Story FTP: Mongoose XI, a FromThePavilion story.

[dancingmongoose]

INTRODUCTION

14th of October, 2011

Xhogaux had tears in his eyes as he prepared to sign the form. He didnt want to, but he had to. One word stuck out on the form. That word was bankruptcy. As he picked up the pen, he didn't notice it. As he paused, seemingly unable to bring himself to sign it, he still didn't notice it. It became so loud that when he noticed it, he dropped the pen in shock. He picked up the phone that was so desperately demanding his attention. He pressed answer. "Hello?"

That phone call changed his life forever.

Today, 28th of January, 2012

Now, he is in charge of a cricket club worth over $600,000. His club, Mongoose XI, has had a more-or-less successful first season in FTP. The club will close the season with a T20 friendly tomorrow morning followed by an awards ceremony.

The Starting Squad.
Seniors:
Daniel Camphin. 21. LHB, OS, All-rounder
Kenneth Coleman. 23. RHB, RFM, All-rounder
James Cooper. 23. RHB, OS, Batsman
Cecil Dent. 26. RHB, RFM, Batsman
Edward Kelly. 22. RHB, LM, Bowler
Laurence Kettels. 22. RHB, RFM, Keeper/Batsman
Mark Marsh. 22. RHB, LS, Opening Batsman
Samuel Maloney. 23. RHB, RM, Keeper
$Alex Richardson. 22. RHB, LS, Batsman
Harry Reimann. 23. RHB, SLA, Keeper
Tommy Riley. 24. RHB, LF, Bowler
Shawn Scott. 22. RHB, OS, Keeper
William Sheehan. 25. LHB, LFM, All-Rounder
Charles Tarrant. 24. RHB, CHI, Opening Batsman
William Turner. 24. RHB, RFM, Opening Batsman
Eddie Wettenhall. 24. RHB, OS, All-rounder/Keeper
Youths:
Michael Coombe. 16. LHB, LFM, Bowler
Dennis Ellis. 17. RHB, RFM, All-rounder
Clement Fahey. 16. RHB, RFM, Batsman
Aaron Gregory. 18. RHB, RM, Batsman
Robert Harvey. 17. LHB, RM, Batsman
Thomas Harvey. 17. RHB, OS, Batsman
Robert Holznagel. 18. RHB, RM, All-rounder
Arthur Irvine. 17. LHB, LS, All-rounder
John Liston. 16. RHB, RM, Bowler
Brad Lough. 16. RHB, OS, Batsman
John Powell. 16. LHB, LM, Batman
Jerry Scotney. 16. LHB, OS, Opening Batman
William Walker. 18. RHB, OS, Bowler
Recruits:
Hilson Cupid (Bermuda). 20. RHB, RM, Batsman
Jabir Hada (UAE). 20. RHB, LS, Keeper
Albert van Huffersteijn (Netherlands). 21. RHB,SLA, bowler
Rashad Ahmed (UAE). 19. LHB, RM, Opening Batsman
Dahnay Thiongo (Kenya). 21. RHB, RFM, Bowler
Ger Keane (Ireland). 17. RHB, OS, Keeper
Anurag Qamar (India). 17. RHB, RM, Bowler
Sean Quinn (Ireland). 26. RHB, LM, All-rounder
Stephen Duffy (Ireland). RHB, RM, Batsman
Bamba Ngala (Kenya). RHB, RM, Batsman
Academy Recruits:
Lachlan Jones (Scotland). 16. LHB, OS, Keeper
Dylan McCaffery (Australia). 16. LHB, OS, Bowler
Harry Turner (Australia). 17. LHB, LFM, Bowler
Brent Wilson (USA). 16. RHB, OS, Batsman

We will see you at the ceremony tomorrow!

