Martin Stars as Hedger's Team Complete 3-0 Season Sweep over the Tigers
Match Details:
Home Hedger's Team Away Hammertown Tigers Ground Hedger's Team Cricket Ground Date 14/11/2014 02:00 GMT Weather Hot Pitch Slow
Hammertown Tigers went into the match with only slight hopes of keeping their title hopes alive, 6 points off the pace in second position, and needing a win to keep any chance alive. Hedger's Team meanwhile were still focusing their efforts in the Pavilion Cup, but with the chance of relegation becoming higher, a win in this game would help their survival hopes, and after defeating them earlier in the season thanks to an Omara century, and then defeating them in the Pavilion Cup, there was no chance that Hedger was going to just give this one away.
Hedger's Team were missing Moonface and Magee through international duty, and rested all 5 quicks for their cup clash with Relegation Material, in a match where the pitch is expected to give assistance to the quick bowlers, Smith Logan and Ruben Mol also rested, while the decision to play both Delaney and Omara left the home side with a very handy looking top order. The Tigers went with a full strength team with no fitness issues, and were sent into bat by Michael Young, on a pitch that would be tough to score runs on.
The big hitting Muir who had scored the most runs in meetings between the two sides prior to this match, with the exception of Omara, was dismissed first ball of the second over, when Goedhart got a nice ball pitched up, and a tight LBW call was given, giving the home side a vital wicket. The pitch wasn't seeming to play too badly though, as Sweeney joined Leary in taking apart the bowlers, racing away to 54/1 from 10 overs, but threw it all away when Leary was run out against the run of play for 28. The introduction of Mansey, who was apparently going to sit this match out in order to be fit for Sunday's pavilion cup clash, seemed to be a decision that would pay off as the wrist spinner enjoyed the conditions and bowled two tight overs before Parkhill picked out Delaney at mid wicket and Hammertown Tigers were now in a little trouble. New signing Gallagher was expensive in his first spell but was relieved when he took the big wicket of Sweeney who fell one run short of his fifty, and the Tigers were sitting on 124/4 at drinks, the game in the balance.
McIntyre struck right after drinks, a very important wicket after some abysmal performances prior, and the tail was already being exposed. Dent and Jasthi combined for a good partnership but it was Goedhart who was stepping up to the occasion, when he was brought back on and found the edge of Jasthi, Grace taking a comfortable catch. A good looking Dent seemed to be on his way for a crucial fifty to turn the game around, but Mansey was over the moon when he got one to turn a little more than usual, Dent doing well to get an edge on it and Grace took a sharp catch behind the stumps to have the visitors at 185/7, Dent on his way for 31. McIntyre dismissed the last recognised batsman in Fraser in his next over and while the tail stuck in for a few overs, McIntyre and Goedhart struck in successive balls to finish the innings in 45 overs, Hammertown Tigers all out for 197.
Under normal circumstances, 200 should have been a comfortable target to be chasing, but with the absence of key batsmen and a very long tail, it wasn't going to be quite as easy as they would have liked and that point was reaffirmed when Young was beaten by a great bouncer from Ghambir, the top edge taken comfortably by the bowler. Unlike the visitors, Delaney and Martin were content to keep the runs ticking over, and while the spinners kept it tight, the penetration wasn't there, and Hedger's Team were sitting at 77/1 after 20 overs. Dent was brought back into the attack and was immediately taken to, as the batsmen took 18 runs off 2 overs, before a maiden from Cooper had Hedger's Team sitting on 103/1 at drinks, the chase well in control.
Delaney was dropped right after drinks, giving the Canadian star a lifeline that you just cannot give to a player of his class. Fortunately for Jasthi, it would not cost him too much, as Delaney was dismissed a few overs later, when he chipped the ball straight back to Ramaswamy for 45. A few tight overs had Hedger starting to worry a little but Martin looked to get a move on, and pushed the run rate back to around 4, before another stupid run out had Hedger fuming, and Martin on his way for 87. Things were still well in control, and even Omara's wicket for 27 a few overs later, still left the visitors too much to do. With 23 runs required from 7 overs, Yousif and Grace had no problem in putting away the game with ease, completing a 6 wicket win with 17 balls remaining giving Hedger's Team a crucial victory in their fight for survival.
