Travis_Teh
International Regular
No shame in conceding 300 to Blue.
-
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*Official* Season XIV Discussion and Results
- Thread starter Mr Mxyzptlk
- Start date
NZTailender
I can't believe I ate the whole thing
Sigh. Our bowling which is our strong point in OD failed to show up, leaving our paper thin batting to be torn apart.
dontcloseyoureyes
BARNES OUT
Haha, you've leading our wickets. Like I'd drop you.
You've been a revelation this season.
Smudge
Hall of Fame Member
I take it all back...
Magrat Garlick
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Cricket Web Colts vs Cricket Web Blue
at Fardin Qayyumi CC
Scorecard
Ball By Ball
Cricket Web Blue failed to come up with the team performance that had carried them at the Oval, but a surprise ten-wicket-haul and two centuries was still enough to paper over family-sized cracks and take the Blue side to the top of the table.
Colts chose to bat, but struggled against the new ball, with Fitzsimmons bowled for a golden duck and Rai dropped twice. Yet, but for Popat's double strike in three balls, it would have been a successful morning session; instead, they went into the break at 101 for three, which quickly became four as Rai launched Popat to Fuller, having smashed 62.
Colts played recklessly, and had to pay the price. Though Cole and Kerr looked to have saved the innings with enterprising cricket, both fell in successive overs, leaving the Colts with no score higher than Kerr's usual fare of 63. Morris held a fine catch to dismiss Mike Wilson for six, and after tea, the Blue bowlers were on top and cleaned the Colts up for 283 - Arunava Das remaining not out on 17.
However, Blue had learned little about the way to play on the pitch, lashing out at four an over without thinking of the consequences in a close title race. Colts went off with two wickets, Blue with four sixes and 88 runs - though both incumbents, Stephen Young and James Wilson, should have been out lbw.
Young incredibly survived another vociferous appeal on 38, and went on to thank the umpires. With a herculean effort, he kept the Blue hopes alive almost single-handedly - Liam Camps' 44 was the only contribution of note, as Mike Wilson used reverse swing to dominate the lower order. He reaped four wickets to drag Colts right back into the match, which the Blues had looked to take control of at 219 for three. Young upped the strike rate, attempting to smash Wilson out of the attack, but eventually got caught by Das as last man with Demeza remaining not out. However, an innings of 157 is more than respectable in a game where no other, so far, had reached further than 63.
Demeza continued the habit of opening bowlers nabbing wickets early, yorking Fitzsimmons for eight, but it was once again Sudeep Popat who ignited the match. With his second ball of the innings, he trapped Rai lbw, and though Daniel Towns pulled his way to a faultless fifty, he then threw it away to Demeza in the final over of the second day.
The third day should have been exquisite for batting. A bright sun beamed down on a track that despite the 23 fallen wickets still looked flat, and Kerr and Butler were the men to exploit it. Four boundaries came in the first two overs against Demeza and Popat, but once again, overexuberance helped Popat. Kerr's hoik landed in the hands of a diving Stephen Young, precipitating a match-forfeiting collapse; Cole gave a feeble return catch to Popat, and Butler, having faced out a maiden from Manan Shah, then padded up in the next over and was, perhaps a touch unjustly, given out for 53.
Attempting to pick up the pieces, Das and Mike Wilson went on the counter. It worked somewhat - it helped set a challenging target, as an unstoppable Wilson raced to 68 - but it also allowed Popat to complete the match ten-for, with both Wright and Thomas succumbing to shortish deliveries.
The chase of 279 was wobbly, with both openers caught in the slips after just eight balls, and Peter Young then dropped with the fifteenth ball of the innings. Young responded by becoming the second centurion of the game, a vital achievement which signified a return to form for the Test batsman - though he was floored twice in the same over off Thomas before tea. There was little consistent support, and if the Colts had held their chances - they also dropped Morris on nought - they might have been closer to a final berth; instead Morris fought it out and batted out 40 balls on the third day, allowing Young to complete the century and Blue to end the day 86 runs in arrears.
Laden skies greeted the players on day four, with a rejuvenated Colts' attack expected to tuck in. Instead, Morris played another superb innings to lead Blue expertly to the target, with just the one wicket lost; the overnight three was converted into 55, while Alex Crampton managed to hold down the other end after Young had finally been held on 113.
