JECC beat Echelon by 5 wickets.
Echelon were all out for 82 in 27.5 overs, batting first; JECC managed to score the required 83 in 20 overs for the loss of 5 wickets.
Man of the Match: Mital - for taking 4 wickets in an excellent spell of fast bowling resulting in a complete collapse of the Echelon batting order.
The figures of 5 overs 2 maidens, 4 wickets for just 5 runs were a reward of Mital’s consistent line and length and the effort he put into the wicket balls.
Bowling: Echelon won the toss and surprisingly opted to bat first in damp conditions. Suneel and Mital made good use of the new ball. Suneel got a perfect start with a maiden and Mital went one step ahead with a wicket maiden in his first over getting the opener off a fast, swinging yorker..
The batsmen had no clue to this type of quality bowling which resulted in mounting pressure and wild swings of the bat. Nothing connected though.. instead they kept losing wickets. Suneel got a wicket to a good catch by Sekhar and Mital followed it up by another 2 wickets to finish his first spell with 3 wickets.
The bowling change of Preetham and Sreenath was upto the task keeping a tight line, giving nothing away. Sreenath, as usual, got a couple of wickets ith good bowling.
Preetham was unplayable with his quick whippy action, zipping the ball past the bat regularly. He bowled unchanged for 7 overs going for only 12 runs. A wicket off his bowling was a brilliant catch in the gully by Ganadeep.
By this time, the lower order batsmen were swinging their bats to anything pitched up. One guy- Vaibhav was a neat striker who was, clearing the ground very easily and threatened to run away with the game. Dhanushka kept things tight from one end with his variations in pace but the last overs of Sreenath, preetham and a couple of overs by myself leaked some sixes that got them some momentum. Mital came into the attack and immediately got rid of the troublemaker. Dhanu got a couple of wickets to clean up the tail ending the Echelon innings for 82. He is on a hatrick going into the next game.
Batting: Preetham and myself came out in a positive mode and started the innings briskly. A couple of overs later, preetham got out to an top edged pull and Mital followed him soon after getting out, attempting a big shot. Suneel and myself steadied the innings a bit taking the extras and chipping in with ones and two’s.
Suneel was out later on, unfortunately to a good shot. With only 30 odd runs to go, I was involved in a mix up with Amit and got run out. Dhanu and Amit got us within striking distance with some good hits, but Amit too was run out in a similar fashion, letting Sekhar hit the winning runs for us.
Echelon: From the time they stepped on the ground, Echelon was trying to get into unnecessary fights hurling abuses for nothing. I think they were looking for a rained out/abandoned game might that might atleast give them a point! The umpire was also visibly upset with this behavior. They argued very much about a chipped catch to shot cover while they batted and an attempted stumping during our batting; walking off the field to complain to the officials. The umpire and CLNJ sorted it out after they figured that they were risking giving a walkover.
This was one of the worst teams to play with in terms of behavior..
Kudos to JECC ..we realized that it would be our loss if there was a fight and we played the game almost in silence, not even celebrating much for a wicket; we might risk provoking them into an argument! In the end, hopefully we showed them how a good team has to be..how to conduct yourself on the field..
Verdict: We knew that we would win this game but were cautious not to take things easily. The effort in the bowling paid off but batting was a bit too aggressive.
All were gifted wickets to Echelon and a 150+ score might have troubled us. We have to make sure that we play clinically no matter who the opposition is.
Once the other batsmen -Suneel, Mital, G, preetham etc.. - get into some form and fire, we can expect big scores going into the playoffs. Its only a matter of time!
Score card: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=1866
Monday, June 15, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Match Report: JECC vs Hightstown, 06/07 @ Far Hills
JECC beat Hightstown by 52 runs
In the allotted 35 overs, JECC scored 151/8 and got Hightstown (HCC) all out for 99 in 34.1 overs to leapfrog to the top of the points table.
Being undefeated this season, we are a good 2 points ahead of Warriors and HCC.
