MATCH – FINAL – Island Cricket Club vs. the Liquid Lounge Lizards 2008

Sunday 22nd June 2008

ICC WIN LEAGUE TO DENY LIZARDS THE TRIPLE CROWN

A glorious day awaited the finalists in the 2008 Island Furniture League. After 23 weeks & 20 matches, the Island Cricket Club (ICC) again found themselves up against the Liquid Lounge Lizards (LLL) – winners of the League from the previous two seasons. Would the Lizards grab another win & claim the Triple Crown or would the ICC lads deny them that honour.

A.Chand, skipper of the ICC team, won the toss & elected to bat first. In scathing heat Chand, along with fellow opener R.Panday, got the ICC off to a steady start before Panday was bowled by R.Narula for 17 while trying to play a lavish shot through Mid-on. This brought Dimple to the crease who had made quite a few runs during the season. And he didn’t disappoint today as he & Chand put on a 2nd wicket partnership of 137 runs before Chand was adjudged LBW while on 66. Dimple fell during the next over on 69 when he was caught by B.Daniels at Long off. It must be noted that prior to this Dimple had been dropped five times in his innings by the LLL lads who normally kept a tight ship in the fielding department. With the score at 186/3 in the 23rd over, the ICC camp were well on track to putting together a decent total. S.Khan & M.Singh maintained the momentum before Khan was bowled by M.Ayling on 35 & Singh was run-out while on 20. S.Sharma also chipped in with a handy tally of 36 runs to propel the ICC side to 289 runs in their 35 overs. For the Lizards it was probably an outing in the field that they would prefer to forget with up to eight catching opportunities going begging & none of the bowlers showing the form that got them to the final.

Shortly before 2pm the Lizards side got their innings underway chasing down 290 to retain the Green Man Cup for the 3rd year in succession. However it wasn’t the start they were looking for when B.Whitehead fell for a golden duck in the 1st over after being judged LBW off the bowling of Kamlesh. Sounds of disbelief could be heard from the Lizards camp. However it is only the umpire’s decision that counts in the game of cricket and Whitehead made his way back to the pavilion. This brought LLL captain R.Meyer to the crease & along with R.Loughland they steadied the ship. They moved the score along to 102 before Loughland (50) was bowled while trying to hit Khan’s bowling out of the park. Meyer soon followed on 32 succumbing to a sharp catch by Chand at Mid-On. Score: 105/3 off 15 overs. However things soon looked up for the LLL squad when C.DuPreez & S.Reading put together a 72 run stand to get the team back in the match. Reading eventually fell on 42 with the score on 173 /4 in the 23rd over. Shortly thereafter the skies opened up & the match experienced a short rain delay. There were a few nervous faces under the beer tent as run-rate would determine the winner if play could not continue. However, after less than 30 minutes of stoppage time the umpires decided that conditions were safe enough to resume the match. With darkening clouds & rain on the horizon, the Lizards knew they needed to up the run rate if they were to have any chance of winning the match. This they did & were actually in front at stage but the loss of a couple of key wickets saw their hopes fade. When DuPreez finally fell on 72 to a fine catch by Dimple, the writing was on the wall. Despite some handy runs by D.Orchard (16) & P.DuPreez (14), the Lizards simply did not have enough gas in the tank. And although they saw out their 35 overs, they found themselves just 27 runs short of the target to hand the ICC their first win in the League.

ICC 289/5 off 35 overs	LLL 262/9 off 35 overs.
So a thoroughly deserving win for the ICC who put together a fine display of batting, bowling & fielding. For the LL team, it will be a day that will be looked back on of dropped catches & missed opportunities.
Player of the Final	Anand Chand	(66 runs, 3 wickets, 2 catches)
Batsman of the Year	Martin Foster	(350 runs)
Runner-up Batsman	Camdyn Du Preez	(312 runs)
Bowler of the Year	Seemant Raju	(18 wickets)
Runner-up Bowler	Tannu Yadav	(17 wickets)
Player of the Year	Camdyn DuPreez	(312 runs, 15 wickets, 9 season points)
Spirit of Cricket	Michael Ayling
Many thanks to League sponsor Island Furniture for their continued support. Also thanks to the individual team sponsors & a special Thanks to Ken Ferguson for his time & efforts in the umpiring department. The 2009 League will kick off in Jan next year. For further details e-mail Mark Whetton at scarfy@loxinfo.co.th