Cricket Web Colts 283 all out
Kerr 63, Rai 62, Cole 52; Popat 5/63, Camps 2/25
Cricket Web Blue 294 all out
Young S 157; Wilson 4/51, Weber 2/35
Cricket Web Colts 289 all out
Wilson 68*, Butler 53, Towns 50; Popat 5/52, Demeza 3/98
Cricket Web Blue 279 for six
Young P 113, Morris 55*; Wright 3/84
Cricket Web Blue won by four wickets
Man of the Match: S. Popat (Cricket Web Blue)
Masters XI vs Cricket Web Green
at Casston Reserve
Scorecard
Ball By Ball
Cricket Web Green completed a steal at Casston, successfully chasing 383 after two legendary partnerships made up a fourth-innings total higher than the other three of the match. The Masters seemed to have struck gold with swapping in Upul Chandana as a specialist batsman for Tyron Henderson, but ultimately, the lack of bowling depth came back to bite them.
After being inserted, the Masters played cautiously, though bizarrely kept their wickets intact against a cruelly unlucky Mat Mitchell, who had three easy catches dropped in the space of ten deliveries. Though Lara was caught by Mamesh just before lunch, the Masters still had some respectability at 88 for three, though Green kept working and fully deserved the top order decimation they achieved just after the break.
However, Justin Kemp and Upul Chandana kept the Masters afloat with a fine 73-run stand, and Kemp batted well with the tail - which had Shane Bond at eleven, considerable spunk - to boost the Masters to 280, including a 60-run stand between Warne and Kemp. Thomas Odoyo then had Malone caught at the end of the day, and the teams went off with honours even.
Green's hara-kiri brand of cricket barely paid dividends on the second morning, however. In 41 overs, Green lost nine wickets, leaving Thamba Mamesh having faced only 57 balls from number four - to his credit, he bashed 74 runs, yet was only dropped once. Wickets were spread around as the lower middle order, in particular, crumbled like a cookie; Scott and Garven had put on 101 for the second wicket before the collapse began, while Rose's twelve-ball innings was enough to share a stand with Mamesh of 36. Warne shut off the innings effectively with a brace, leaving the Masters with a lead of 41.
With two innings completed after just four and a half sessions, the Masters could play somewhat more cautiously during their second innings, epitomised by Shiv Sundar Das. The Indian batsman prodded around for 27, remaining at the crease for more than two hours, as the opening partnership ground out 74 in 31 overs, yet should have blunted the ball for the middle order to exploit. Instead, Nick Scott pulled off an excellent catch to dismiss Dale Benkenstein, and Imran Farhat threw it all away with a sniff outside off which flew to Garven at first slip - three down at the close of play.
Brian Lara's 85 was the highlight of the innings, though Upul Chandana was also vital in boosting the total to the eventual 340, with a fearless approach to the new ball and well-crafted shots against the old one. No Green bowler stood out particularly, though Corrin ended with three wickets after simple catches and Forner whipped out the tailenders. The main difference from the first innings was the inefficiency of Cunningham and Rose, though they would come to the fore in the chase.
Shane Bond has been spectacular for the Masters all season, and a ripper to begin the innings swung the odds pretty heavily towards the hosts. Yet, Garven and Malone showed no signs of breaking up the guzzling rate from the first innings, dismantling Bond with three fours in the over before tea to go to 71 for one - one quarter of the target achieved with only 11 overs down.
Garven eventually inside edged Bond for 92, but the Garven/Malone pairing had added 154 and given Green plenty of hope of winning the match. Warne failed to exploit good bowling conditions towards the end of the day, and Green closed on 224 for three, with Mamesh and Gonzalez poised to end the match before lunch on day four.