Scorecard: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=1843
Man of the Match: Rushi Amin for scoring an excellent 60 runs in a 50+ run partnership with Les, that held our innings together;and a brilliant spell of opening bowling with Suneel that left the HCC batsmen utterly helpless.
Water: We toiled for a better part of 3 hrs in the ground mopping up puddles and a smallish pond that was oozing water all along. It was a back breaking effort from the entire team to get the ground in shape so that we don’t share a point with the opponent.
This sort of attitude is what separates us from the average teams. It was easy to call off the game with the water on the ground, but the work we put in shows the heart that our guys put in..we just wouldn’t give up a point so easily.
A wet vacuum pumped out the water and everyone drained out big buckets of water..man..water is heavy! We used everything we could to cover up the remaining puddles..bits of mats, old tarp, new tarps..which turned out to be very good effort, as not even one ball in the entire game went there or was wet! Kudos to everyone!
Batting: Coming to the game, HCC won the toss and put us in on a heavy outfield and ‘damp’ conditions. The ball zipped around a bit initially but their dibbly dobbly bowlers didn’t have enough pace for us to work with. Mital and I opened the innings, giving some respite to Rajesh, who, along with everyone else was tired after a ‘yard work’. Well, the very slow bowlers did the trick as I spooned an easy catch to get out for nought. Suneel negotiated some good deliveries before getting out to a jaffa from their only pace bowler. Mital looked good for a while but was out soon after for 9 and we were in spot of bother with 3 wickets down in 7 overs.
Les and Rushi played a match winning innings together to get us back in style. Rushi started off blazing with a string of boundaries before settling down to play out the innings. Les supported him well initially but opened up when he got used to the pace and bounce of our wicket.
Together, Les and Rushi negated the slow to very slow bowling of HCC by running well and hitting only when they got to the pitch of the ball. Les hit some big shots, placing them well and was looking set for a big score. Both the batsmen played sensibly taking the singles on offer in a spread out field. They got the score to 94 in 24 overs and were looking to get aggressive in the last 10 overs.
Just when things were looking ominous for HCC, Les and Rushi got mixed up in calling resulting in Les getting run out. Rajesh and Dhanu were out without scoring. Amit played some good shots but was out soon after, but we still had some batting left and were looking for a 150+ score. It was a nice situation for Himanshu to enter and swing his bat around. He played some lusty blows to pile on the score and ran well. Meanwhile, Rushi got to his 50 with a stylish boundary and was looking good for a bigger score. He got us close to 150, but was out trying to accelerate. Murali and Himanshu got us to 151 which was plenty on our ground to defend.
Bowling: Suneel and Rushi showed the awestruck batsmen from Hightstown just how well they can use the new ball. With perfect seam position, Suneel started off brilliantly with a wicket maiden and a catch in the slips by Rushi. The 8-1 test match field with 4 slips and a gully didn’t seem enough as the batsmen weren’t that good to nick the deliveries from Suneel and Rushi and were beaten consistently. Asif leapt up into the air and caught a brilliant one handed catch in the gully to Rushi's first wicket.
Amit kept well to the swinging ball to get get Suneel's second one and it looked like we were going to wrap em up for under 50.
Mital and Himanshu bowled after the changeover from Suneel and Rushi but gave no respite to the batsmen. With their zip, bounce and movement, they amazed the Hightstown batsmen, who were looking to get settled after the first bowling change!
Mital bowled a very good spell, unchanged and was rewarded for his consistent line and length. He got their main batsman Ubaid caught behind off his second ball. Himanshu was unplayable too either beating the bat or hitting the batsman on their pads/body. Runs were very hard to come by.
The bowling change off Himanshu's end leaked some runs off Asif and Dhanushka, but our dropped catches didn’t help their cause at all. Asif got a wicket off an excellent swinging Yorker, but wasn’t himself , tired and dizzy with the heat and exhaustion from the all day. Murali bowled well at the end but it was himanshu, who put the final nail in the coffin, letting the stumps fly off a brilliant yorker. We let the innings drag on a bit but were able to finish off HCC for 99 in 34 overs.
