Commonwealth Cricket League
Ernst And Young Register First Win Of The Season
June 13th and 14th, 2009
(Summaries of other games below)
Rain soaked field from overnight; Unfortunately, American cricket is still far from leveraging Australian technology - laying down steam pipes under the field. So for now, players would have to deal with 'dirty linen' and above all, a low bouncing pitch.

The toss was won by the Panthers who chose to bat first on a damp pitch. E&Y's bowling attack was led by Ankit and Aneesh. The ball maintained mostly a 'tow level' bounce in the initial overs. Ankit got the first wicket with a caught behind. Ali, the opening batsman and captain of Panthers CC, continued on. Eighth over into the game, E&Y brought in a left arm and right arm spin combo. Jay, the left arm spinner, got the off-stump of Ali with a top spinner in his very first over. Jay bowled a tight line and pressurized the batsmen. Jawad, the off spinner, exploited this and got the wickets at the other end.

For the Panthers, Waheed anchored at one end and helped them reach 90/9. Batsman number 11 came in and played a standout innings, scoring a quick 30. That pushed the Panthers score to 126/10.

Jawad Khan finished with 4/23 and Jay Surti with 2/27.

E&Y openers Niramay and Sahil, walked in apprehensive about the pitch. Niramay got out early, scoring only 4. Jawad Khan, one down, came in and shared a 60 run partnership with Sahil. The game got interesting soon after Sahil fell for 32, with the score at 77/2. With the partnership broken, the Panthers bowling got a momentum going. What followed was a cat and mouse game. E&Y began losing wickets at regular intervals and the Panthers kept closing in on E&Y only to spread out occasionally – courtesy to a couple of boundaries and a huge six by Ankit over long on; the ball landed over 20 meters away from the markers.

The score was 110/8 at the end of the 20th over. With 17 runs to defend in 10 overs, Panthers hoped to get the tail end within the next few overs. However, Jawad Khan held fort, toiled to reach his half century and helped E&Y ring in their first victory for the season. An on-field E&Y hoopla, followed soon after.

Panthers bowling highlights were Ali and Babar. The two bowled well, keeping it under four an over and getting two wickets each.

Jawad Khan's performance was the highlight of the game - a 4/23 wicket haul, and a well deserved half century.

Centurion Irfan of Pak Stallions Dominates Woodside Willows
Playing in slightly chilly weather under overcast conditions with rain predicted throughout the day is really an ideal condition for cricket, but that didn't stop two cricket loving teams, Woodside Willows and Pak Stallions, from taking the field on Saturday, June 13th at Cunningham Park in Queens. Both these teams had played against each other earlier during the pre-season and hence were familiar with each other. They exchanged friendly pleasantries and began the game in good spirit. At the end of the day though, Irfan single handedly took his team to victory by scoring a brilliant century.

After winning the toss, the hosting team, Pak Stallions, elected to bat first. However, they were immediately put on the back-foot by Chirag of Woodside Willows by taking three wickets in his first three overs: Pak Stallions had scored 33 for 3 wickets at the end of 6 overs helped by wides and edges flying past the keeper and slip fielder. The change up bowlers, Abhishek, Vipul and Kushagra for Woodside Willows kept the pressure on by bowling good line and length and kept chipping away with wickets at regular intervals. The outfield, which left a lot to be desired for, didn't help the Pak Stallions either with thick grass preventing couple of nicely timed shots from going to the boundary.

At the end of 20 overs, Woodside Willows had Pak Stallions at 88 for 5 and would have fancied to restrict them to a total of around 125 odd. However, that is when opening batsman Irfan, who had thus far scored 31 off 53 deliveries opened up. In the next 35 or so deliveries that he faced, he scored a mind boggling 80 runs with seven 6's and good running between the wicket to end up with 111 not out. He did ride his luck though as there was a dropped catch, streaky edges and couple of run-out chances that were missed early on during his innings. Pak Stallions picked up 23 runs off the 21st over and 25 runs off the final over to finish with a very competitive score of 172 for 9 at the end of 30 overs. Irfan's dominance overshadowed the fact that none of the other Pak Stallions' batsmen were able to cross double digits. For Woodside Willows, Chirag finished with 3 wickets for 14 runs, Kushagra took 2 for 23 and Vipul ended up with 2 for 22.

With the asking rate of close to 6 runs per over to chase, Woodside Willows had their task cut out but backed themselves to achieve the target. Things started off pretty well for them as they scored 31 for no loss off of the first 6 overs with as many as 16 wides, 14 of them bowled by Mazar. Aziz, the captain of Pak Stallions and also opening bowler, took himself out of the attack and brought in Rizwan who immediately responded with a wicket in his first over. The second change up bowler, Asif, who started off with 3 wides, also struck two blows in his very first over. Rizwan took two more wickets in his next two overs and left the Woodside Willows reeling at 45 for 5 after 11 overs. By this time, it had also started raining and almost looked like it would bring the game to a halt. This wasn't the case however and the game continued as the rain slowed down and eventually cleared out.