No such luck. Warne ripped one past the bat to trap Mamesh on the crease for 30, and the Masters kept bowling attacking lines to worry the incoming Green batsmen. Gonzalez was a beacon, but was put out by a slower ball from Kemp with half an hour remaining to the break - on a dissembling pitch, Green still required 67 runs, with their eight and nine batting together. Cunningham and Rose were undaunted, however, and began a deluge of shots to batter Bond and Kemp out of the attack - in desperation, Warne turend to spin, only for that to be slogged out of the ground, too. With Rose dropped on the stroke of lunch, the pair had added 75 in 35 minutes, and suddenly there was no target left. Bizarrely, lunch was still taken, with Klusener coming out to bowl two balls before Cunningham hit the winning two. However, the result was largely academical, as Black and Red had piled up bonus points and confirmed Green's potential total of 229 would not be enough to reach a final.
Masters XI 280 all out
Kemp 82; Cunningham 4/40, Raftery 3/44
Cricket Web Green 239 all out
Mamesh 74, Scott 60; Warne 4/44, Kemp 2/42
Masters XI 340 all out
Lara 85, Imran 62, Chandana 60*; Forner 4/56, Corrin 3/63
Cricket Web Green 383 for seven
Garven 92, Gonzalez 71, Malone 68, Cunningham 44*; Bond 3/94
Cricket Web Green won by three wickets
Man of the Match: A. J. Garven (Green)
Cricket Web Red vs Cricket Web Black
at CW Oval
Scorecard
Ball By Ball
Cricket Web Red went within one point of the table lead after a convincing batting performance against a toothless Black side. Andrew Cloete's pair of centuries meant Black set challenging targets, but Red's batting was equal to it, with both Jamee Gray and David Kearsley vital cogs in a match where Nath Patrick went wicketless from 38 overs.
It was not a match for strike bowlers. Runs flowed freely, despite the variable bounce, though Red largely opted for crease occupation rather than crowd entertainment. Black, on the other hand, battered the boundaries freely during the first innings, with only Dav Richards of the recognised batsmen having a strike rate under 50. Andrew Cloete was the chief exponent of this attack form, smashing eleven fours and one six during his magnificent 113 - the morning session yielded an incredible 162 runs, though Red also took three wickets to redeem their hopes somewhat.
In some ways, Black threw away the match on the first day. Nine batsmen were out caught, five of them for scores between 30 and 60; usually it was lazy shots which conveyed an air of superiority. In fact, the bowling was really rather shoddy, with thirteen no-balls, and John Heads as one of the leading wicket-takers; yet, Black amassed 360 for four bonus points.
Davis and Patrick bowled well enough with the new ball, taking one wicket and having Gray dropped on eight; as many drops in this round, it would turn out to be crucial. Red closed on 36 for one, then batted out almost the entire morning session for only the loss of one wicket, when captain Mørk dragged on Davis for 40. Considering his season, it was overperforming, and the Blacks knew it, as their celebrations were muted.
Gray remained, as he has been all season, a true rock in the Red batting order, developing in the FC game after his exceptional one-day season last year. A two-hundred ball century across four sessions and fighting off two new balls boosted Red to 305 for three with twenty minutes to go of the second day; then Red began machinations to earn bonus points, an unwise tactic. Dav Richards exploited the attacking approach and reaped two wickets as Red crashed to 381 for nine; having fought off eight overs, and with nine required off 36 for the final bonus points, Bennett smashed out to Davis, and Black had not only prevented the bonus points, they were also right back in the game.
With another run deluge after lunch, Black forced their way to 146 for one, despite Smith keeping strike for much of the partnership with the rampant Cloete. Ritchie had been caught by Heads for Amir's second - and final - wicket of the match, but at tea, Black were still effectively 115 for one, and with Red's traditionally frail batting coming last on a cracked wicket, it looked like Black were in control.
Sean Bennett forced Red back into the match with a bamboozling spell in the evening session, however, taking out Smith, Blackman and Chaulk to curtail the Black middle order. Andrew Cloete had been caught behind to an exceptional ball from Martin West, who despite this was not elevated to new ball duties; a poor choice. West got the ball in the ninth new ball over, and paid back with the last three wickets, to limit the target to 350.
The pitch, however, did not look like a 350 wicket, and Black deserve serious criticism for letting this slip. Mørk, still in horrible form, should have been caught behind at seven, but the main problem was the lack of stump-threatening lines; the chances were largely due to Red thinking they had too little time, though they still managed an opening partnership of 130, which meant the chase was more than manageable.