Verdict: A win is good to rejoice and overlook the errors, but a retrospective of what we missed and where we can improve is good. Our batting needs to chip in with atleast 20 runs from everyone. Three ducks doesn’t look good on a scorecard and I am the first one to blame. A tired body with all the hard work didn’t help matters but the focus needs to be there when we step out to bat. Les and Rushi are looking very consistent every game and the rest of us need to step up .
Our bowling attack seems to be the best in the league and the expressions on the batsmen facing us said it all. Asif, Dhanushka, Murali and Myself weren’t used much inspite of which we troubled the hell out of the batting lineup. It’s a nice headache to have for a captain with so many excellent bowlers, but I do feel bad for some of the guys who wait all week to bowl and don’t get enough chances with the ball.
This kind of dragged on proceedings a bit, as I had to rotate the bowling, but we didn’t let the game out of the hand any time.
Some brilliant catches were taken, but more easy ones were dropped. Practice and concentration is the key as a spilled catch can be very costly some times.
Next game against Echelon is manageable but still important as we are looking to win everything. Please sign up and make yourselves available.
In the allotted 35 overs, JECC scored 151/8 and got Hightstown (HCC) all out for 99 in 34.1 overs to leapfrog to the top of the points table.
Being undefeated this season, we are a good 2 points ahead of Warriors and HCC.
Scorecard: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=1843
Man of the Match: Rushi Amin for scoring an excellent 60 runs in a 50+ run partnership with Les, that held our innings together;and a brilliant spell of opening bowling with Suneel that left the HCC batsmen utterly helpless.
Water: We toiled for a better part of 3 hrs in the ground mopping up puddles and a smallish pond that was oozing water all along. It was a back breaking effort from the entire team to get the ground in shape so that we don’t share a point with the opponent.
This sort of attitude is what separates us from the average teams. It was easy to call off the game with the water on the ground, but the work we put in shows the heart that our guys put in..we just wouldn’t give up a point so easily.
A wet vacuum pumped out the water and everyone drained out big buckets of water..man..water is heavy! We used everything we could to cover up the remaining puddles..bits of mats, old tarp, new tarps..which turned out to be very good effort, as not even one ball in the entire game went there or was wet! Kudos to everyone!
Batting: Coming to the game, HCC won the toss and put us in on a heavy outfield and ‘damp’ conditions. The ball zipped around a bit initially but their dibbly dobbly bowlers didn’t have enough pace for us to work with. Mital and I opened the innings, giving some respite to Rajesh, who, along with everyone else was tired after a ‘yard work’. Well, the very slow bowlers did the trick as I spooned an easy catch to get out for nought. Suneel negotiated some good deliveries before getting out to a jaffa from their only pace bowler. Mital looked good for a while but was out soon after for 9 and we were in spot of bother with 3 wickets down in 7 overs.
Les and Rushi played a match winning innings together to get us back in style. Rushi started off blazing with a string of boundaries before settling down to play out the innings. Les supported him well initially but opened up when he got used to the pace and bounce of our wicket.
Together, Les and Rushi negated the slow to very slow bowling of HCC by running well and hitting only when they got to the pitch of the ball. Les hit some big shots, placing them well and was looking set for a big score. Both the batsmen played sensibly taking the singles on offer in a spread out field. They got the score to 94 in 24 overs and were looking to get aggressive in the last 10 overs.
Just when things were looking ominous for HCC, Les and Rushi got mixed up in calling resulting in Les getting run out. Rajesh and Dhanu were out without scoring. Amit played some good shots but was out soon after, but we still had some batting left and were looking for a 150+ score. It was a nice situation for Himanshu to enter and swing his bat around. He played some lusty blows to pile on the score and ran well. Meanwhile, Rushi got to his 50 with a stylish boundary and was looking good for a bigger score. He got us close to 150, but was out trying to accelerate. Murali and Himanshu got us to 151 which was plenty on our ground to defend.
