 odd. This frustrated the opposition, but their confidence was high and many were singing camp fire songs in anticipation of their victory. It was at this stage, that the trickle over runs became a deluge. Jason “Actions speak louder than words” Ware decided to show his intent in the 30th over by opening his shoulders and smashing Malcolm Marshall in Graham Pollock style back over the bowlers head to the boundary. The floodgates were then opened as the run rate accelerated to just over 6 an over for the remaining 10 overs. Jason “Maiden” Ware, reached his first 50 of the season on his way to a final score of 62 in the 39th over after sacrificing himself for the team. This included a devastating attack on a spinner that bowled 2 overs for 26 runs and a 100 run stand with Q. Steve “Give me a go” Vickery went for the big one and departed for 2. Graham “Here I come ready or Not” Pinkney, ably supported Cuan “Bradman” Brown whom reach 31 n.o in the last over, leaving MCCC on 147/9 in the 40th over.

After a quick tea, MCCC were out in the field, tails held high and wanting to get into the top order. MCCC did not need to wait long as the first opener fell to Brian “Bowl Me at the Death” Clifford, and shortly after, Simon Watt bowled the 3rd batsmen. However it was the silver haired opener that showed the young guns a devastating technique dispatching anything on leg for four runs. At 100/2 after 30 odd overs, it looked like Seveno were well and truly in the pound seat, and it was only a matter of time before the result was a foregone conclusion. The batsmen seemed confident and were even offering chances, but some Keith Pilgrim moments in the outfield let some catches go and MCCC seemed to be performing as well as they batted. An inspirational caught and bowled by the Aussie superstar Roy “Should be Playing for Aus” Capitao, proved he still had it in him in the influence the game, set the fireworks off. It was at this moment, that Graham “I toss em High” Pinkney pulled it out the bag, and dispatched the silvered haired, one stroke only, opener for 58, well caught at long on by Simon “Where are my sweaters” Watt. It was now 120/4 and it looked like Seveno had taken the training wheels off their tricycle as things were starting to look awfully wobbly. The game went down to the wire, 12 balls remaining, 10 runs to get with 6 wickets in hand. This brought our all-rounder Azam “Zam-Zam” Malik into the fray to make amends for the earlier miss-demeanours. However, things didn’t go our way with the first 2 deliveries going for wides, it looked like it would all end shortly. However Azam held it together, which left Brian “Move over Steve O Neil” Clifford, to bowl the last over protecting 4 runs. It was at this stage that lady luck did not turn up to the Seveno’s dance. They partied alone and madness ensued. The Seveno team crumbled like an exceedingly good cake under the pressure of continuous tea dunking. The next 5 deliveries brought about 1x caught behind, 1x bowled, 1 run and 1x run-out. Last ball, 2 to draw, 3 to win, everyone out saving the big shot. Brian “Just call me Flingotff” Clifford bowled a beautiful line and the ball traced its way easily into the keepers hands. MCCC had won by 2 runs. A great finish to a great season. Well done to all the lads involved, especially our skip AJ. A special send off for our Aussie Hero Cappers whom leaves to go back to his sunny home shores, “Send us postcards mate!”

Man of the match: Jason “The Rock” Ware for his 62, and an honourable mention to Cuan “The Rock II” Brown for his 31 in the 100 run partnership.

Muppet Moment: Mark B falling over his shoe laces as the ball trickled past him onto the boundary rope.

Batting
C whitfield 2
M Bartram 6
R Capitao 6
Azzam Malik 1
Jason Ware 62
Simon Watt 0
Brian Clifford 0
A Jarrett 2
Cuan Brown 31
Steve V 3
Grahame Pinkney 0

Bowling
C whitfield-6-1-29-0
R Capitao-8-1-22-1
Azzam Malik-1-0-6-0
Simon Watt-6-0-22-1
Brian Clifford-6-1-11-3
A Jarrett-5-3-10-0
Grahame Pinkney-8-0-31-2

MCCC Vs Bramley

Match Played at: Bramley
Match Played home or away: Away
Date of match: 17/09/2006
Weather: Indian summer with clear blue skies.
Toss won by: MCCC batted first after winning the toss
Pitch Condition: Had all elements of a Bond movie.
Match Format: Time game
MCCC Total: 285/8 in 39 overs
Oppostion Total: 111 all out in 35.3 overs
Match Result: MCCC win!
MCCC Man of the Match: Gerry the Gladiator!

Match Report:

It was just another typical day for the Sunday team. A long drive to reach the ground - Gerry smartly getting there via the shortest route, cheating all the false journey maps - Brian arriving well ahead of the match (read 2 hours or more) and Steve O' Neil arriving late yet again.