Entering the final day, Red required 147 runs with nine wickets in hand, Mørk and Gray having faced out 20 largely troubleless overs. Smith rotated his bowlers in desperation, and had some success in the morning session as Mørk and Gray were pried out, followed by a Dauth slog to Davis for 15. With the total on 244 for three and the new ball imminent, Mørk decided on a surprise option, putting David Kennett up to bat at five to tie down one end. Kearsley, demoted to six, came in immediately after due to Dauth's indiscretion; yet the tactic paid off splendidly. Yet another ineffective new ball spell from Patrick - the fourth of the match - helped Kennett ease into the role, while David Kearsley at the other end made a successful assault at the required hundred runs; Kennett contributed a grand total of three scoring shots, plus four leg-byes, yet remained unbeaten against nine bowling changes and 136 deliveries. A partisan crowd cheered the end of every over, as the stand grew closer and closer to taking Red to the victory; there was simply no chances on offer, and Red secured triumph just after half four on the fifth day, after a gruelling game of cricket.
Cricket Web Black 360 all out
Cloete 113, Donald 53, Burge 49, Ritchie J 46; Bennett 3/58, Heads 2/23
Cricket Web Red 391 all out
Gray 140, Kearsley 73, Mørk 40; Richards 4/58, Davis 3/87, Borcich 2/81
Cricket Web Black 380 all out
Cloete 110, Smith 76; West 5/87, Bennett 3/61
Cricket Web Red 350 for four
Luff 89, Kearsley 83*, Mørk 65, Gray 57
Cricket Web Red won by six wickets
Man of the Match: J. R. Gray (Cricket Web Red)
After a truly heart-stopping round of chases, the table looks like this:
Black ahead on fewest losses. Nails to be bitten across the land in the remaining two FC rounds.
at Fardin Qayyumi CC
Scorecard
Ball By Ball
Cricket Web Blue failed to come up with the team performance that had carried them at the Oval, but a surprise ten-wicket-haul and two centuries was still enough to paper over family-sized cracks and take the Blue side to the top of the table.
Colts chose to bat, but struggled against the new ball, with Fitzsimmons bowled for a golden duck and Rai dropped twice. Yet, but for Popat's double strike in three balls, it would have been a successful morning session; instead, they went into the break at 101 for three, which quickly became four as Rai launched Popat to Fuller, having smashed 62.
Colts played recklessly, and had to pay the price. Though Cole and Kerr looked to have saved the innings with enterprising cricket, both fell in successive overs, leaving the Colts with no score higher than Kerr's usual fare of 63. Morris held a fine catch to dismiss Mike Wilson for six, and after tea, the Blue bowlers were on top and cleaned the Colts up for 283 - Arunava Das remaining not out on 17.
However, Blue had learned little about the way to play on the pitch, lashing out at four an over without thinking of the consequences in a close title race. Colts went off with two wickets, Blue with four sixes and 88 runs - though both incumbents, Stephen Young and James Wilson, should have been out lbw.
Young incredibly survived another vociferous appeal on 38, and went on to thank the umpires. With a herculean effort, he kept the Blue hopes alive almost single-handedly - Liam Camps' 44 was the only contribution of note, as Mike Wilson used reverse swing to dominate the lower order. He reaped four wickets to drag Colts right back into the match, which the Blues had looked to take control of at 219 for three. Young upped the strike rate, attempting to smash Wilson out of the attack, but eventually got caught by Das as last man with Demeza remaining not out. However, an innings of 157 is more than respectable in a game where no other, so far, had reached further than 63.
Demeza continued the habit of opening bowlers nabbing wickets early, yorking Fitzsimmons for eight, but it was once again Sudeep Popat who ignited the match. With his second ball of the innings, he trapped Rai lbw, and though Daniel Towns pulled his way to a faultless fifty, he then threw it away to Demeza in the final over of the second day.
The third day should have been exquisite for batting. A bright sun beamed down on a track that despite the 23 fallen wickets still looked flat, and Kerr and Butler were the men to exploit it. Four boundaries came in the first two overs against Demeza and Popat, but once again, overexuberance helped Popat. Kerr's hoik landed in the hands of a diving Stephen Young, precipitating a match-forfeiting collapse; Cole gave a feeble return catch to Popat, and Butler, having faced out a maiden from Manan Shah, then padded up in the next over and was, perhaps a touch unjustly, given out for 53.