 

[dancingmongoose]

The Awards Ceremony

Firstly, a summary of our results this season. Our best result was in the T20s, finishing 3rd, with 8 wins, 5 losses and a tie. In both the OD league and the youth league, we finished 5th with 5 wins and 9 losses. For the T20s, Kenneth Coleman was the standout. His first 3 league innings, and his first friendly innings, produced 50s. He backed that up with 15 wickets at 26. Thiongo and van Huffersteijn shared the wickets with 17 each. Will Turner lead the way in the One Dayers, with 2 centuries, and van Huffersteijn lead the wickets with 18. In the youth team, Robert Harvey managed 4 50s, and averaged closed to 70. He also managed to break into the senior team for 3 games. Mid-season recruit Dylan McCaffery lead the wickets with 17 at 26.

Now to recognise each player:
Rashad Ahmed. A brilliant purchase, he was a youth who made himself a permanent in the senior squad instantly. A Warner style opener in that he either made a huge score or made nothing. A couple of sizzling T20 50s, and a stunning youth century were signs of his huge potential, but the heavy workload of playing all 3 formats showed towards the end of the season, but he is no longer a youth so should improve his consistency this season.
Daniel Camphin. A talented all-rounder who found himself out of the team towards the end of the season. Struggled with the bat and the ball at times, but starred when he took 4/9 from 4 against Keilor Downs as we rolled them for 65.
Kenneth Coleman. As already stated, he topped the runs for the T20s, with 4 50s in all. He also managed 5 in ODs, but failed to make one century. His failure to improve with the bat would have lost him his place if it werent for his great bowling.
Michael Coombe. The highest ranked youth bowler, but didnt show it averaging .5 wickets per game and his best was 1/23. He managed a brilliant batting performance when he clobbered 44 to help us over 200 in one youth match. Will be looking to get a start with the senior team sometime during the season.
James Cooper. Managed a OD century but averaged less than 30. Good batsman, from the start it was evident he could bowl too, but didnt have the talent. Was given a late chance to bowl and managed a T20 wicket. Will be looking to establish himself as the leader of the middle order.
Hilson Cupid. Senior Captain and number 3 batsman. Was recruited after his previous teams dumped him once he was no longer a youth. Scored heavily in both formats without being a star. The recruitment of our 2 new older batsman should help his development.
Cecil Dent. A middle order batsman who managed to play just 2 games when Ahmed was struggling with fitness. Unlikely to play a game next season.
Stephen Duffy. Irishman who was recruited after all our league games were over and instantly made an impression with a 50 in our last friendly. Now our top rated batsman but at 31 wont be around much longer, hopefully long enough to see our younger batsman good enough to take his spot when he goes.
Dennis Ellis. An all-rounder who has just cemented his spot in the youth side. Can bat, his bowling is on the rise late and will be a major factor in any youth success.
Clement Fahey. In and out of the youth team, hopefully this time for good. A big hitter who performed when he played and will play much more.
Aaron Gregory. On the back of a couple of youth 50s made his senior debut. Didnt do well but didnt do bad. Soon his spot was lost to older members, but will continue to perform for the youths.
Jabir Hadad. The premier keeper, will not be surprised if a national debut come calling with his talent and just 21. Handy with the bat too, but he will have a spot for his glovework not his batting.
Robert Harvey. One of the best youth batsmen, managed 4 50s for the season. At one stage he broke into the senior team for 3 games, but managed to get ducked in both his innings. Will be looking to climb up the order this season.
Thomas Harvey. Twin brother of Robert, played the first few games as a batsman before dropping out of the team. But the discovery of his ability to bowl the doosra has lead to an attempt to retrain as a bowler.
Robert Holznagel. Started off as youth captain, but was dropped mid season where his batting average was under 5 and his bowling average over 100, terrible for an all-rounder. He trained harder as a result, and improved. On return he managed a 50, and started taking more wickets. Will be looking to make the most of his final year in the youth team.
Arthur Irvine. Started off in the senior team as well as youths, he did ok with the bat, dropped a few catches. But for the youth team, he was the premier all-rounder finishing 2nd lead wicket taker, and 5th with the bat. This leg-spinning all-rounder has great technique and will be looking to dominate this season.
Lachlan Jones. Initially broke into the youth for his batting after being recruited from Scotland via the academy. But after some hard work he had become the lead youth keeper and averaged almost 1 dismissal per game, including games he didnt keep. Has time on his side but will struggle in a few seasons time