Labrooys Leb Lions meanwhile suffered a minor setback in their championship race, when they went down by 2 runs to Dhakaiya Gangsta, who leapfrogged Hammertown Tigers into second position in the ladder, while a weak Multiple Scorgasms, depleted by international commitments, weren't able to take down Hoarders CC, leaving the battle for survival very open with 5 matches to go.
Bollinger says Team as What it Takes to Cause Cup Upset
With just two days remaining before the all important cup quarter final clash between Australian giants, Relegation Material and Bangladeshi's rising stars of Hedger's Team, Australian quick Frank Bollinger has spoken out, saying that "We should not be ruled out, we have a very strong side, our side is suited for these types of matches and we have what it takes to bowl the opposition out, and our top order is one of the best in the world right now".
Relegation Material go into the match as slight favourites, but with a pitch that suits both sides very well, it promises to be one hot matchup. Frank Bollinger will be key to Hedger's Team chances, the quick bowler having taken 11 wickets in his last 3 cup matches leading the way last week with 4/47, already managing 32 wickets this season at an average of 10.09. Morris will also provide good backup in the quick bowling department, with 20 wickets this season, while Wingard will be fired up, after not playing in two weeks, and will relish the opportunity of wreaking havoc on the opposition batsmen.
Brayden Delaney complained off a slight niggle after the league clash with Hammertown Tigers but has reassured fans that he will be fine for Sunday, and will bat at 3. With Magee, Moonface and Mol returning to Sunday's side, things are looking good for Hedger's Team who will look to proceed to the semi finals, where they will play the winner of Forest Hill and Realism Ravens. Forest Hill who go into the match as favourites, have never reached the semi finals before, last reaching the quarter finals 14 years ago, while Realism Ravens won the cup 8 seasons ago and are looking to book themselves a spot in the semi finals for their third time overall. Meanwhile eyes will be firmly on the huge Bangladeshi matchup where cup favourites Labrooys Leb Lions go up against Dhaka Warriors, who have only focused on the Cup in the last few seasons. They will play the winner of The Gangsta's and Groundfielders.
Possible team v Relegation Material
1. Smith Logan
2. Cillian Magee
3. Brayden Delaney
4. Victor Omara
5. Monty Moonface
6. Ruben Mol
7. Alan Grace (wk)
8. Junior Chabrol/Marcel Lansing
9. Frank Bollinger
10. Bryan Morris
11. Brad Wingard
Quarter Final Underway - Relegation Material Sent into Bat
Match Details:
Home Relegation Material Away Hedger's Team Ground Newcastle Sports #5 Date 16/11/2014 00:00 GMT Crowd 26,000 Weather Overcast Pitch Uneven
The quarter final clash was finally getting underway, as Relegation Material went into the game as slight favourites, with the toss being ever so crucial. The conditions were looking perfect for seam bowling and runs were going to be hard to come by. Bowling first was definitely going to be the way to go so winning the toss was Hedger's Team was their first minor victory, especially after having a run of losing the toss in recent cup matches.
Relegation Material made two changes from their side that beat The Soggybottom XI last week, with Rasbah Qasem coming in for van den Hof, despite his solid 45 last weekend, but will take over the captaincy for this match. The only other change was Ibrahim Hussain dropped in favour of the extra batting and experience of Kirsten Blundell, who hasn't played since Relegation Material's Round 7 Pavilion Cup win, where he was very expensive, taking figures of 1/80. They would be hoping for a much better return from him today.
Hedger's Team made a few changes to their last week's cup clash, mainly to deal better with the conditions. Smith Logan was dropped down the order, in favour of the opening pair of Mol and Magee, Mol coming back into the side after an impressive 70 in the clash against league leaders the previous week, while Hedger's Team opted for the 4 quicks, Lansing the man to miss out, as they only went with the one outright quick of Wingard, allowing Bollinger, Chabrol and Morris to make up the bowling attack. Chabrol would also lead the side as to allow Delaney to focus on his batting.
The way we see it
This match could definitely go either way. The toss could prove to be vital and Hedger's Team may look slight favourites at this point, but having to deal with these conditions week in week out could put Relegation Material in good stead, and we have a very tight encounter on our hands.
In the end, I think Relegation Material's top order will do enough damage, to put some runs on the board, and Hedger's Team will struggle to chase down the 180 that I feel will be set for them. Anything could happen though and you don't want to miss it.