Attempting to pick up the pieces, Das and Mike Wilson went on the counter. It worked somewhat - it helped set a challenging target, as an unstoppable Wilson raced to 68 - but it also allowed Popat to complete the match ten-for, with both Wright and Thomas succumbing to shortish deliveries.
The chase of 279 was wobbly, with both openers caught in the slips after just eight balls, and Peter Young then dropped with the fifteenth ball of the innings. Young responded by becoming the second centurion of the game, a vital achievement which signified a return to form for the Test batsman - though he was floored twice in the same over off Thomas before tea. There was little consistent support, and if the Colts had held their chances - they also dropped Morris on nought - they might have been closer to a final berth; instead Morris fought it out and batted out 40 balls on the third day, allowing Young to complete the century and Blue to end the day 86 runs in arrears.
Laden skies greeted the players on day four, with a rejuvenated Colts' attack expected to tuck in. Instead, Morris played another superb innings to lead Blue expertly to the target, with just the one wicket lost; the overnight three was converted into 55, while Alex Crampton managed to hold down the other end after Young had finally been held on 113.
Cricket Web Colts 283 all out
Kerr 63, Rai 62, Cole 52; Popat 5/63, Camps 2/25
Cricket Web Blue 294 all out
Young S 157; Wilson 4/51, Weber 2/35
Cricket Web Colts 289 all out
Wilson 68*, Butler 53, Towns 50; Popat 5/52, Demeza 3/98
Cricket Web Blue 279 for six
Young P 113, Morris 55*; Wright 3/84
Cricket Web Blue won by four wickets
Man of the Match: S. Popat (Cricket Web Blue)
Masters XI vs Cricket Web Green
at Casston Reserve
Scorecard
Ball By Ball
Cricket Web Green completed a steal at Casston, successfully chasing 383 after two legendary partnerships made up a fourth-innings total higher than the other three of the match. The Masters seemed to have struck gold with swapping in Upul Chandana as a specialist batsman for Tyron Henderson, but ultimately, the lack of bowling depth came back to bite them.
After being inserted, the Masters played cautiously, though bizarrely kept their wickets intact against a cruelly unlucky Mat Mitchell, who had three easy catches dropped in the space of ten deliveries. Though Lara was caught by Mamesh just before lunch, the Masters still had some respectability at 88 for three, though Green kept working and fully deserved the top order decimation they achieved just after the break.
However, Justin Kemp and Upul Chandana kept the Masters afloat with a fine 73-run stand, and Kemp batted well with the tail - which had Shane Bond at eleven, considerable spunk - to boost the Masters to 280, including a 60-run stand between Warne and Kemp. Thomas Odoyo then had Malone caught at the end of the day, and the teams went off with honours even.
Green's hara-kiri brand of cricket barely paid dividends on the second morning, however. In 41 overs, Green lost nine wickets, leaving Thamba Mamesh having faced only 57 balls from number four - to his credit, he bashed 74 runs, yet was only dropped once. Wickets were spread around as the lower middle order, in particular, crumbled like a cookie; Scott and Garven had put on 101 for the second wicket before the collapse began, while Rose's twelve-ball innings was enough to share a stand with Mamesh of 36. Warne shut off the innings effectively with a brace, leaving the Masters with a lead of 41.
With two innings completed after just four and a half sessions, the Masters could play somewhat more cautiously during their second innings, epitomised by Shiv Sundar Das. The Indian batsman prodded around for 27, remaining at the crease for more than two hours, as the opening partnership ground out 74 in 31 overs, yet should have blunted the ball for the middle order to exploit. Instead, Nick Scott pulled off an excellent catch to dismiss Dale Benkenstein, and Imran Farhat threw it all away with a sniff outside off which flew to Garven at first slip - three down at the close of play.
Brian Lara's 85 was the highlight of the innings, though Upul Chandana was also vital in boosting the total to the eventual 340, with a fearless approach to the new ball and well-crafted shots against the old one. No Green bowler stood out particularly, though Corrin ended with three wickets after simple catches and Forner whipped out the tailenders. The main difference from the first innings was the inefficiency of Cunningham and Rose, though they would come to the fore in the chase.