Bowling: Suneel and Rushi showed the awestruck batsmen from Hightstown just how well they can use the new ball. With perfect seam position, Suneel started off brilliantly with a wicket maiden and a catch in the slips by Rushi. The 8-1 test match field with 4 slips and a gully didn’t seem enough as the batsmen weren’t that good to nick the deliveries from Suneel and Rushi and were beaten consistently. Asif leapt up into the air and caught a brilliant one handed catch in the gully to Rushi's first wicket.
Amit kept well to the swinging ball to get get Suneel's second one and it looked like we were going to wrap em up for under 50.
Mital and Himanshu bowled after the changeover from Suneel and Rushi but gave no respite to the batsmen. With their zip, bounce and movement, they amazed the Hightstown batsmen, who were looking to get settled after the first bowling change!
Mital bowled a very good spell, unchanged and was rewarded for his consistent line and length. He got their main batsman Ubaid caught behind off his second ball. Himanshu was unplayable too either beating the bat or hitting the batsman on their pads/body. Runs were very hard to come by.
The bowling change off Himanshu's end leaked some runs off Asif and Dhanushka, but our dropped catches didn’t help their cause at all. Asif got a wicket off an excellent swinging Yorker, but wasn’t himself , tired and dizzy with the heat and exhaustion from the all day. Murali bowled well at the end but it was himanshu, who put the final nail in the coffin, letting the stumps fly off a brilliant yorker. We let the innings drag on a bit but were able to finish off HCC for 99 in 34 overs.
Verdict: A win is good to rejoice and overlook the errors, but a retrospective of what we missed and where we can improve is good. Our batting needs to chip in with atleast 20 runs from everyone. Three ducks doesn’t look good on a scorecard and I am the first one to blame. A tired body with all the hard work didn’t help matters but the focus needs to be there when we step out to bat. Les and Rushi are looking very consistent every game and the rest of us need to step up .
Our bowling attack seems to be the best in the league and the expressions on the batsmen facing us said it all. Asif, Dhanushka, Murali and Myself weren’t used much inspite of which we troubled the hell out of the batting lineup. It’s a nice headache to have for a captain with so many excellent bowlers, but I do feel bad for some of the guys who wait all week to bowl and don’t get enough chances with the ball.
This kind of dragged on proceedings a bit, as I had to rotate the bowling, but we didn’t let the game out of the hand any time.
Some brilliant catches were taken, but more easy ones were dropped. Practice and concentration is the key as a spilled catch can be very costly some times.
Next game against Echelon is manageable but still important as we are looking to win everything. Please sign up and make yourselves available.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Match Report: JECC vs Crescent @ Woodbrook - 05/31
JECC beat Crescent by 71 runs
Man of the Match: Shared between Les and Dhanushka. Les scored an important 50 runs to stabilize the innings with Sekhar in a 74 run partnership. Dhanushka took a 5 wicket haul (5/30) to dismantle the Crescent batting lineup.
Batting: We won the toss and elected to bat on a sunny, but windy day. Rajesh and me had to just negiotiate the bowling as the Crescent bowlers were leaking wides every over. After a 33 run partnership in 8 overs, Rajesh was run out in a mixup with me which brought Mital to the crease. I was out bowled soon after to a ball that hit my pad and rolled on to the stumps. Preetham and Mital played some delightful shots to take us into the break. Mital was looking ominous with some wonderful shots down the ground but was soon out caught to a checked shot on a full toss delivery.
With Preetham and Suneel out quickly, Les and Sekhar had to negiotiate a difficult passage of play. They played intelligently, cutting down the risks and taking the singles on offer. The score was ticking along fine with 3-4 runs an over. After settling down and facing a change of bowling, both batsmen opened up and hit some wonderful shots with placement and timing. The second break got us to 140 in 30 overs and a 200+ total was on the cards. Sekhar launched into their strike bowler hitting a huge six, straight down the ground. With our intentions clear, Crescent panicked on the field. Les played some big hits before getting out for a well made 50. Sekhar was out soon after for a neat 35. Dhanushka, Murali and Asif helped the score to tip over 200 at the end of 40 overs.