Teams
Relegation Material
1. Isaac Mudzongachiso
2. Akil Yousif
3. Dusty Charlie
4. Khalil Jaber
5. Rabah Qasem (c)
6. Lawrence Powell (wk)
7. Kirsten Blundell
8. Leverett Peck
9. Kelli Hawkins
10. Trent Copeland
11. Legget Athans
Hedger's Team
1. Ruben Mol
2. Cillian Magee
3. Brayden Delaney
4. Victor Omara
5. Alan Grace (wk)
6. Monty Moonface
7. Smith Logan
8. Junior Chabrol (c)
9. Frank Bollinger
10. Bryan Morris
11. Brad Wingard
Can Omara Continue His Remarkable Form in Crucial League Clash
Hedger's Team will play other relegation contenders Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies in tomorrows clash, with everything to play for. With both teams only two points outside the drop zone, and Multiple Scorgasms, currently sitting seventh with a confirmed four points in the final round of the season, this match is very important as a win should ensure safety for either side, and a loss will mean a win is necessary in the final match of the season to stay up, and with both sides playing the two best sides in the divisions on paper, it's not a position either side would like to be in.
Victor Omara is coming off consecutive one day centuries, taking his tally to three for the season, now topping the division run charts, with 548 runs in eight matches, more than a hundred runs clear of the next best in Dhakaiya Gangsta's Nathan Frankish. His 161 against The Nailers was nothing to write home about, but backing that up with an unbeaten 176 against Multiple Scorgasms combining in a 271 run opening stand with Ruben Mol who had struggled to score runs before that was something that was impressive. But with a bowler's paradise expected for tomorrow's game, it will be unlikely he will score huge again, but a good score here would prove his talent as one of the best batsmen in the league. Delaney is also due for runs, struggling on the international stage, before returning to club duties with an unbeaten 36 off 15 balls last week.
With the ball, Hedger's Team will be looking to Frank Bollinger and Angusa Mansey for the damage. Mansey is coming off a career best 7/27 as his impressive season continues, meanwhile Bollinger who was very expensive for his one wicket last week will be looking to hit back with a pitch that should suit him better, although the spinners will be the one who will do the real damage. Ironman is expected to return to the first team, with 3 spinners expected to be played. Ironman has been in good T20 form since joining the club, with an economy of 5.5, picking up a couple of wickets in 3 matches and took 2/60 on his club one day debut, and is still yet to be dismissed in two innings, proving to be more than handy with the bat. O'Keeffe is meanwhile expected to return to the side after two solid T20 performances, despite the fact he hasn't passed 30 yet this season in the 50 over format. Lars van der Hoeven is also expected to replace the out of form Alan Grace with the reserve keeper impressing in recent performances and his ability to play spin bowling well means he could combat the three spinners that the home side will inevitably play.
The batting duo of Aryika Chinmay and Anil Patankar have been in very impressive form this season for Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies, amassing 800 runs in the league this season between them, and their performances will be crucial to whether the home side can stay alive in the division. Naeem Azad is the division's leading wicket taker with 23 wickets, the left arm wrist spinner cashing in on the spinners paradise that is prepared for him in particular. Whether he can break through a batting lineup made up of four national batsmen and one all-rounder will be the question that everyone is asking though.
Hedger's Team may be stronger on paper, and they should have been well clear of relegation if they had not focused on their cup run earlier, which saw them miss out on a semi final berth after a one man show from keeper Lawrence Powell took Relegation Material from 6/102 to 8/223, before a great all-round bowling performance saw the visitors 34 runs short of their target. Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies have caused a number of upsets this season though and while nobody is fancying them to stay up another season, anything could happen.
Probable Teams:
Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies
1. Aryika Chinmay
2. Nicol McDonald
3. Anil Patankar
4. Buddhadeva Tank
5. Athol Kelly (wk)
6. Cuthbert Parry
7. Dada Awaori
8. Mason Lam
9. Naeem Azad
10. Michiel Ten Dam
11. Brett Birch (c)
Hedger's Team
1. Victor Omara
2. David O'Keeffe
3. Brayden Delaney (c)
4. Cillian Magee
5. Monty Moonface
6. Lars van der Hoeven (wk)
7. Smith Logan
8. Aladdin Yousif
9. Stark Ironman
10. Angusa Manthey
11. Frank Bollinger
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