Ger Keane. A bargain-basement purchase from Ireland, was the short-term solution to our youth keeper woes. But when Lachie Jones topped him, he was left out of the side. A formidable batting average of 53 will be an inspiration to get back to his best.
Edward Kelly. One of the lead bowlers for our seniors, a valuable partnership breaker with his left arm medium pace and provided some vital late order runs. Brought us back from the dead with 40 from 35 in our tie against The Collingwood Team and was run-out on the last ball going for the 2nd run. Together with Tommy Riley they provide a formidable left bowling pair.
Laurence Kettles. One of our many senior keepers but may not find himself at the club for much longer for that reason.
John Liston. Unable to break into the youth team with his mediums and big hitting late in the innings. If he improves will surely get a game, but is sitting behind the 8 ball. If he fails to break into the youth team in the next 2 season he will be sold.
Brad Lough. Found himself in the youth team briefly as our 3rd spinner and did well but wasnt spectacular. Will surely play more games.
Robert Luiters. A talented medium-pacer who didnt perform for our youths with an average of 45 and strike rate of 52. Holds his spot for now but is under pressure.
Mark Marsh. Played in the opening game of both senior formats but the transfer market and improvements to other players saw him lose his spot. Having mastered the flipper, he is retraining as a bowler.
Dylan McCaffery. We were so excited when he was recruited from the academy. A natural leader with highly rated captaincy, and talented with the ball, he led the wickets for the youths with 17 from his 11 games. Took over captaincy when Holznagel was dropped and got his best batting and bowling performances when captain. Will almost certainly captain the senior squad in a few seasons time.
Samuel Maloney. One of our backup keepers who is a brilliant player of spin. The problem is Hadad is so good, and so young. The best of our 3 back-ups.
Bamba Ngala. A brilliant batsman and fielder but on the decline at 31. Along with Duffy is a short term batting option to give the squad some time to develop.
John Powell. The big hitting lefty made his youth debut very late in the season. Hoping for a good season from him.
Anurag Qamar. Indian medium-pacer who went from being our best youth bowler to out of the team. Fighting with Luiters for the 3rd seamers spot.
Sean Quinn. Was a mistake when recruited when management thought he was 16, not 26. Irish all-rounder who will look to break into the side, but failure to do so soon will lead to him moving on without a game for us.
Harry Reimann. Another of our backup keepers who hasnt got a game. He is 3rd in the keeping list but may need to retrain to get a spot.
Tommy Riley. Super fast left arm paceman who I liken to the good Mitchell Johnson. T20 specialist who been in and out of the team, has bowled incredibly on occasion. Will lead the attack in seasons to come.
Jerry Scotney. Unlucky youth who played most of the year. Opened usually, top score of 111. More consistent than Ahmed, will probably find himself back in the team next season.
Shawn Scott. Number 3 backup keeper, will be lucky to get a game.
William Sheehan. Left arm all-rounder who was a little unlucky not to play a game early last season. Is getting on now at 26 and may never play for us.
Charles Tarrant. A fringe player from the word go, occasional keeper who is gifted in batting. Finally broke into the team at the end of last season but will need to take his chances as it looks like they may be few and far between.
Dahnay Thiongo. Brilliantly lead the pace attack all season and at 22 has more in him. Regular wicket taker early and late in an innings and hard to dislodge with the bat.
Harry Turner. Managed a one game youth spell before forced out again, his return of 0/66 was not good enough. Should play more but will need to perform when given the chance.
William Turner. Holds the record for the highest OD score for us with 147, averaged 43 in ODs and 54 in T20s, high quality batsman who opened or batted at 4. Expecting more of the same in the coming seasons.
Albert van Huffersteijn. Dutch orthodox bowler who impressed in both formats, took plenty of wickets and was unbelievably economical. Lead the wicket taking in both T20 and OD and funnily enough was recruited from Chewie's youth academy.
William Walker. 'Punished' as we have too many youth spinners. Being 19, this is his last season and being unlikely to break into the team, he may find himself out of the club.
Eddie Wettenhall. Decent all-rounder who did all right this season. Did well with the bat in ODs, terrible with the ball. Ok with the ball in T20s, averaged the same as Shaun Marsh did in the recent test series with the bat. Can do better and will be striving to in the coming seasons.
Brent Wilson. Product of the USA, played just 1 game for our youths and managed to hold the lower order together with an unbeaten 26. Will play more, it is my ambition to see him play internationals.