Bowling: With a psychological advantage of having 202 to defend, Suneel and Himanshu bowled to an attacking field. It had to take some talent to negotiate both of them which Crescent lacked, and lost their opening pair to Himanshu. One of his wickets was courtesy - Suneel, who took a binder of a catch in the slips. The next batsmen for Crescent were intent to scratch around, trying for a rain delay (there were some clouds) which didn’t help our cause to get wickets. LBW’s were out of question for this game, as the umpire was never sure..this kind of helped us as a couple of close calls went our way.
Murali and Asif tried in vain which caused Dhanushka to step in and show why he is an expert with the old ball. With me bowling spin tidily from one end, Dhanu made the ball dance around from the other end. This didn’t leave much of an option for Crescent than to succumb to Dhanu’s bowling. He got a wicket almost every alternate over with some excellent catches by Srinath, Himanshu and Mital in the deep. Murali kept wickets for a while giving Rajesh some well needed rest to claim one of the catches for Dhanu. Dhanu caught one off his bowling to get his 5 for in his allotted 8 overs. Asif cleaned up the tail as usual with his efficient bowling wrapping up Crescent for 134 in 34 overs.
Verdict: Very good outing for us against a Div1 team. The top order looked good but did not fire. It was left to consolidate first and attack in the last 10 overs which we did very well. We scored 74 in the last 10 losing 4 wickets. With wickets in hand, we attacked well in the last two games. It is important to keep wickets in hand to make the surge in the final overs and we should make sure we follow the template. Catching was excellent as we did not drop anything, but rather took some excellent catches. Fielding and bowling was tidy but we have areas to improve.
The next game is against Hightstown which is one of the best teams in the division. Please make yourselves available.
Score card: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=1820
Monday, May 18, 2009
Match Report: JECC vs Raiders @ Weston Road - 05/17
JECC beat Raiders by 46 runs
Batting first, JECC scored 191/9 in 40 overs and got Raiders all out for 145 in 35 overs.
Man of the Match: Rushi Amin for scoring 54 runs, taking 3 top order wickets in an unplayable spell with the new ball and taking two excellent slip catches.
Special mention to Dhanushka who scored a breezy 35 not out and took 4 crucial wickets.
Batting: Raiders won the toss and put us in on a cold, windy day with a bit of dampness on the ground. Rajesh opened the innings with me and got going immediately with a big six. A couple of overs and a boundary later, Rajesh got out was out for 15, attempting a big hoick. Suneel joined in and started playing freely, but it ultimately caused his fall as he was caught in the deep. Les followed him soon after, in unfortunate circumstances , adjudged bowled when it looked like the keeper might have clipped the bails. We were in a spot of bother at that time with 3 down for 40 odd runs in 12 overs.
The Raiders bowling wasn’t that great although they used the initial swing to good effect but leaked wides regularly. All we had to do was take the singles and 2-3 wides were on offer every over. Rushi and myself did just that and steadied the innings for a good measure. We ran well for the singles and waited for the loose balls cutting down all risks.
The spinners came into bowl for the raiders and tightened things a bit. The run rate fell in the process but we never panicked as we knew that a surge in the last 10 overs can get us to a good score if we have wickets in hand.
The score board kept ticking and the Raiders were demoralized as the partnership started to progress. At the second drinks break, we decided to go for the shots and started to go after the bowling. After playing a composed innings, I got out attempting a big shot scoring 40 runs, with a good 50+ partnership with Rushi.
Immediately after my wicket, Ganadeep and Amit got out bowled in successive balls to the spinner Azhar Sufi, handing him a hattrick. Niladhar too fell in the following over attempting a lofted shot. With 115 on the board, somebody had to support Rushi till the end.
