Entrecasteaux CC vs Geneva CC Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th April 2017
Played at Entrecasteaux
2 games of 35 overs each game
Saturday 29th April
On a fresh April day, with the clouds scudding across the blue sky, Entrecasteaux welcomed Switzerland’s oldest cricket club, Geneva CC, founded in 1872, for the first match of the 2017season (after a couple of false starts). It was an important toss to win and with the late arrival of our skipper due to work commitments, Clifford Gregory deputised and lost the toss. Geneva would bat and so Entrecasteaux took to the field with muscles which had not been tested in six months.
It has to be said the pitch was more akin to a sheep pasture with the Marie having been unable to get the mowers out due to the mid week rain; the ground was however dry, but it did mean that any ball struck along the ground was going to struggle to reach the bounday. Gregory (7-0-39-2) took the shining new ball from his customary Garden House end and was probably satisfied with his work, claiming 2 wickets from run scoring batsmen, Ali Sha (31), GCC’s opening bat, clean bowled and Afif (19), well caught at mid on by Linhart who had raced from mid off as the ball flew into the heavens. Ali had batted with poise and authority and kept the score board ticking over. The first wicket however fell in the fourth over to a really excellent demonstration of how cricket should be played. After a single had been taken into the covers Chaminda asked Edwards, who had been behind the stumps to resume his duties at cover point and for his brother in law, Shalana Karunarathnage, to take on the gloves. With Anthony Slack (5-1-16-0) from the football pitch end proving very accurate, Ali was looking for another quick single into the covers. But Edwards sprang on the ball like a cobra and flicked it over the top of the stumps where Karunarathnage gladly snapped off the bails. Very impressive cricket at this stage in the season.
Brad Edwards(7-1-30-1) took over from Slack but found both his line and length not up to his own high standards. He was still able to remove key batsman Anser Mrhmood (15) before Anser had really been able to cause too much trouble. This had brought Habib (69) to the crease. Slow to start with, as his confidence grew, the ball flew further and he quickly realised that the best route to the boundary was over the top, of his 7 boundaries 4 were sixes. It was a powerful display and he shared 4 partnerships, the most valuable being with Afif toward the end of GCC’s innings which massed 63 runs.
Chami must have been a little concerned about who would complete the bowling duties, he tried in total 10 bowlers; with David Coates (4-1-12-0) producing an excellent spell from the Garden House end in true Underwood fashion and Steve Crozier (3-0-17-1) claiming the stumps of Massoud who played over the top of a dipping ball, being by far the best. Kavinda Karunarathnage (2-0-13-0), Ivan Linhart (2-0-28-0), Tom Slack (1-0-16-9) and Yannick Perera (1-0-7-1) were all used and he himself bowled 3 overs for 8 runs. Khurram (10 n.o.) and Aamir (4 n.o.) carried their bats as GGG’s inninigs came to an end and with an extras total of 23 they had made a very respectable 189 in the allotted 35 overs.
Entrecasteaux had a tough task and they needed to establish a partnership or partnerships and in this respect they failed with only the captain who made 59 in total and Gregory (25) showing any kind of resolve in a partnership of 53 runs. Edwards (10) opened with Anthony Slack (9). Edwards being well bowled by the impressive DC whose figures of 7-1-19-2 are testament to an excellent bowling spell from the football pitch end and Slack being run out in one of those early season muddles about which he was no doubt annoyed. Shalana Karunarathnage (1) joined Chaminda, hung around for a while and was then caught off the bowling of Massoud. Coates (0) didn’t hang around for long, Gegory had his say, but then Linhart (1) yorked by Afif, Kavinda Karunarathnage (6) caught by Massoud off the bowling of Anser, Crozier (3), and Yannick Perera (0) crazily run out by a hard hit ball which flicked the bowlers hand onto the stumps as he was backing up, were all out leaving Tom Slack (0 n.o.) to walk to the square in the 26th over. With nearly 10 overs left and 59 runs required the target was still very possible but ECC could not afford to lose another wicket. The crowds were not kept waiting long, Chaminda losing his off stump to a straight ball from Anser.