 

[dancingmongoose]

Now to part 2 of the awards ceremony, where the best players for each tournament are revealed, the top player overall and the overall best performance.

The Mongoose XI player of the T20 tournament came down to 4 players. All-rounder and opener Kenneth Coleman, Dutch spinner Albert van Hufferteijn, top order batsman Will Turner and medium pacer Edward Kelly.

In third place with 7 votes, are Turner and Kelly!
In second place, with 2 MOTM performances and 9 votes, is van Huffersteijn!
So in first place on 12 votes is Kenneth Coleman! An almost predictable win for Coleman, his first 3 innings were all 50s, 4 overall, plus his 15 wickets.

Now for the OD tournament, and this was a lot closer. We received a lot less votes as we struggled more, with just 5 votes separating everyone who managed a vote. Again Turner, van Huffersteijn, Kelly and Coleman were among the votes, however Dahnay Thiongo and Captain Cupid were up with them. Just 2 votes separated the top 3.

In third place on 5 votes, also holding the record score of 147, is Will Turner! Another 3rd for him, shows he has been good without being spectacular.
In second place with 6 votes, with the second highest score of 133, is Captain Hilson Cupid!
In first place, with 7 votes, and 2 MOTM performances, is again Kenneth Coleman! He wasnt as good here, but managed 5 50s and a top score of 97. Wasnt very good with the ball, but did enough.

Now to the youths, where 4 youths experienced senior team honours. Those players are all batsmen, in Rob Harvey, Rashad Ahmed, Aaron Gregory and Arthur Irvine (who is a youth all-rounder but only played as a batsman for the seniors). 11 players managed a vote, however the top 3 were only seperated by 3.

In third place on 4 votes, is Clement Fahey! Not a regular in the team but did well when he played.
In second place, both on 5 votes, are Robert Harvey and Rashad Ahmed! Harvey managed ducks in both his senior games, but still averaged 69 in youths. Ahmed was a regular in senior and youths, did well in the T20s, but it was his blistering 111 for the youths that established him as a player.
In first place with 7 votes, is Arthur Irvine! 308 runs and 16 wickets, his batting got him into the seniors, his bowling got him the award.

Now for the player of the season, adding up all their votes for all their games including friendlies.

The senior player of the season:
In third place on 13 votes, are Turner and van Huffersteijn!
Way ahead in second place, on 21 votes is Cupid!
So in first place, on 24 votes is almost obviously Kenneth Coleman!

For the youths, only youth games count towards this.
The youth player of the season:
In third place on 5 votes, are Robert Harvey and Rashad Ahmed
In second on 6 votes is Clement Fahey
On top on 7 votes is Arthur Irvine! We will see more and better from him in the coming season.