To add to Steve, the Cummins brothers and Mike T also arrived quite late. At toss, there were around 7 ppl from MCCC. Gerry had no option but to win the toss and decide to bat.

The ground - for the benefit of those who havent been there - is really a bit innovative. Its got the shortest leg side in MCCC club history and the traffic on the road is quite good. Cars speeding up and down all the time. Thats Bramley for you.

Brian D and Craig H opened the innings as the Cummins brothers hadnt arrived as yet. Being a time game, the strategy was to have a decent start and play sensibly and get the score ticking. Now, the opening bowlers were well into the late 40s and were enticing the batsmen with some slow loopy deliveries.

The devil knocks twice
----------------------

But just as it was turning out to be yet another 'typical day' - things changed. Three balls into the first over, Brian D was caught behind.
Two balls into the second over, Craig H was caught behind.

The scores 0/1 and 0/2. Suddenly the match seemed totally heading the wrong direction and it was less than 8 mins into the match. One down was Satish V and two down was Gerry C. The bowlers had their tails up and were really trying out their loop variations and some quicker ones in between. Needless to say, the repair work started in all earnest. Both the batsmen seemed clear of what they had to do. They had to stay at the wicket and make sure that no more wickets fall atleast for the next hour or so.

The 'Ger-Sat' Recovery
----------------------

Initially, there were some close calls - Gerry top edged one to a spilled catch at point. Satish was going for some deliveries well outside the off stump which could have left for the slip fielders. Then the sensible shots followed, good pull shots by Satish and Gerry's typical sixer factory was producing its first few missiles.
It could be compared to a proper test match scenario - wait for that one or two loose deliveries and dispatch them to where they deserve - the others, patiently block.

Time was the key, runs would eventually come by. Gerry kept the onslaught going and soon reached his 50. Satish was the quieter of the two batsmen, enjoying the sun and looking for the boundaries. The pitch was only adding insult to injury, making the odd delivery lift off or getting a sudden low bounce delivery in. Satish soon reached his 50 off a sweep boundary to fine leg. The score was now 135. It had taken painstakingly - one hour and 40 minutes in the hot sun. In the next over, Satish was out.

Gladiator Gerry
---------------

The partnership having broken at 135, Steve C was the next man in. Steve started in full flow, scoring 2's and 3's and made a fluent 26 before he was caught at midoff. The partnership was 52 between Gerry and Steve. Roy C was the next man in and he soon got out for 7. Next in was Steve O' and he didnt disturb the scorers and got out for 0.

While these wickets were falling - on the other end - Gerry 'the Gladiator' was in majestic form. He was cutting, pulling all over the place. Some of his shots were true cricket strokes. Genuine powerful and clean. His sixer factory was over-productive at times, giving out 2 or 3 sixers in some overs. Soon enough, came his 100. Everyone applauded, the bat was raised, all done and then it was back to the same old story.

There were different kinds of 'Bang' - 'Ball just missing a car' Bang - 'Ball lost in the woods across the road' bang - 'Catch dropped by yet another fielder' Bang - 'Never mind the catch drop' bang.

G = Gerry.

It soon became clear that some records were going to be broken as G crossed the 150 mark. He still seemed focussed and was very much in control of the game. The score in the meanwhile, was getting well beyond the range of the opposition. One of the opposition bowlers, tried to get G to spare him and hit the other bowlers - but G - the nice man that he was - equally distributed the runs amongst all the bowlers.

G looked like the man with a mission. He wanted to break the highest score record and broke it in style and went on to make 180 - when news came in from the scorers that G could make a double whammy. It was finally getting closer to the last over of the day - one could see the opposition thanking the Gods for that.

One over - 6 legal deliveries, 20 runs to make. Now that was not that difficult, Gerry managed 6 runs off the first 3 deliveries, the third of which, he was finally caught at deep square leg. As he walked off, his score was 186.

In came Tony who wasnt out, but was given out caught behind. The score was 277. The next batsman was T Wadhwa - who was desperately hoping not to repeat his hatrick Golden Duck. Luckily for him and the duck, he scored an off drive boundary off the last delivery of the match.

At tea, the score tally was being checked and it emerged that G was on 190 and not 186. A truly mammoth score.

Bowling to Win
--------------

The opposition wanted to get a draw. We need to get a good win. The MCCC bowlers were on fire from the first delivery. Tush W got a bad shoulder and couldnt bowl and was replaced by Gerry. Craig H - the lion heart - made the batsmen toil for the runs and didnt give anything away. Roy replaced Tush and he seemed in great form.

One of the best catches of the season - Craig H in first slip taking a blinder off Roy. It was a terrific catch and got us truly into the game.

First change was Tony H and Graham P. They too mixed their line and length well and kept the wickets coming. Graham picked two valuable wickets.