Shane Bond has been spectacular for the Masters all season, and a ripper to begin the innings swung the odds pretty heavily towards the hosts. Yet, Garven and Malone showed no signs of breaking up the guzzling rate from the first innings, dismantling Bond with three fours in the over before tea to go to 71 for one - one quarter of the target achieved with only 11 overs down.
Garven eventually inside edged Bond for 92, but the Garven/Malone pairing had added 154 and given Green plenty of hope of winning the match. Warne failed to exploit good bowling conditions towards the end of the day, and Green closed on 224 for three, with Mamesh and Gonzalez poised to end the match before lunch on day four.
No such luck. Warne ripped one past the bat to trap Mamesh on the crease for 30, and the Masters kept bowling attacking lines to worry the incoming Green batsmen. Gonzalez was a beacon, but was put out by a slower ball from Kemp with half an hour remaining to the break - on a dissembling pitch, Green still required 67 runs, with their eight and nine batting together. Cunningham and Rose were undaunted, however, and began a deluge of shots to batter Bond and Kemp out of the attack - in desperation, Warne turend to spin, only for that to be slogged out of the ground, too. With Rose dropped on the stroke of lunch, the pair had added 75 in 35 minutes, and suddenly there was no target left. Bizarrely, lunch was still taken, with Klusener coming out to bowl two balls before Cunningham hit the winning two. However, the result was largely academical, as Black and Red had piled up bonus points and confirmed Green's potential total of 229 would not be enough to reach a final.
Masters XI 280 all out
Kemp 82; Cunningham 4/40, Raftery 3/44
Cricket Web Green 239 all out
Mamesh 74, Scott 60; Warne 4/44, Kemp 2/42
Masters XI 340 all out
Lara 85, Imran 62, Chandana 60*; Forner 4/56, Corrin 3/63
Cricket Web Green 383 for seven
Garven 92, Gonzalez 71, Malone 68, Cunningham 44*; Bond 3/94
Cricket Web Green won by three wickets
Man of the Match: A. J. Garven (Green)
Cricket Web Red vs Cricket Web Black
at CW Oval
Scorecard
Ball By Ball
Cricket Web Red went within one point of the table lead after a convincing batting performance against a toothless Black side. Andrew Cloete's pair of centuries meant Black set challenging targets, but Red's batting was equal to it, with both Jamee Gray and David Kearsley vital cogs in a match where Nath Patrick went wicketless from 38 overs.
It was not a match for strike bowlers. Runs flowed freely, despite the variable bounce, though Red largely opted for crease occupation rather than crowd entertainment. Black, on the other hand, battered the boundaries freely during the first innings, with only Dav Richards of the recognised batsmen having a strike rate under 50. Andrew Cloete was the chief exponent of this attack form, smashing eleven fours and one six during his magnificent 113 - the morning session yielded an incredible 162 runs, though Red also took three wickets to redeem their hopes somewhat.
In some ways, Black threw away the match on the first day. Nine batsmen were out caught, five of them for scores between 30 and 60; usually it was lazy shots which conveyed an air of superiority. In fact, the bowling was really rather shoddy, with thirteen no-balls, and John Heads as one of the leading wicket-takers; yet, Black amassed 360 for four bonus points.
Davis and Patrick bowled well enough with the new ball, taking one wicket and having Gray dropped on eight; as many drops in this round, it would turn out to be crucial. Red closed on 36 for one, then batted out almost the entire morning session for only the loss of one wicket, when captain Mørk dragged on Davis for 40. Considering his season, it was overperforming, and the Blacks knew it, as their celebrations were muted.
Gray remained, as he has been all season, a true rock in the Red batting order, developing in the FC game after his exceptional one-day season last year. A two-hundred ball century across four sessions and fighting off two new balls boosted Red to 305 for three with twenty minutes to go of the second day; then Red began machinations to earn bonus points, an unwise tactic. Dav Richards exploited the attacking approach and reaped two wickets as Red crashed to 381 for nine; having fought off eight overs, and with nine required off 36 for the final bonus points, Bennett smashed out to Davis, and Black had not only prevented the bonus points, they were also right back in the game.