Dhanushka not only did that but played some delightful shots of his own. Both left handers upped the scoring rate with good cricketing shots and sharp running, getting to a 50+ partnership in the process. Rushi hit a couple of big sixes to get to a well deserved half century. He got out for 54 soon after. Meanwhile Dhanuskha, who wasn’t finished yet played his trademark cheeky shots to good effect to get us to 191.
Bowling: Rushi who opened the bowling with Suneel, got a wicket off his first ball – a swinging delivery that caught the batsman plumb in front. This dented the Raiders approach a bit and they went into a caution mode. Suneel kept things tight at one end and Rushi got some rippers past the batsmen. He got two more wickets in his next two overs effectively dismissing the Raiders top order. His third wicket was a blinder catch by Suneel at 3rd slip.
This brought two left handers for Raiders in the middle which caused us to leak some runs off extras and loose balls. Ganadeep bowled some tight overs to keep things quiet but from the other end, Murali and Asif weren’t very effective in their first spell, going for runs.
Dhanushka entered the attack and bowled a very tight line to the lefties, beating the bat consistently. He also got their only set batsman, Azhar for 52 off a brilliant catch by Rushi in the slips. This put the pressure on Raiders which left them to just play out the overs. Dhanu was unplayable at times getting two more wickets in the process, ending his spell for 4/28. Asif and Murali cleaned out the tail enders and folded the Raiders out for 145 in 35 overs.
Verdict: Partnerships were key for us in this game and Rushi was involved in both the important ones. He steadied the innings with a partnership with me and went after the bowling together with Dhanu. Our catching was excellent though some improvement is required in ground fielding. Amit was alert and neat behind the wickets taking 3 catches in the process. Mital substituted for Rajesh and took a good catch in the deep(there you go!).
Raiders was a tough nut to crack compared to the first two matches and it is a nice win to savor which takes us to 3-0.
191 is a good score, but we could have easily got out for 140 odd had it not been for Dhanu’s cameo. The middle order just crumbled against spin and we gave away a unnecessary hattrick. Temperament while batting is key rather than just trying to hit every ball out of the park.
I am sure with a couple of good games, all our batsmen would be in prime form and mindset to lead us into the play offs.
A good thing was that we did not panic and kept our cool till the end. The Raiders tail wagged for much longer than what we would have liked. Asif took a while to rip them out but it is good that he got some good bowling time to help us in the coming matches.
Score Card: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=1798
We have the coming weekend off for Memorial day. The next game is against Crescent at Wood brook, which is also a very important game.
Till then take some time off this weekend!
Batting first, JECC scored 191/9 in 40 overs and got Raiders all out for 145 in 35 overs.
Man of the Match: Rushi Amin for scoring 54 runs, taking 3 top order wickets in an unplayable spell with the new ball and taking two excellent slip catches.
Special mention to Dhanushka who scored a breezy 35 not out and took 4 crucial wickets.
Batting: Raiders won the toss and put us in on a cold, windy day with a bit of dampness on the ground. Rajesh opened the innings with me and got going immediately with a big six. A couple of overs and a boundary later, Rajesh got out was out for 15, attempting a big hoick. Suneel joined in and started playing freely, but it ultimately caused his fall as he was caught in the deep. Les followed him soon after, in unfortunate circumstances , adjudged bowled when it looked like the keeper might have clipped the bails. We were in a spot of bother at that time with 3 down for 40 odd runs in 12 overs.
The Raiders bowling wasn’t that great although they used the initial swing to good effect but leaked wides regularly. All we had to do was take the singles and 2-3 wides were on offer every over. Rushi and myself did just that and steadied the innings for a good measure. We ran well for the singles and waited for the loose balls cutting down all risks.
The spinners came into bowl for the raiders and tightened things a bit. The run rate fell in the process but we never panicked as we knew that a surge in the last 10 overs can get us to a good score if we have wickets in hand.