Kushagra and Neel steadied the ship for Woodside Willows a little bit by combining solid defense with good running between the wickets. However, Neel perished soon by an Ansar delivery which went through his defense and bowled him. Kushagra was also bowled after a few deliveries by Akram. Kaushik, the captain of Woodside Willows, struck couple of meaty blows in an entertaining knock of 14, which also happened to be the highest score of the innings. Woodside Willows were bundled out for 86. Kushagra and Sean scored 13 runs each. For Pak Stallions, Rizwan took 3 wickets for 12 while Asif, Akram and Ansar took 2 wickets each.

Although both team were very aggressive with their body language and chatters on the field, at the end of the game, it was nice to see all the players shaking hands, sharing a laugh or two and wishing each other good luck for the rest of the season.

Bachan Win A Thriller
Bachan CC won the toss and elected to bat on a slow pitch and wet outfield. Vijay Somai and Ravin Ivan quickly posted a 50 run partnership from 6 overs but Vijay Somai fell.  Ravin Ivan and Bejai Somai continued the score to 81 off 14 overs after Ivan fell for a well played 28.  After such a good start it did not continue after the fall of Ivan. Bejai Somai played a responsible innings of 37 but got out when it was time to accelerate the scoring. Bachan could only muster 141 runs and batted onlyt 32 overs.

Melbourne started their innings slowly but held their wickets and took singles, at 10 overs they were 38 runs and shortly after lost 2 quick wickets. They kept the score ticking and the game close.  Bachan spin bowler, Buddy Ramsewak took 4 wickets but his spell was over and the game came to the last over where Melbourne needed 7 runs. Romey Somai who hasn't bowled in the match was given the ball and with the last wicket in for Melbourne and the first ball off Romey's hand, it was hit in the air to the safe hands of Wajid.  Bachan pulled off a good win that was in the hands of Melbourne. 

Lions vs Elite CC at Lacombe Park
Elite 183 all out
They got a good start from Bikram who made a swashbuckling 26.
Then sterling contributions came from Fisal with 28 and Shammi who put Elite in a comfortable position with a sparkling 58.
Bowling for Lions CC, F. Khan 4 for 26 and A. Kumar 3 for 35)
Lions 133 for 5 off 22 over (K. Persaud 19 and G. Singh 47*)

Millenium vs Renegades at Cunningham Park
Renegades batted first and cracked 177 runs in their 35 overs.
Main contributors were Suraj Deopaul with 38 runs. Danesh Ramgahan scored 33.
Millenium CC was bowled out in the 31st over for 144.
For Renegades, Manchist Gewanpersaud took 4 wickets for 26 and was easily the best
bowler there on display.

Pak Stallions vs Woodside Willows at Cunningham Park
Pak Stallions win the toss and elected to bat
Pak Stallions scored 172 for 9 in 30 overs
Woodside Willow reply 86 all out in 21 overs
Muhammad Irfan 104 not out from Pak Stallions
 
Lions vs Cavaliers Game 2
Cavaliers 105 for 7 off 30 overs (F. Khan 3 for 16; A. Kumur 2 for 18 and N. Singh 2 for 26)
Lions 108 for 4 (Fizul Khan 29; G. Thakur 29* and A. Kumur 28 *)
Lions won by 6 Wkts

Columbia CC beat Kings Men by 20 Runs
Columbia CC won the toss and elected to bat.
Columbia CC Innings: 150 for 7 wkts in 20 Overs – Ray Patel 54, Sridhar 28, Sriram R 24
Kings Men Innings: 130 for 5 wkts in 20 Overs – Madhura 1/15, Siva 2/20, Ray Patel 1/10

New York Storm vs Spartans at Kissena
NY Storm batted first 134 all out. Brad 39, Dilhan 17.
Spartans CC all out 89. Satish 5 wickets, Amman 2 wkts.
  
Madras CC vs Regal CC at Soundview
Madras 108 all out: Rockey 52.
Vijay Bridgepaul 3 for 15, Sham 2 for 9 and Jerry Karran 2 for 31.
Regal 109 for 9: Vijay Bridgepaul 25 not out.
 
Pasban CC vs Universal CC
Pasban won by 5 wickets
Universal won the toss and elected to bat first.
Universal 93 all out under 20 overs
Bilal took another 5 wicket haul, and Tahir took 3 wickets.
In reply Pasban completed the task in 17 overs losing 5 wickets.
 
New Star vs Friends CC at Hecksher
Friends CC 208 all out. Sunny 41, Nasir Butt 47 and Harmeet 39.
New Star CC 116 all out. Pinka 4 wickets for 19 runs and Amir 2 for 9.
 