Soon there was a mild resistance from the oppo as they were trying to block and not give their wickets away. By now, drinks had been taken and it was the customary 20 overs remaining. In came Gerry and bowled some wonderful line and length and got 2 wickets in 2 overs and both of them were maidens!

That turned the match decisively in MCCC favor and it was left to the great finishers in the Sunday team - Mike T. Mike got the remaining 2 in 1.3 overs.

The oppo was bundled out for 111 off 35.3 overs and considering that there were another 3.3 overs to go for the match to get over - it was a very satisfying win.

MCCC Batting Order:
1. B Douglass - 0
2. C Harper - 0
3. S Viswanathan - 50
4. G Coetzer - 190
5. S Cummins - 26
6. R Cummins - 07
7. O Neil - 0
8. M Tennant - 04*
9. T Hammond - 0
10. T Wadhwa - 4*
11. G Pinkney DNB

F.O.W
1- 0(1) 2- 0(2) 3- 135(3) 4- 187(5) 5- 201(6) 6- 226(7) 7- 281(4) 8- 281(9)

Bowling:
C Harper 11 - 6 - 15 - 2
T Wadhwa 0.2- 0 - 4 - 0 (Retd.)
R Cummins 10 - 3 - 40 - 2
T Hammond 4 - 0 - 12 - 0
G Pinkney 6 - 2 - 20 - 2
G Coetzer 2.4- 2 - 0 - 2
M Tennant 1.3- 0 - 5 - 2

MCCC vs Energy Exiles, 16th September (Home) Lost by 4 wickets

MCCC faced Energy Exiles, on a beautiful September day. A mild cool wind, gorgeous sunshine and lovely flat green wicket at home was the setting for a glorious day out. True to form, our returning Skipper Andy “Jetsetter” Jarrett, ambled out to the middle of the pitch (about the location he normally bats from) and summarily lost the toss. It was decided that MCCC would face, and Chris “Balanced by my bottom” Whitfield and Mark “I skipped vs the 2nd’s, but the 2nd’s Won” Bartman strode off to the wicket.

Some excellent bowling by the Exile’s, meant that our intrepid openers were pinned down. In fact many of the fielders found it more interesting to come off the field and chat to remaining batsmen waiting for the leather to appear. After 5 over’s a total of 5 runs had been scored, and at the current run rate 50 seemed to be a long way off. However, after some relentless pressure, Exiles slipped, and the runs started to flow. Mark and Chris smashed some glorious 4’s to the boundary, and the run rate picked up. Mark, (whom had finally returned from hiding due to his loss as skipper vs the 2nd’s) fell for 23 just as he was looking set. This allowed Roy “I aint never gonna walk again, Cos I is Australian” Capitao to the crease. Roy was in a fiery mood to get his average up and was under pressure from the missus on the sidelines with a video recorder. Rumour has it, she was there to film each delivery for the Australian High Comission, to ensure that he did not walk if appealed at. Failure to do so would have resulted in Roy losing his Australian citizenship. Roys normal devastating batting seem to be a little off-colour (probably due to thought of losing his Australian citizenship), and the runs did not flow as they usually did. However, Chris and Roy still managed to climb into the bowling and managed to score 37 and 43 respectively before departing. At almost 110 odd for 3, MCCC seemed well set with 15 overs to go and a lot of batting to come.

It was at this stage, that I would like to paint the picture of a football manager watching his team 3-0 up at half time, only to lose 4-3 at full time. Energy Exiles brought on the twin spin duo of 1x Graham “I bat for both sides” Pinkney and 1x Unknown South African Spinner. The Saffie spinner, had obviously been to the Shane Warne school of spin, as he created pressure by pitching it on the 3rd pitch and moving it back onto the first pitch. Graham, bowled a good line and length adding to the mounting pressure which was turning coal to diamonds. It was at this moment that a collapse akin to the twin towers going down occurred and our football manager’s face appeared. Nick H, Azam M, Keith P, and Jason W all fell in quick succession for 1 or less. Azam was pressured into holing out at mid-wicket by Graham’s deliveries that were lofted so high, that small flying planes, birds and a few satellites were in danger of being brought down. Keith, whom was quiet clearly instructed by 2 batsmen and both umpires that the spinner was turning it a mile and then some, ambled down the wicket to be shocked when the ball moved like it was on a piece of string and it found him out of his crease. Stumped for a duck! Keith left the field wondering why he didn’t hit it for 4! The same advice seemed to fall on deaf ears when Jason W came to the crease. Normally a lad that takes 1001 deliveries to get settled decided on this occasion to play his not so natural game and loft it to long on off his very first delivery. This left Brian Clifford and skipper Andrew Jarrett at the crease with 10 overs to remaining. It was at this stage that they managed to keep it together and scramble up to around 140 runs. Their batting (mostly against the openers) showed that we had probably paid too much respect to their bowlers, and that our situation was purely down to our own failures. Andy fell for 15, after striking 2 cracking 4’s. Cuan “10 or Bust” Brown joined Brian (whom finished on a solid 27 n.o), and some quick singles and classy chinese cuts later left the score on 177 off 40 overs.