With another run deluge after lunch, Black forced their way to 146 for one, despite Smith keeping strike for much of the partnership with the rampant Cloete. Ritchie had been caught by Heads for Amir's second - and final - wicket of the match, but at tea, Black were still effectively 115 for one, and with Red's traditionally frail batting coming last on a cracked wicket, it looked like Black were in control.
Sean Bennett forced Red back into the match with a bamboozling spell in the evening session, however, taking out Smith, Blackman and Chaulk to curtail the Black middle order. Andrew Cloete had been caught behind to an exceptional ball from Martin West, who despite this was not elevated to new ball duties; a poor choice. West got the ball in the ninth new ball over, and paid back with the last three wickets, to limit the target to 350.
The pitch, however, did not look like a 350 wicket, and Black deserve serious criticism for letting this slip. Mørk, still in horrible form, should have been caught behind at seven, but the main problem was the lack of stump-threatening lines; the chances were largely due to Red thinking they had too little time, though they still managed an opening partnership of 130, which meant the chase was more than manageable.
Entering the final day, Red required 147 runs with nine wickets in hand, Mørk and Gray having faced out 20 largely troubleless overs. Smith rotated his bowlers in desperation, and had some success in the morning session as Mørk and Gray were pried out, followed by a Dauth slog to Davis for 15. With the total on 244 for three and the new ball imminent, Mørk decided on a surprise option, putting David Kennett up to bat at five to tie down one end. Kearsley, demoted to six, came in immediately after due to Dauth's indiscretion; yet the tactic paid off splendidly. Yet another ineffective new ball spell from Patrick - the fourth of the match - helped Kennett ease into the role, while David Kearsley at the other end made a successful assault at the required hundred runs; Kennett contributed a grand total of three scoring shots, plus four leg-byes, yet remained unbeaten against nine bowling changes and 136 deliveries. A partisan crowd cheered the end of every over, as the stand grew closer and closer to taking Red to the victory; there was simply no chances on offer, and Red secured triumph just after half four on the fifth day, after a gruelling game of cricket.
Cricket Web Black 360 all out
Cloete 113, Donald 53, Burge 49, Ritchie J 46; Bennett 3/58, Heads 2/23
Cricket Web Red 391 all out
Gray 140, Kearsley 73, Mørk 40; Richards 4/58, Davis 3/87, Borcich 2/81
Cricket Web Black 380 all out
Cloete 110, Smith 76; West 5/87, Bennett 3/61
Cricket Web Red 350 for four
Luff 89, Kearsley 83*, Mørk 65, Gray 57
Cricket Web Red won by six wickets
Man of the Match: J. R. Gray (Cricket Web Red)
After a truly heart-stopping round of chases, the table looks like this:
Code:
Blue 9 9 0 62 48 236
Black 9 6 3 48 49 235
Red 9 8 1 55 50 235
Colts 7 6 5 52 50 220
Green 6 10 2 44 50 185 E
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silentstriker
The Wheel is Forever
Popat has been outdoing me in both ODs and FC. Unacceptable.
HeathDavisSpeed
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Kennett 8 from 136 balls? What the hell.
Losing to red is unacceptable. I would like to blame the batsmen, but allowing red to score greater than 200 runs twice is pretty damn awful.
Losing to red is unacceptable. I would like to blame the batsmen, but allowing red to score greater than 200 runs twice is pretty damn awful.
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Sudeep
International Captain
Practice more. Your science projects have kept you from focusing on cricket.
Magrat Garlick
Request Your Custom Title Now!
Injury report:
Just as Rob Cribb returns from his injury, James Wilson (Blue) suffered a dislocated jaw after being hit by a ball during training. Wilson will miss the remainder of the regular season, but return for the finals.
Just as Rob Cribb returns from his injury, James Wilson (Blue) suffered a dislocated jaw after being hit by a ball during training. Wilson will miss the remainder of the regular season, but return for the finals.
Mr Mxyzptlk
Request Your Custom Title Now!
Conspiracy undoubtedly. But Cribb is a star.
Mister Wright
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Shocking finish to the season for us, a familiar tale unfortunately. While other teams pick it up at the business end, we continue to falter. We really need to pick up our game with whatever matches remain.