The score board kept ticking and the Raiders were demoralized as the partnership started to progress. At the second drinks break, we decided to go for the shots and started to go after the bowling. After playing a composed innings, I got out attempting a big shot scoring 40 runs, with a good 50+ partnership with Rushi.
Immediately after my wicket, Ganadeep and Amit got out bowled in successive balls to the spinner Azhar Sufi, handing him a hattrick. Niladhar too fell in the following over attempting a lofted shot. With 115 on the board, somebody had to support Rushi till the end.
Dhanushka not only did that but played some delightful shots of his own. Both left handers upped the scoring rate with good cricketing shots and sharp running, getting to a 50+ partnership in the process. Rushi hit a couple of big sixes to get to a well deserved half century. He got out for 54 soon after. Meanwhile Dhanuskha, who wasn’t finished yet played his trademark cheeky shots to good effect to get us to 191.
Bowling: Rushi who opened the bowling with Suneel, got a wicket off his first ball – a swinging delivery that caught the batsman plumb in front. This dented the Raiders approach a bit and they went into a caution mode. Suneel kept things tight at one end and Rushi got some rippers past the batsmen. He got two more wickets in his next two overs effectively dismissing the Raiders top order. His third wicket was a blinder catch by Suneel at 3rd slip.
This brought two left handers for Raiders in the middle which caused us to leak some runs off extras and loose balls. Ganadeep bowled some tight overs to keep things quiet but from the other end, Murali and Asif weren’t very effective in their first spell, going for runs.
Dhanushka entered the attack and bowled a very tight line to the lefties, beating the bat consistently. He also got their only set batsman, Azhar for 52 off a brilliant catch by Rushi in the slips. This put the pressure on Raiders which left them to just play out the overs. Dhanu was unplayable at times getting two more wickets in the process, ending his spell for 4/28. Asif and Murali cleaned out the tail enders and folded the Raiders out for 145 in 35 overs.
Verdict: Partnerships were key for us in this game and Rushi was involved in both the important ones. He steadied the innings with a partnership with me and went after the bowling together with Dhanu. Our catching was excellent though some improvement is required in ground fielding. Amit was alert and neat behind the wickets taking 3 catches in the process. Mital substituted for Rajesh and took a good catch in the deep(there you go!).
Raiders was a tough nut to crack compared to the first two matches and it is a nice win to savor which takes us to 3-0.
191 is a good score, but we could have easily got out for 140 odd had it not been for Dhanu’s cameo. The middle order just crumbled against spin and we gave away a unnecessary hattrick. Temperament while batting is key rather than just trying to hit every ball out of the park.
I am sure with a couple of good games, all our batsmen would be in prime form and mindset to lead us into the play offs.
A good thing was that we did not panic and kept our cool till the end. The Raiders tail wagged for much longer than what we would have liked. Asif took a while to rip them out but it is good that he got some good bowling time to help us in the coming matches.
Score Card: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=1798
We have the coming weekend off for Memorial day. The next game is against Crescent at Wood brook, which is also a very important game.
Till then take some time off this weekend!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Video: JECC vs Raiders (Middlesex)
By: Rushi Amin http://vimeo.com/5062645
Click on the above link to access video.
JECC Won - Jersey Eagles Cricket Club:191/9 in 40.0 overs Raiders Cricket Club:145/10 in 35.1 overs. It was a great team effort by JECC. Dhanushka Haputhanthri scored blazing 35 not out to make sure the team has a good total. Awesome wicket keeping by Amit Rathi and a great knock by the skipper Dilip Kovuri.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Match Report: JECC vs HRCC @ Far Hills - 05/10
JECC beat Hell Raizers by 4 wickets
Hell Raizers were all out for 119 and we managed the target with 4 wickets in hand with 12 overs to go.
It was a pretty easy chase except for some hiccups in the end with most of our batsmen drilling it out cautiously rather than going for an explosive approach.
We had a delayed start due to some puddles on our ground, which had to be drained out with a wet vacuum initially and were covered with some spare mats later on. Nagarjun stepped in for Rushi who had called out because of cramps.