Andy, fresh from his stint in the US, some say as a try-out for pitcher for some 3rd division baseball outfit, was firing on all cylinders. The first delivery passed the nose of the opener and at about the same speed he rushed off the grounds to get a helmet and change his underwear. Some really tight bowling by both Andy and Brian kept the run rate down initially. However, once the openers were set, the 4’s started flowing and MCCC looked like they were in a spot of bother. Andy managed to make the breakthrough and get the first wicket. The next batsmen to walk to the crease looked a little shaky (similar to the wobbly bridge spanning the Thames between the Tate and Saint Pauls) and our tails were up. Chris W and Nick H were the double change and bowled a decent spell. Nick “I got some Pace” Hughes bowled a decent line, but frustrated the team by not delivering the pace from the previous week. It is believed that Nick only performs when he has crowds of adoring fans, and we please request that he brings them along in future games. It was off Chris W’s bowling that most of the action happened and he deserved more than just the 2 wickets he received. It was some poor catching that resulted in 3 drop catches by 2 fielders. They will remain nameless to protect their identity. From now on, they will be known as the “Cost-US Pair”. One fielder remarked he wasn’t in the field to catch, just to stop the ball. Moments after muttering this the cricketing gods swiftly dealt out the punishment, in the form of speeding leather cracking against shins and leaving a 3 week bruise on the fielder in question. The opener that was dropped twice managed to steady the boat, even after Exiles lost 4 quick wickets, and got to 50. Azza bowled four overs, but couldn’t seem to find the blazing rhythm that we have become accustomed to. Roy C bowled a fine line but was rewarded by only 1 wicket. Andy attempted to clean up the tail, but to no avail and went for some runs in the last few overs which spoilt his figures. MCCC lost by 3 wickets in the 39th over and were left wondering how the game would have been if they had held onto the catches like they held onto their beers.

Batting
C whitfield 37
M Bartram 23
R Capitao 43
Nick Hughes 1
Azzam Malik 1
Keith pilgrim 0
Jason Ware 0
Brian Clifford 27 no
A Jarrett 15
Cuan Brown 10 no
Steve VickeryDNB

Bowling
C whitfield8-2-22-2
R Capitao6-0-21-1
Nick Hughes 8-0-41-1
Azzam Malik 4-0-19-1
Brian Clifford 5-1-24-0
A Jarrett8-1-28-1

Man of the Match: Chris Whitfield for a solid batting knock (our new opener?) and some quality bowling.

Muppet Moment: Keith not attempting to catch a ball as he thought someone 20m’s away was going to run into him, and in the process almost being hit in the face by the leather returning back from the atmosphere.

MCCC Vs Leatherhead

Match Played at: Leatherhead
Match Played home or away: Away
Date of match: 10/09/2006
Weather: Indian summer with clear blue skies.
Toss won by: MCCC batted first after winning the toss
Pitch Condition: One match away from being a disaster.
Match Format: 40 Overs each way
MCCC Total: 296 all out in 39.4 overs
Oppostion Total: 166 all out in 36.5 overs
Match Result: MCCC win!
MCCC Man of the Match: The 'Sunday' team spirit.

Match Report:

It was billed as one of the toughest games by Jim. Ofcourse, our fixture secretary had an old score to settle. The pitch was really at its last few hours and wisely Gerry won the toss and decided to bat first.

Roy C and Brian D were the openers. MCCC started off in great style, with boundaries flowing left right and center. The opposition bowlers didnt really know what had hit them. We were scoring at a fast-forward rate!! Roy was particularly unfair and kept the fields totally out of the game with his sixes :)

Brian D plays this cut shot very well and it produced many a boundary. 100 in 16 overs (if my memory serves me right!!) - A dream start for any team. Brian D played one shot too much and got caught at long on for 43. He deserved a fifty by all standards!! One down was Satish V. Keen to keep the runs flowing, he started with a boundary and a six.

Roy on the other hand was in his 'ZONE'. Just kept playing his natural aggressive game before being caught/bowled off a top edge. 72 was his final score. Gerry C arrived next and started business as usual.