MATCH #15 – Phuket Cricket Association vs the Liquid Lounge Lizards 2008

Sunday 27th April 2008

LIZARDS CRUISE TO EASY WIN

Match 15 in the Island Furniture Cricket League was a top of the table versus bottom of the table clash with the Liquid Lounge Lizards (LLL) up against the Phuket Cricket Association (PCA). The PCA won the toss and got the game going by electing to bat first. Unfortunately for them their time at the crease was not long. Only PCA skipper F. Khan made any inroads with the bat by top-scoring for his side with 19 runs. Not many other batsmen from the PCA side troubled the scorers too much. The lads soon found themselves all out for 86 runs in just the 24th over. All the LLL bowlers picked up wickets but the pick of the bunch were LLL captain R. Meyer and B. Daniels who had bowling figures of 6-1-4-33 and 3-1-3-12 respectively.

Daniels also made the most of his turn with the bat by ending up by making 25 not out. B. Whitehead picked up 24 while C. Du Preez (16) and P. Oldfield (15) also chipped in. The Lizards soon reached the winning total of 87 runs in just the 12th over for the loss of just 3 wickets.

So a comfortable win for the Lizards who walked away with 16 points to cement their spot at the top of the table and to also book their place in the final which will be played on June 22nd at the Cherng Talay Wittayakoim Senior High School. For the PCA side their poor season continues which sees them end the day with 6 losses from 6 matches

Man of the match: Barry Daniels

MATCH #14 – Patong Cricket Club vs the Village Cricket Team 2008

Sunday 6th April 2008

PATONG TAKE DOWN SPIRITED VILLAGERS SIDE

The Village Cricket Team (VCT) was back on the field for match 14 of the Island Furniture Cricket League following their impressive win against the Phuket Cricket Association the previous week. This time around they were up against the Patong Cricket Club (PCC) who lately had been out of form. The Villagers themselves however were missing a few key players so it had the makings of an interesting match.

Villagers skipper K. Quilty won the toss & elected to bat first. Along with fellow team-mate M. Platts they opened the batting but were not able to get their side off to the same start as last week. Quilty was soon bowled for just 1 run by PCC skipper M. Foster who was taking a break from his normal position behind the stumps. Platts however went on to make a hard fought 46 off 100 balls and acted as the glue that held the VCT innings together on their way to making a commendable 177 before being bowled out in the 32nd over. Others to chip in with the bat were L. Nolan (10), H. Nolan (10), J. Walker (24), J. Firth (11) & M. Ashman who made 21, his personal high score with the bat….. ever. For the PCC bowling attack, Foster & I. Lenton were the winners by taking 4 wickets apiece.

So a decent score for the VCT team considering Quilty never got going with the bat & they were without some of the run makers from the previous week. However, they were missing some of their main bowling attack too & with Foster being in good form with the bat, the Villagers were in for a difficult time in the field.

Foster didn’t disappoint and had the makings of a man on a mission. That mission was most likely to get back to the beer tent as soon as possible. Along with PCC newcomer J. Essex they put on a partnership of 67 runs before Foster was out mankad by J. Walker while on 42. Certainly not the best of ways to be dismissed in cricket but he had been given a warning by the bowler. J. Phillips contributed with 12 runs before S. Raju came to the crease & put together one of his better performances with the bat & made 44 not out which included 8 fours. Essex remained not out on 36 to steer the PCC side to 179 for a convincing win in just the 17th over. It was a hard grind for the VCT bowlers with only Walker taking any of the PCC wickets.

So a solid performance with the bat from both sides but the PCC lads will be happy with their lot. For the Villagers they can only wonder what could’ve been had they had a few more of their performance players from the week before. For their trouble today they grab just 4 points while PCC walk away with a much needed 17.

