The fickle Shanghai weather played a lead role in the results from the Shanghai Cricket Club League on Sunday, May 12. The Division 1 match saw the required target reduced due to weather and bowlers in all division had a banner day as two, Tim Bebb of the Dulwich Knights and Sri Chaitanya Vanapalli of the Digital Devils, added their names to the SCC Honour rolls by taking 5 wickets each.
Division 1
Bashers CC vs DPR Hot Dogs
The Hot Dogs won the toss and chose to field. Opener Keven Wright (30) built a solid foundation as Manjo Zalpuri, Oliver Austin and debutant Chris Jennings each contributed 15 runs. Mike Hall reached the heady plateau of 99 before being caught one short of his first SCC League century off Mike Tsesmelis (4-0-32-1). Irfan Idrees (8-1-37-1) and Ben Goodwin (8-1-32-2) were the pick of the Hot Dog bowlers. The Bashers reached the end of their 40 overs with a score of 248 for 6.
Rain hampered the second innings and after watching the target reduce and reduce, the captains decided that conditions were safe enough to play and the Hot Dogs took the field with a target of 175 from 27 overs. The openers were dispatched quickly by Sameer Jolly (6-1-20-2), which brought James Keel to the crease. He would not leave for the rest of the chase, battling his way to 83*. Ben Goodwin added 53 from 43 deliveries as the Hot Dogs reached the target in the last over with one ball remaining.
Bashers CC 248/6, DPR Hot Dogs 177/4 (target reduced to 175 from 27 overs due to rain) – DPR Hot Dogs won by 6 wickets.
Division 2
Digital Devils vs Bashers CC
Overcast conditions welcomed both the teams in SRFC far pitch with the Bashers winning the toss and electing to field. The Digitals started batting with an aggressive opening pair, but the Bashers’ bowlers quickly notched an initial breakthrough, claiming two quick wickets for not many runs. Getting to the third wicket would take considerably longer. Sanjay Sharma (83) paired up with L. Parthiban (65) to build a solid stand with well-timed boundaries and sensible running. By the time the wickets were again falling, the Digitals were well on their way to a very competitive total of 227/8 from their 30 overs. James McLeod (6-0-29-4) was the lone bright spot in the Bashers bowling attack.
With a target of 227, the Bashers were going to need a strong performance from the entire lineup if they were to reach the total. It was not to be their day. Sri Chaitanya Vanapalli (4-0-15-5) mowed through the Bashers top order while Sandeep (1.2-0-2-3) as the Bashers fell early and often to the Digitals bowling attack. Travis Weir (19) and Sam Finnerty (16) showed some resistance, but with overcast conditions helping the bowling, they were not able to settle in. On a day that thoroughly belonged to the Digitals, the Bashers saw their last wicket tumble before drinks, having reached only 64.
Digital Devils, 227/7, Bashers CC 64/10 – Digital Devils won by 163 runs.
DPR Hot Dogs vs Leopards CC
The Hot Dogs won the toss and elected to field. The Leopards openers offered little resistance and with a timely run out of first drop batsmen Chamara Rahanayake, the Leopards found themselves in a bit of a hole, Manish Lohani (24) and Dipendra Mallik (13) added runs as the score slowly but steadily began to creep up towards the century mark. Mandar Sathe (4-0-17-3) was the pick of the Hot Dog bowlers who struggled with line and length all day, conceding 42 wide delivers. In bowling conditions, the final Leopards wicket fell in the 20th over with the batting side having reached 123 in the 21st over.
The Hot Dogs began the chase and opener Peter Todorov acclimatized himself quickly to the crease, dispatching the ball to the boundary 5 times on his way to a quick fire 26. Mandar Sathe (12) and C. Reddy (16) stayed long enough to get their eye in, only to see their wickets fall right as the partnership was taking hold. Biplav Pokhrel (6-1-20-4) and Hanain Nawaz (3,2-0-23-3) kept pressure on the batsmen, and on a day where the weather was squarely in the court of the bowlers, the difference in the match turned out to be the extras, as the Leopards were able to keep a tighter lid on the wides and dismiss the Hot Dogs for 101 in the 20th over.
Leopards CC 123/10, DPR Hot Dogs 101/10 – Leopards CC won by 22 runs.
Division 3
Dulwich Knights vs Bashers CC
With the weather threatening rain, Dulwich inserted the Bashers into bat after winning the toss. The Bashers’ batting was bolstered by a pugnacious 55* (retired) from Adam Baker. Opener Richard Yates made 40 as the 1st wicket yielded 53 runs. Tim Bebb (4-0-24-5) was the pick of the bowlers. The Bashers reached the end of their 20 overs having scored 165 for 7.
The rain broke through as the Knights began their chase. Tim Bebb made his case for man-of-the-match status with 46*, while Mark Noble (22) opened strongly and Rob Huges (17) also added runs. Stephen Bradley (3-0-26-2) picked up a pair of wickets and Mark Henwood took two catches, giving Chinese International Mei Chunhua (3-0-22-1) her first scalp of the season. With the weather slowing the pitch, the Duliwch Knights reached the end of the overs slightly short of the target at 145/5.
Bashers CC 165/7, Dulwich Knights 145/5 – Bashers CC won by 20 runs.