They say in India that you never run your captain out. Now thats something Satish V had in mind, when he went for a quick single, which ultimately costed his wicket. He was out for 28. After that, the match seemed to turn a bit hostile. Tush the umpire kept giving no-balls (genuine ones of course, and the oppo tried to get him involved in some verbal spat) - Gerry who loves such situations jumped in as well :))

Gerry's sixer factory produced a couple more and when he was looking great guns, he gave a catch to long-on, ending up at 66. Steve O' Lara came in next and played some sensible shots, scoring singles and kept the score ticking. By now the score was around 260. The lower order also contributed to the cause. Craig H made 18 while Jim P made 8.

Overall we batted like lions who refused to be tamed. The odd claps from the pavilion indicated that a wicket had fallen. There was only silence during the rest of our batting when the runs were being pounded.

Gerry C was very upset with the oppo guy who said passed on some unparliamentary compliments and he almost skipped tea for that!! Come on Skip, when the tea bell rings, you just go and pick up a paper plate - yeah!!!

297 to win on that pitch - even Australia cant do that. Leatherhead were out of the game by then.

Our opening bowlers made it all the more tough. Tush took a wicket off the first delivery. Jim P taking a good catch to his left. That set things up and we really strangled the runs and the momentum out of the oppo. Craig H had some 'almost there' deliveries, keeping the batsmen guessing most of the time. Jim P and Tony H were first change. Jim P bowled some immaculate line and length and every delivery seemed worth taking a wicket. Tony H was tempting the batsmen to go over the top and they obliged at his every request. Graham P and Mike T joined in and shared 7 wickets between them.

Mike T - the less said about his wicket taking deliveries the better. He got wickets out of full-toss deliveries and that too on the leg. Graham P was as usual varying line and length and making the odd ball flip in.

The opposition was bundled out for a mere 166 and it was really a good team hunt.

One could see the satisfaction in Jim's eyes - having waited for this day for three seasons.

I will update more on this soon. Watch out for this space!!!

MCCC Vs Energy Exiles

Match Played at: Chiswick
Match Played home or away: Away
Date of match: 03/09/2006
Weather: Summer like weather with a very steady wind blowing.
Toss won by: MCCC bowled first after winning the toss
Pitch Condition: Good. Very green outfield.
Match Format: 40 Overs each way
MCCC Total: 183-3 in 36 overs
Oppostion Total: 182-5 in 40 overs
Match Result: MCCC win!
MCCC Man of the Match: Gerry C for his thunderous 65 and 1-14 off 4 overs.

Match Report:
It was very important to play some games bowling first and then chasing up a total. Gerry decided to give it a go on this aspect and got the opposition to bat first.

Two of our players arrived late.. well into the 6th over. Majid and
Steve O'Chairman. Steve cited a lot of reasons, one of them being 'late-night salsa'!!

Harper the 'Lion Heart' opened the bowling with his 'bowling' partner Tush. A flurry of near misses and almost there deliveries later, the first few wickets fell. Once the initial barrier was broken, their top order got into the act and were playing a sensible game. Jim and Brian C did their best to get the runs under control and fairly succeeded in that as well. Jerry and Tony H were bowling second change. A tossed up delivery from Jerry got the main stay batsman clean bowled. Tony H was going on well on the other, holding up the flow of runs.

Graham later joined the bowling squad and took a quick wicket. In all it was good line and length bowling from all the bowlers and the batsmen had to really work hard to score runs.

All along a very stiff breeze was blowing across the pitch and it was a bit of a challenge getting the ball in from the outfield.

So at half-time it looked quite ok. 184 was the target in 40 overs.
Nothing great about tea. Good old food!!

The opening pair were Gerry C and Brian D. The former was playing like he had a flight to catch after the match and the other was well rooted. Missile Gerry started in full earnest with some lovely straight drives and was in full form. At one stage the score was 64, with Gerry on 50 and Brian on 5.

Playing one shot too often, Gerry got bowled having made 65. In came Satish V.
He had a flight to catch the next over. A swing off the first ball gave him 2 runs - 2 balls later, bowled out. Brian D was holding up his end well and made a patient 38 before being bowled.

The next time the top four batsmen in a team get bowled, they ought to be fined!!

Anyway, coming back to the game, the 'late-comers' were in the middle now. They wanted to make some amends and got into the act from the word 'Go'. They form a very good middle-order pair. Patient, reliable and yeah run-churning as well. Majid looked in very good nick and he was scoring in boundaries all along. He made an unbeaten 47 while Steve O was 22 n.o.

MCCC comfortably made it in the 36th over, winning by 7 wickets. Another match where the team played like one hungry 'pack' of wolves and gave their 100% all throughout.