Now the performance of the season, there are 5 candidates. They are:
Will Turner's 147 aagainst myteam (OD)
Albert van Huffersteijn's 5/18 against iquettetobin (T20)
Rashad Ahmed's 111 against Aussie Thunder (Youth)
Anurag Qamar's 4/10 against ngsuncu (Youth)
Daniel Camphin's 4/9 v Keilor Downs CC (T20)

And the winner is:
Albert van Huffersteijn's 5/18 against iquettetobin

 

[dancingmongoose]

Welcome to Season 16!

Season 16 is off with a bang. 2 wins from as many games so far, perfect start.

5th of February - OD Friendly v The Klonameers
On the back of twin centuries to Cupid (195 off 127) and Duffy (130 off 101) we made 426 on a very flat pitch. In reply, We struggled to remove their veteran opener who made 110, but little resistance from the rest saw us bowl them out 69 runs short. Every bowler took a wicket, with Coleman the pick with 3.

7th of February - T20 League 6.25 v Dominatoranator
112 runs for the first wicket set the tone as Coleman raced to 50. He made a career best 68 off just 30 balls. Ahmed fired at the other end, unbeaten on 124 off just 54 balls. Duffy and Ngala kept the runs ticking, all scoring at over 200%. We struck with 2 early wickets, and despite a mini recovery they could never get going. Coleman picked up career best figures of 3/37 as we won by 110 runs.

 

[dancingmongoose]

Youth team off and running today, with a stunning win. Dont steal my thunder by telling me its a bot team, I know.

8th of February - Youth League 6.17 v Owen Sound
Bowling first, Holznagel struck twice early. Everyone else chipped in but there was still the issue of their opener Dion. Irvine then decided to run riot, taking the first youth 5 wicket haul as he snared 5/28 from 7.3. In reply, we hardly broke a sweat as Ellis and Gregory both made 50s and we won by 10 wickets. We now top the T20 and Youth leagues after the first round.

8th of February - T20 Friendly v Natural Disaster
Our opposition didnt have a chance, they were 1/3 and it only got marginally better as they were bowled out for 73. van Huffersteijn took 4/12 and Thiongo and Riley took 2 each. Only 3 batsmen made double figures. Ahmed fell early for us, but Duffy and Coleman blasted us home. 4 from 4 for the year.

 

[dancingmongoose]

10th of February - One Day League 6.28 v Bitch Plz
In the first one dayer for the year, we played brilliantly. Coleman got his maiden century, Ahmed his maiden fifty, and Cupid was runout 1 run short of is highest score. 4/387 from the 50 overs was incredible, our record. It was still a flat track when our opposition batted, but Coleman ran through them with his best of 4/38. van Huffersteijn and Riley picked up 2 each as we won by 101 runs.

11th of February - Youth Friendly v Rasiyari Warriors
We struggled with the ball on the hard track, as their openers put of 161 before McCaffery struck removing their captain. We picked up 2 more wickets but Amirthalingam made an unbeaten 136 off 135. A formidable 287 faced us. Ellis and Gregory made 101 for the first wicket but the asking rate was climbing all the time. Ellis made 40, then Gregory fell on 73. Fahey and Harvey made 124 for the third, but Harvey fell with 3 overs to go and 36 still to get. Irvine fell quickly and we were left with 15 to get off the last over.
The final over:

39.1	2	Watkins to Jones : That ball was superbly timed through the covers by Jones. Watkins shakes his head in disgust as the delivery was not as bad as Jones made it look.
39.2	2 W	Watkins to Jones : [runout] Smart work from the fielder there and Jones is run out comfortably.
L. Jones run out (R. Amirthalingam) 8 (5b 0x4 0x6) SR:160.00
39.3	1	Watkins to Powell : Powell opens the face and runs the ball down to third man for 1.
39.4	4	Watkins to Fahey : Watkins overpitches, and Fahey unfurls a lovely drive that pierces the off-side field and goes to the boundary.
39.5	4	Watkins to Fahey : [misfield] Yogesh has made a complete mess of a fairly regulation stop at mid off.
39.6	4	Watkins to Fahey : [misfield] Schoolboy error by Ujwal gifts Fahey four runs. That should never have had a chance to make the boundary. Very poor fielding indeed.
Mongoose XI won by 5 wickets

A last gasp win from the grave sees us still unbeaten after 6 games. Momentum is on our side.