Game over: Geneva CC won by 58 runs
ECC: Chaminda Perera, Yannick Perera, Anthony Slack, Tom Slack, David Coates, Steve Crozier, Kavinda Karunarathnage, Shalana Karunarathnage, Brad Edwards,
Ivan Linhart, Clifford Gregory
Umpire: Maurice Mitchem
Sunday 30th April
Would ECC role over lamely or would they seek revenge to the drubbing they had received the previous day. Monte Carlo provided 4 players to supplement the ECC team. Chaminda won the toss and chose to bat. In sending out Simon Eveleigh (6) and Rajesh (6) punters must have been asking whether Edwards had been moved down the order. Rajesh was looking strong until bowled by DC in the second over to bring the captain (50) to the crease. Whereas it had been difficult to forge partnerships on Saturday the opposite was the case on Sunday. Eveleigh and Chaminda’s partnership being 40. Eveleigh holding his end while Chaminda drove and cut and pulled. With Eveleigh dismissed by Massoud, Vishnu (7) joined Chami in a partnership of 34. Vishnu was caught at mid wicket to bring Brad Edwards (78 n.o.) to the crease. Chaminda only lasted another 10 runs before he was adjudged leg before wicket off the bowling of Anser when he had reached his half century. There was a groan but folk had no need to worry as Chaminda had handed the batton to the watchful Edwards who was now joined by Harland (32). Edwards gradually upped the pressure and by the end of the ECC innings he must have been seeing the ball the size of a melon as he smote the unfortunate Afif for 21 runs in the 33rd over including 3 sixes on the trot into cow corner. He was ably assisted by Harland who was in no hurry to trouble the scorer until suddenly with a rush of blood to the head he found second, third and even fourth gear before being caught at the wicket off the bowling of DC – their partnership was worth 94 runs and lasted 48 minutes. Yannick Perea (1) was caught at mid off off the bowling of Massoud which enabled Joff Grepne (0 n.o.) to take a cameo role at the non strikers end as Edwards saw off the last 3 balls of the last over with another 6 and a 4. ECC’s innings, plus extras of 27 had closed on a very respectable 207 runs.Rohan, Kumal and Tom Eveleigh were not called upon to bat.
Anser (8) and Ali (40) opened the batting for Geneva against Vishnu (7-1-29-3) from the football pitch end and Tom Eveleigh (3-0-30-0). Vishnu who is more often seen from the batting crease, as he opens the bowling for Monte Carlo, is an interesting phenomenon in that he approaches the crease from 2 paces at a stutter and then delivers missiles at what is a quick pace for most of us. His figures speak for themselves but in having GCC’s opening bat Anser (8) well caught at the wicket by Harland, in having Massoud (2), GCC’s number 3 clean bowled and in having Habib (60), GCC’s number 4 and top scorer also bowled you will understand his value to a captain. Tom Eveleigh has an unenviable position, in that he is asked to open the bowling when he probably hasn’t picked up a ball for six months. He has the physique and I hope the interest in the game but he is not getting any coaching and he is not bowling enough.
It was a classic run chase, Geneva kept the pressure on, singles here, singles there, a mighty boundary, again from the bat of the forceful Habib and with Ali they built a third wicket partnership of 60 before Ali was leg before wicket off the bowling of Edwards (7-0-36-3). Edwards also dismissed DC (31) who joined Habib in another partnership of 61 runs, Geneva were now 152 for 4, therefore requiring another 55 runs with nearly ten overs in hand. But then Khurram (12) went to an excellent catch by Chami who had to cover a lot of ground to reach the ball at mid wicket, then Aamir (4), holed out to Edwards at long on off the bowling of Chami ((7-0-34-2). Now it was 179 for 6, still enough balls to be bowled. Rajesh (5-0-26-0) bowled 5 important overs, unlucky not to claim a wicket but more importantly he was economical at a very crucial time. Rohan (3-0-23-0) and Yannick (3-0-22-0) are both potential useful weapons to the armoury of any attack, both need to spend more time in the nets, line and length and the action. Hafif (14) was run out as the pressure mounted leaving Darius (1 n.o.) and Shahid (0) requiring 10 runs off the last over with one wicket in hand. The captain stepped forward, first ball a dot, second ball a single, third ball Shahid is bowled, phew, then wide, dot wide, 7 off the last 2 and it was not to be.
ECC won by 7 runs.
ECC. Chaminda Perera, Yannick Perera, Simon Eveleigh, Tom Eveleigh, Rohan, Vishnu, Kumal, Rajesh, Ed Harland (wkt), Joff Grepne, Brad Edwards
Umpire: Maurice Mitchem
Two good fun days of cricket against some great guys from Geneva CC. The games were played in a very good spirit and hopefully enjoyed by all. Many thanks to the MCCC guys who helped us so much on the Sunday. Many thanks to all the ECC members who played and/or supported over the two days and a big shout of thanks to Geneva CC for coming all the way to Entrecasteaux – we hope the grass will be mown better next time!