MCCC Batting Order:
1. B Douglass - 38
2. G Coetzer - 65
3. S Viswanathan - 02
4. Majid - 47
5. S O Neil - 22

Rest - DNB
6. B Clifford
7. C Harper
8. T Wadhwa
9. T Hammond
10. J. Patel
11. G. Pinkney

F.O.W
1- 94(2) 2- 96(3) 3- 114(1)

Bowling:
C Harper 8 - 2 - 27 - 2
T Wadhwa 8 - 1 - 25 - 1
J Patel 3 - 0 - 15 - 0
B Clifford 4 - 0 - 23 - 0
J Coetzer 4 - 0 - 14 - 1
T Hammond 8 - 0 - 28 - 0
G Pinkney 5 - 0 - 36 - 1

MCCC vs Old Manhattens - Saturday 9th September
Match report by Andrew Jarret

In one of the last summer sun days of September MCCC descended upon Long Ditton Rec. A number of individuals had trouble finding the ground, as everything was named Ditton. Funny that. Our stand in captain, Steve O(rganised) Neil, managed to keep the Jarrett losing streak going and lost the toss. However the oppo captain in about the only gesture of goodwill allowed MCCC to bat first in a time game. The cricket ground looked similar to a kidney bean, the long boundary made the MCC boundaries pale in comparison and was easily over 130meters long. The short boundary, was probably 40meters from the bat, one could almost question the position of the pitches. Obviously an elusive plan by the groundsman to ensure he needed to travel minimum distance to reach the pitches.

The new signing Adil Javid and Roy “I’m back” Capitao strode to the wicket to get MCCC off to a pretty good start. Adil showed some good style, but was dwarfed by some lofty blows from the 6 hitting Capitao machine. The opening partnership lasted for 38 runs when Adil was bowled. The bleary-eyed Hughes ambled off the wicket, having just changed and arrived at the field... still a bit confused by all the Dittons in the area. Nick and Roy, our antipodeans friends set about building a good innings. Nick had his keys and turned on the driving machine. Full toss’s, bouncers and beamers, all fell to the V900 drive. Thank goodness there was no coppers around, as Nick would have been pulled over for driving under the influence! Roy’s form started re-appearing and he did not seem to be suffering from post holiday blues to the dismay of the oppositions bowling.

Unfortunately in a moment of madness Roy on 32 edged one to the keeper, and going against everything he knew as an Australian, he WALKED!!! Without waiting for the finger Roy trundled off the field, realising that his parents would be dis-owning him and his girlfriend would be packing her bags on the discovery of this heinous act. It is rumoured that Roy has applied for asylum in South Africa where sportsmanship still exists.

Nick Hughes, getting a bit bored with the game and needing a fag decided to let the ball disturb the stumps shortly afterwards. Steve O(pen my guard) Neil barely bothered the scorers. Azam “My car wont start” Malik, with fire in his eyes went out , preparing to destroy the batting attack. Zam Zam smashed some big 4x’s and was looking very ominous. Simon Watt had replaced Steve O, Oh, Oh, and seemed determined to play his part in the innings. Unfortunately, Simon (7) and Azam (22) fell within a few deliveries. Keith “I got dust in my eyes”, was clean bowled for a duck. Keith, still failing to grasp the laws of the beautiful game, refused to depart as he felt the wicket was not disturbed by the ball, but by the wicket keeper. It was plainly obvious to every man and his dog that this was not the case.

After being dragged off by the tractor, Steve “Im too kewl for these shades” Vickery joined Cuan “Watching painting dry is more fun” Brown to keep the innings together. At this stage MCCC were 115 for 6. A number of streaky shots and quick singles, and it looked like the bus was rolling. Until Cuan “Watch me wind up and smash this” Brown, was bowled by a ball that should have ended up on the roof on Steve’s Porsche. Steve succumbed shortly afterwards, and it was the wag in the tail by Graham and Tony that dragged us up to 163 all out. After a brief respite from the heat, and a solid luncheon, MCCC ambled out onto the kidney shaped field. Nick Hughes opened the bowling,"
and to the surprise of even the opening pair, showed some genuine pace. Many deliveries going through at around throat level with movement to boot. Simon Watt complimented Nick “Shoab Akhtar” very well, and bowled a very tight line. In fact the first 6 overs accounted for exactly 5 runs, and there were chances a plenty. One of the openers fell very cheaply, but it was the teams captain that was the backbone of the batting performance. The oppos skip managed to live through some vicious bowling, with the help of the umpire failing to see the big edge to the keeper, or the stumping which left the batsmen between no-mans land and Birmingham. Nick cleaned up the other opener whom seemed to be struggling with the solid bowling. After this amazing Houdini act and at least one honest shot that came out of the middle of the bat into the covers the team settled down into a good rhythm. Roy and Azam were the double change and continued to apply the pressure. The second wicket fell to Azam in the 20th over for only 60 runs. Even with wickets in hand it didn’t seem like the opposition were going to get the runs in the timed game.