 

[HawkAussie]

11th of February is a Saturday

 

[dancingmongoose]

 

[Umair7]

Waiting For The Matches

 

[HawkAussie]

If you played FTP then you would know the schulde

Tuesday: T20
Wednesday: Youth
Thursday: Friendly for Pavilion Memberships
Friday: OD

 

[dancingmongoose]

If you played FTP then you would know the schulde

Tuesday: T20
Wednesday: Youth
Thursday: Friendly for Pavilion Memberships
Friday: OD

What do you mean 'If I played'? You think this is a big fake? Are you retarded?
Still dont believe me? Check this. It will tell you that there is a Youth Friendly on the 11th
btw you cant spell schedule :P

 

[dancingmongoose]

Week 2 - 10 in a row!
14th of February - T20 League 6.25 v The Members
Bowling first, van Huffersteijn took 2/17 as we took regular wickets and kept it tight, restricting them to 6/129. Everyone bar Thiongo took a wicket. Coleman kept up his good form as he made 35*, but there were a few hairy moments when Ahmed fell early, and Duffy and Cupid fell in consecutive balls. A monstrous 24 ball 55 from Ngala swung it back in our favour, despite being runout late in the innings we cruised home. We stay in first place.

15th of February - Youth League 6.17 v kalannie krushers
Batting first, Ellis fell on 18, but a run of good scores from Gregory (72), Fahey (85), Harvey (95*), and Irvine (48*) took us to 3/335. It was tough work for our spinners, but Luiters took 3 wickets as we restricted them to 8/262 on the flattest of pitches. Again we remain in 1st.

16th of February - One Day Friendly v The Klonameers
Klonam obviously thought he had a better chance at home, and they made a respectable 7/257. Thomson and Vautin both made 50s, but lack of support kept the target manageable. New recruit Canadian spinner Elliot de Groot to 3 wickets in his first game for us, and Coleman took 2. In reply, Coleman, Duffy and Cupid all failed but Ahmed and Ngala proved their worth with 50s. Some quick wickets left it to keeper Hadad and medium pacer Kelly. They kept their cool and guided us home with 3.3 overs to spare.

17th February - One League 6.28
Batting first, Ahmed and Coleman too the score to 144 before Ahmed fell on 76. Cupid again fell quickly, then Duffy clobbered 74. Coleman passed his highest score and kept going, before eventually falling on 177. Ngala made 50* off 25 to close off the innings. Thiongo and Coleman rattled them early, reducing them to 4/26. van Huffersteijn's second made it 6/66. A pair of 50s held them together, but Thiongo came back and took 3 quick wickets to take his maiden 5-for. van Huffersteijn ran the number 11 out first ball to wrap up the innings 217 runs ahead. We moved into first place to lead in all 3 formats.

 

[hedger_14]

Matt, the game starts at 22:00 the previous day. Normally the games are on the following day but his games start a couple of hours before the start of the day.

 

[dancingmongoose]

Week 3
19th of February - One Day Friendly v Rasiyari Warriors
Having lost in a Youth Friendly, the Rasiyari Warriors wanted revenge. And revenge they got. On a flat pitch we bowled well, keeping them to 287. Opening bowlers Coleman and Thiongo took 3 wickets each, but our spinners were the only ones with an economy under 6. Nitya-Sundara ripped through us with the ball, and despite Coleman, Duffy and Ngala all managing good scores of 40+, only two other batsman made double figures. Nitya ran through our middle and lower order, and we were bowled out for 228 in 40 overs

21st of February - T20 League 6.25 v dragon slayers
Some tight bowling by Thiongo, 3 wickets to van Huffersteijn and 2 each to Coleman and Riley saw us bowl them out for 116. Some great fielding too as we ran 2 of their batsmen out. Coleman was runout on 25, but Duffy then proceeded to clobber 50 off just 21, and with Ahmed making an unbeaten 42 it was a walkover.