Scorpion vs Vipers CC at Flushing
Vipers won toss and ask Scorpions to bat first. Scorpion made 233 runs: A.Khan 81 and Manraj 57. Geeto and Boysie took 3 wickets each.
Vipers CC made 234/8 with 2 overs remaining. Boysie 53 not out and Mickey made 42. A. Khan took 4 wickets.
 
Pak Punjab vs Majectics CC 
10. Pak Punjab CC batted first and made 119 all out in 31 overs: Ehtasham 32, Adeel 16*, Jed too 3 for 19 and Daya 2 for 16 
In response Majestics CC were bowled out for 103 in 30 overs: Daya 28*, Linton 23.  Iqbal 4 for 17.
Pak Punjab CC won by 17 runs.

Galaxy vs Challengers at Whitestone Park
Galaxy won the toss and decided to bat first. They scored 224/7 in 35 overs. Syed, Obaid and Ahmed took 2 wickets each while Gambhir took 1. Challengers started off to a flyer scoring 130 in 19 overs for the loss of 2 wickets. Galaxy pegged them back with a crucial run out and a quick couple of wickets. In the end challengers were bowled out for 191 in 31 overs. Ahmed top scored with 71. Galaxy won by 33 runs.

Pak Stallions vs Woodside Willows at Cunningham Park
Pak Stallions batted first and scored 172 for 9 in 30 overs
Irfan scored 111 not out while Chirag took 3 wickets for 14 runs, Kushagra and Vipul took 2 wickets each
Woodside Willows scored 86 all out in 23.1 overs
Kaushik scored 14 runs while Rizwan took 3 wickets for 12 runs, Asif, Akram and Ansar took 2 wickets each
Pak Stallions won by 96 runs.
 
Yonkers Eagles Vs Demolition
Yorkers Eagles batted first and scored 133 in 30 overs. Shahid 25, Usman 22.
Demolition Scored 82 all out in 23. 3 Overs. Top Wicket takers for Yonkers Eagles Azhar 3 and Usman 2
Result: Yorkers Eagles won the match by 51 runs.
 
Strikers vs Power
Strikers won the toss and elected to bat first. Strikers made 195/9 in 32 overs.
In reply Power was bowled out for 119 in about 25 overs. Strikers beat power by 76 runs.
Strikers: 195/9, Shahbaz 74, Mohsin 34
Bowling: Irfan 3/21, Nadir 3/25, Ritesh 2/20
Power: 119 all out

Hicksville11 vs. Mumbai Express at Hecksher
Hicksville11 won by 3 wickets
Mumbai Express won the toss and chose to Bat. They scored 129 in 29 overs.
Hicksville11 chased and scored 133 in just 24 overs.
Man of the Match: Asim (scored 49 runs and 2 wickets)

Panthers C.C  vs  Ernst & Young at VCP 3
Panthers C.C 126/10 in 23.3 overs: Waheed 19 runs
Jawad Khan 4 for 23, Jay Surti 2 for 27
Ernst & Young 127 for 8: Jawad Khan 50 not out, Sahil Vakil 32.
Babar 2 for 19, Ali 2 for 18 
 
Paki Pride vs Horizon A at Kissena 1
Horizon won the toss and elected to field
Paki Pride scored 129 for all out
Horizon reply 120 all out in 33.3overs
Wasiq took 4 wickets and Muddsir took 2
Hosted by Paki Pride and won by 10 runs

NY Tigers CC vs Worldwide at VCP 2
Worldwide beat NY Tigers by 12 runs in low scoring thriller.
Toss won by Worldwide
Worldwide scored 154 all out in 34.3 Overs after losing first 6 wickets under 50 runs. Sunny and Navdeep Saini had 64 run partnership for 7th wicket. Sunny 40 and Navdeep 29 not out.
NY Tigers - 142 all out. NY Tiger lost early wickes but last wicket partnership of more then 60 runs almost took NY Tigers to the victory. Navdeep Saini took 4 wickets, Dinesh 2 wickets and Rohin - 2 run outs
Man of the Match - Navdeep Saini with his all round performance of scoring 29 not out and taking 4 important wickets.

Galaxy vs NYCCC at Whitestone. Game 1
Galaxy batted first and scored 256 for 7. Ryan scored 110.
NYCCC 56 all out.

Game 2
Galaxy vs Challengers
Galaxy again batted first and scored 234 for 8.
Ryan 62 and Manoj 56 were the main contributors.
Challengers replied with 180. Ahmad 71.

Kings 11 vs Brooklyn Stars at Kissena
Kings XI - 200/9 in 30 overs
Binder of Kings XI scored a century - 100
Brooklyn Stars batting 2nd
53 all out in 13 overs
Kings XI won by 147 runs.

Spring Valley vs Bronx AllStar
Game won by Spring Valley
Bronx All Star 150 for 8 Wickets off 30 overs: Josh 39, Harry 42 not out and Ramsamu 21 not out
Spring Valley 151 for 8: Skeen 57 not out.