Another double bowling change left Tony and Graham as the twin spin act. Unfortunately some poor leg side bowling meant that there was a glut of runs behind square which kept the fielders very busy. Cuan “Paula Radcliffe” Brown, looked as if he had run 19 marathons and was at least 10 pounds lighter. This acceleration changed the direction of the game, and MCCC had managed to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory. Steve O Neil brought himself on, which once again applied the pressure. The opposition skip was caught by possibly the best catch of the innings by Cuan “Im gonna swallow this ball” Brown off Steves bowling. The batsmen fell one short of his fifty, which many would say is retribution by the cricketing gods for his earlier escape acts. The opposition had a bit of wobbly, and there was a flurry of wickets due to some caught and bowled by our very own Steve O “Houdini” Neil. MCCC could smell blood in the water and confidence was high with 40 runs to get off 10 overs. However some big hitting by the lower order quickly wrapped up the remaining runs in five overs and the opposition won with 4 wickets to spare. MCCC were left wondering where it all went wrong.

Man of the Match – Jointly held by Roy for his batting and Steve for almost winning the match single handily with his bowling
Moment of the Match – Roy destroying the cricket ball for a straight six back over the opening bowlers head, attempting to crush Azam’s and Steve swanky cars in one fell blow.

Batting
A.Javid 12
R.Capitao 32
N.Hughes 17
S. O’Neil 1
A.Malik 22
S.Watt 17
C.Brown 9
K.Pilgrim 0
S.Vickery 8
T.Hammond 6
G Pinkeney 9

Bowling
N.Hughes 10-3-29-1
R.Capitao 5-0-13-0
A.Malik 5-0-27-1
Pinkney 3-0-24-0
T.Hammond 4-0-21-0
S.O’Neil 4-0-18-3
S.Watt 7-2-18-1

MCCC Vs Innings - Sunday August the 20th.

Match Played at: I dont remember!!.
Match Played home or away: Away
Date of match: 20/08/2006
Weather: Pleasant weather with a mild wind blowing.
Toss won by: MCCC won toss and batted
Pitch Condition: Ok.
Match Format: 40 Overs each way
MCCC Total: 232 for 10
Oppostion Total: 170 all out
Match Result: MCCC win!
MCCC Man of the Match: Roy C for his quick fire 73

Match Report:

Gerry, the super captain won the toss - atleast thats what he told us ;) - and we got to bat first. Vivek and Brian opened the innings. The opposition had a good Malinga style opening bowler who got Brian - 3 balls into the first over. 0/1. Satish V went one down. A typical test match scenario was being played out in the next few overs. Rare boundaries, umpteen well-lefts, some played&missed and a few singles. The bowlers kept us in the dock for sometime before Vivek started the counter-offensive. Satish was holding up the other end, making sure there was a good partnership.

With the score at 66, Satish was bowled - trying to flick a straighter delivery. He made 30. Steve C was the next man in. He looked in good nick from the word 'go'. Vivek was collecting his boundaries on the offside in regular intervals before getting out to a straighter delivery - bowled - for a well deserved 46.

Jerry was the next man in. His thigh injury having healed considerably, he looked in good nick. But his innings was cut short as the opening bowler was brought in and a good length in-coming delivery had Jerry bowled for 16. Enter Roy C - the score at 113. The Cummins brothers were at the crease now. Tony H had a tough time doing the scoring as he couldnt distinguish one from the other. Luckily one of them had sleeves on and the other didnt. That proved to be the vital difference!!

Coming back to Roy, he seemed to be in his own zone and started off very well. There were some very quick singles and some well made triples as the brothers capitalized on each other's calling. All good things have to come to an end and Steve got run out for a very well compiled 40. In the end, it was the Roy 'swing swing' show as he scored runs in boundaries and sixers. His blazing innings gave MCCC a very good score of 232.Craig and Tony also contributed making 5 and 6 respectively.

The opposition started off chasing on a good note. It was getting slightly darker and Craig and Tush exploited the conditions well. Tush bowled exceptionally well making the batsmen earn for their runs. But even after losing a couple of wickets, the oppo seemed well on target - good bowling aided by some exceptional fielding really got MCCC into the game. Tush deserves a special mention for his fielding, his pickup and throw in was parfait.

Tony and Jerry then joined the bowling wagon and took 5 wickets between them. Mike Tennant picked up 3 wickets late in the innings. It was not easy going for MCCC and the team really worked itself well as one collective unit. The captaincy was also enjoyable as the fielding placements and the bowling changes were smartly done.

Muppet Moment:

Brian tumbling forward to take a catch at point. He couldnt negate the laws of gravity and the catch was dropped.