22nd of February - Youth League 6.17 v forest/stanley
The early wicket of Ellis didnt worry us as Gregory and Harvey sent records tumbling in their wake. The 313 run partnership for the 2nd wicket came in 32 overs, before Gregory fell on 174 off 114 with 6 fours and 5 sixes. Harvey fell 3 overs later with just 2 ball left of the innings, on 177 off 108 with 19 fours and 2 sixes. Irvines late blitz of 23 off 9 help us along to 3/388. In reply, they managed to avoid being bowled out and a few decent scores troubled our bowlers a little. Qamar's return to the side was wicketless, but Coombe took career best figures of 3/50. They were never in with a chance.

23rd of February - T20 Friendly v The Klonameers
Some great batting from the top order, and Ahmed and Ngala in particular saw us reach 190 runs in the 20 overs. Sean Quinn played his first game for us attempting to break into the team and scored some valuable late runs. Our decision to give captain Cupid a bowl didn't pay off as his over went for 12. Opener Rancha hit 97 and Kerr scored 53, and despite the next highest score being 13, it left them 8 to win from the last over. Thiongo took 2 wickets, but they managed to score the 2 runs required off the last ball.

24th of February - One Day League 6.28 v Peninsula
Despite our openers failing, we amassed 4/331 thanks to a century from Ngala, and 50s from Cupid and Cooper. Thiongo and Coleman hurt them early, as not one of their top 6 made double figures. A 90 run partnership for the 7th wicket had me a little worried, but once de Groot had Howard Coombe stumped we ran through the tail to win by 174.

26th of February - One Day Friendly v Winners or Losers
Challenged by Winners or Losers, but we didnt live up to the challenge. Both Cupid and Ngala made 80s, but a lack of support saw us bowled out for 239. McPherson hit an unbeaten 122 as we were flogged by 7 wickets.

 

[dancingmongoose]

Week 4, back on top!
28th of February - T20 League 6.25 v Hama's Stars
We went as favourites and it showed. Opener Jackson gave us some early grief as he savaged 49 runs, but our bowlers quickly established their dominance. 2 wickets each to Thiongo and Kelly but another personal best for Coleman as he took 4/39. He then plundered 55 runs off the lacklustre bowling before being runout, but Ahmed's unbeaten 62 lead us home as we chased down 122 easily.

2nd of March - Youth League 6.17 v TwentyNiners
I was incredibly nervous leading into this game against the Australian U19 Assistant Manager, despite being ranked much further ahead. 3 very early wickets to Luiters, Coombe and McCaffery saw us take the upper hand, but we failed to take another wicket as Callaway (88*) and Newman (117*) took full advantage of the flat track to leave us 243 for victory. Gregory fell pretty early and we lost wickets at regular intervals despite plenty of batsmen getting starts. Ellis made 44, then Fahey guided us home with 66* with support from Irvine (49) and we won by 5 wickets with more than 4 overs left.

2nd of March - One Day League 6.28 v Westrans CC
Facing bottom placed Westrans, we were never going to lose. The uneven pitch provided a few early demons as Coleman and Cupid fell after getting starts. Ahmed showed the way with a run-a-ball 92, but once he fell the fun began. Duffy and Ngala, superstar batsmen who both have OD double centuries to their name provided fireworks for the second half of the innings. Duffy made 160* off just 107 with 13 fours and 2 sixes, and Ngala hit 114* off a measly 61 with 9 fours and 2 sixes as we posted 443. Not one of their top 7 made double figures as Thiongo and Coleman ran amuck. A small partnership took them from 7/24 to 56, but a runout and Thiongo's return to the attack saw him claim career best figures of 5/15 and we won by 378 runs.