Man of the match: Martin Foster

MATCH #13 – Phuket Cricket Association vs the Village Cricket Team 2008

Sunday 30th March 2008

VILLAGERS STUN PHUKET CRICKET ASSOCIATION

After watching the Village Cricket Team (VCT) in some of the earlier games of the season, one would have thought it was a safe bet to think they may not get a win during the League. But that they did two weeks ago in Match 13 of the Island Furniture Cricket League against the Phuket Cricket Association (PCA). In what was a ‘battle of the minnows’ on the points ladder, the Villagers put together a solid performance in what was a much deserved victory.

After winning the toss & putting his side into bat, VCT skipper K. Quilty opened the bating with C. Gordon & together they proceeded to get the team off to a good start by notching up 50 runs without loss after the first 10 overs. Shortly after the drinks break however Quilty was bowled for 25 by F. Khan to put the Villagers at 55-1. Gordon (29) carried on where Quilty left off & along with H. Gillespie (11) took the score along to 80-2 before Gordon finally succumbed to a catch by A. Ghadge off the bowling of V. Sharma. After this wickets fell with relative ease, especially when R. Sadarangani had his turn with the ball. He proceeded to take wickets at will to end up with bowling figures of 3.3-0-6-5 to earn him Man of the Match. The Villagers, after getting off to a confident looking start, would’ve been disappointed to end up on 120 all out in the 27th over.

After the lunch interval the PCA began their turn with the bat looking for 121 for a win. However, they were soon in trouble with both openers back in the pavilion with just 16 runs on the board. Khan was caught while just on 4 & Sharma (8) was also caught by an excellent one-handed reflex catch by Gillespie in gully. Although the scoreboard was ticking over quite effortlessly, so too was the wickets haul. Despite some resistance from R. Borkar who made the team’s high score of 32, the PCA found themselves at 68-7 at the 10 over drinks break. Sniffing their first win, the VCT kept the pressure on when play resumed forcing errors on the PCA side. Some tight bowling by Gillespie resulted in 2 more wickets & the PCA were 9 down for 104. With plenty of overs left, 16 runs needed & 1 wicket remaining, the tension was electric in the VCT supporter’s camp. And soon enough the result they were after arrived when Borkar was bowled by Gillespie when the score was 106. Gillespie & A. Windybank both shone will the ball with figures of 3.4-0-23-4 & 5-0-41-4 with Quilty also picking up a couple.

So a win by 14 runs to the Villagers who thankfully had a lot of beers left to keep the celebration going long after the game had ended. It certainly is a different team in terms of skills from the earlier days of the League and along with a bit of coaching from a Mr Paul Stamp & a lot of beer, who knows where this team may end up. VCT walk away with a well deserved 17 points from the match while the PCA again will have to be content with 7.

Man of the match: Richi Sadarangani

MATCH #12 – Island Cricket Club vs the Patong Cricket Club 2008

Sunday 23rd March 2008

ISLAND CRICKET CLUB ON A ROLL

In their match against the PCC, Chand again won the toss and put his side out to bat. A much depleted bowling attack in the PCC side saw the ICC team put together a formidable 286 runs in their 35 overs. ICC Skipper Chand put together an excellent batting display to knock out 82 runs. He was ably supported by S.Khan who made 65 and K.Dimple who made 21 while K.Kamlesh was not out on 38. For Patong there was not much to write home about although S.Raju picked up 3 wickets while L.Coburn & PCC skipper M.Foster collected 2 wickets apiece.

Although pretty worn out from a full 35 overs in the field, the PCC opening batsmen M,Foster & J.Essex got the side off to a good start chasing down 287 for a win. PCC skipper Foster put on a flawless 50 while Essex, a new addition to the side, chipped in with a handy 32 before being bowled when there were 78 runs on the board. Two more quick wickets saw the PCC side on shaky ground but a bit of middle order resistance from J.Phillips (23) & M.Whetton (33) stabilized the boat. However, once they departed wickets fell at regular intervals although J.Kennedy was not out on 15. Despite the good start, PCC fell short of the mark by being bowled out for 200. Wickets were shared amongst the ICC bowlers but Dimple took 3 while Khan & Tannu grabbed 2 each.

So ICC walk away with another win making it four wins in a row. They got 19 points for their trouble while a scrappy PCC side will have to suffice with just 7 points.

Man of the match: Anand Chand