MCCC Batting Order:
1. B Douglass - 0
2. V Sarohia- 46
3. S Viswanathan - 30
4. S Cummins - 40
5. G Coetzer - 16
6. R Cummins - 73
7. C Harper - 05
8. M Tennant - 0
9. J Patel – 06
10. T Hammond DNB
11. T Wadhwa - 00

F.O.W
1- 0(1) 2- 66(3) 3- 79(2) 4- 113(5) 5- 163(4) 6- 170(7) 7- 170(8) 8- 212(9) 9-232(6) 10- 232(11)

Bowling:

C Harper 5 - 0 - 31 - 0
T Wadhwa 6 - 0 - 34 - 2
J Patel 6 - 1 - 25 - 0
T Hammond 6 - 0 - 30 - 2
J Coetzer 5 - 0 - 10 - 3
M Tennant 6 - 0 - 23 - 3
R Cummins 1 - 0 - 09 - 0

MCCC Vs Charshalton - Home - Sunday August the 13th.

Match Played at: Taunton Avenue.
Match Played home or away: Home
Date of match: 13/08/2006
Weather: Sun Rain Lightning! Only thunderstorms didnt happen!!
Toss won by: MCCC won toss and batted
Pitch Condition: Damp and Soft.
Match Format: 30 Overs each way
MCCC Total: 219 for 7
Oppostion Total: 106 all out
Match Result: MCCC win!
MCCC Man of the Match: Satish V for his 71 and 2 wickets


August the 13th was all but a rainy day. It seemed in the morning that the match was supposed to be cancelled. And to confirm it, Gerry the captain called up to confim that the match was called off.

Half hour later - London's erratic weather got in a new twist - a smiling sunshine.. and the groundsman had better ideas.. So the match was on again!

Amidst the rain and the sun switching turns - just like a sine curve - the match started in all earnest - 30 overs apiece. Winning the toss, Gerry decided to bat first. Steve C and Brian D got into the act. In the beginning it was quite tricky as the pitch was wet and the ball was skidding a bit. Steve C was the first to get out.. with the score on 41 - bowled off a delivery which kept low.

Satish V was the next man in. Some defensive batting in the first couple of overs gave way to a 'bang-bang' over which gave away 20 runs - 4,0,2,4,4,6 - no wonder the bowler was promptly changed. Brian on the other end was holding up things perfectly. The partnership was building up at a good pace before Brian was bowled by an in-cutter delivery for a well-compiled 41. The partnership for the second wicket was 64. Imran was the next in line and he looked steady before another in-cutting delivery got him for 5. Mike T joined in and contributed 12 runs. Satish was in very good form making 71 before being bowled by - guess what - another in-cutting delivery. The same bowler, the same delivery, the same result!!

Jerry C and Roy C joined the party. Roy C picked a straighter delivery and played a shot towards the non-striker Jerry - taking a painful blow in the thigh region. At one stage Jerry couldnt walk, despite which he smashed two huge sixes off consecutive deliveries in the last over. The first one was more of a missile and its trajectory was perfectly 45 degrees!!!!

Jim and Graham also contributed with 3 and 1 respectively. We ended up at 219 for 7 at the end of 30 overs.

Tea was postponed to make the most of the playing conditions. Jerry decided not to take the field as he was limping. Jim Patel and Satish V opened the bowling. It was always going to be a tough task as the opening batsmen struggled a bit. Jim bowled extremely well with his variation of pace. Satish (4-0-27-2) and Jim (4-0-17-1) got the wickets tumbling. Steve O' Neil and Craig Harper were the first change bowlers. Craig was firing in all cyclinders and got the important wicket of Charshalton's main batsman. The match was all but a matter of time after that. Graham P and Tony H got their act together and bundled up the remaining batsmen. Finally Steve C's direct hit from mid on ended the match. Charshalton was all out for 106.

MCCC Batting Order:
1. B Douglass - 41
2. S Cummins - 20
3. S Viswanathan - 71
4. Imran - 05
5. Mike Tenant - 12
6. G Coetzer - 33
7. R Cummins - 17
8. J Patel – 03
9. G Pinkney - 01
10. T Hammond DNB
11. Craig Harper DNB

F.O.W
1- 41(2) 2- 105(1) 3- 139(4) 4-153(3) 5-156(5) 6-195(7) 7- 200(8)

Bowling:

J Patel 4 - 0 - 17 - 1
S Viswanathan 4 - 0 - 27 - 2
C Harper 4 - 2 - 17 - 2
S O Neil 4 - 0 - 26 - 1
G Pinkney 2 - 0 - 03 - 1
T Hammond 2 - 0 - 12 - 1