Man of the Match: Suneel for taking 3 wickets in a excellent first spell of 6 overs and scoring 35 runs in the chase.
Bowling: With the moisture around, we opted to bowl first and Suneel justified that with some excellent bowling first up. Himanshu paired with Suneel, but looked rusty.
Mital replaced him and bowled beautifully, with some vicious deliveries. He beat the bat consistently and should have been rewarded with more wickets but ended up with 2 to his name.
Suneel and Mital were totally unplayable and dismissed half the side between them.
The follow up act wasn’t that good though. Rajesh and Dilip leaked some runs in a couple of overs. Ganadeep and Murali got us back on track later on. Both bowled economically, with Ganadeep getting 3 wickets, bowling brilliantly against the left handers. Murali supported him well and got a wicket. The last wicket scratched around a bit and scored 20 runs in the process, mostly extras. Preetham put the final nail in the coffin with HRCC folding out for 119.
Batting: With a previous loss against this team, chasing a similar total, our batting had to be circumspect. Rajesh and Preetham were just that initially and watched their new ball bowlers carefully taking the odd ones and twos. After the initial spell and 25 runs later, Rajesh got going with a couple of big hits but was out bowled off his pads, attempting a big shot. Preetham joined him soon after patting a return catch to the bowler.
Suneel and Mital were left to repair the damage and get us back on track and they did just that. Batting straight with caution, they built up a good platform leading us into the break. They took the runs on offer and kept the scoreboard ticking along. When the secondary bowlers came along, Suneel latched on to the loose balls on offer and made sure they were dispatched – to the boundary. Mital kept a steady head and showed us how he has grown as a batsman, playing according to the situation and supported Suneel well. Both got out with the target in sight. Les scored a couple of big hits to reduce the target even further.
A brief flutter with 20 odd runs to go at the end had Dilip, Ganadeep and Sekhar scratch around to finish the job.
Verdict: With our bowling, HRCC should have been all out for 60-70, which we obviously did not. We gave some freebies after the initial spell with a nice helping of extras (30+). Batting started off well but the set batsmen should have finished the game. Nagarjun's keeping was very good as usual. Fielding was OK, we didn’t drop any catches but could have been a bit more energetic on the field.
Overall, it was a easy going game. A win is good any day and with our NRR, we should be on top of the points table. Lets keep the momentum going for the next round of important games.
Next game against Raiders is an crucial one as they are one of the Div 1 teams that were relegated. A win against them would help us in the play off situation if we were to enter a tied points table.
We should be looking to win every game and I am sure if we play to our potential, we can beat any of the Div 2 teams.
Score card : http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=1776
Hell Raizers were all out for 119 and we managed the target with 4 wickets in hand with 12 overs to go.
It was a pretty easy chase except for some hiccups in the end with most of our batsmen drilling it out cautiously rather than going for an explosive approach.
We had a delayed start due to some puddles on our ground, which had to be drained out with a wet vacuum initially and were covered with some spare mats later on. Nagarjun stepped in for Rushi who had called out because of cramps.
Man of the Match: Suneel for taking 3 wickets in a excellent first spell of 6 overs and scoring 35 runs in the chase.
Bowling: With the moisture around, we opted to bowl first and Suneel justified that with some excellent bowling first up. Himanshu paired with Suneel, but looked rusty.
Mital replaced him and bowled beautifully, with some vicious deliveries. He beat the bat consistently and should have been rewarded with more wickets but ended up with 2 to his name.
Suneel and Mital were totally unplayable and dismissed half the side between them.
The follow up act wasn’t that good though. Rajesh and Dilip leaked some runs in a couple of overs. Ganadeep and Murali got us back on track later on. Both bowled economically, with Ganadeep getting 3 wickets, bowling brilliantly against the left handers. Murali supported him well and got a wicket. The last wicket scratched around a bit and scored 20 runs in the process, mostly extras. Preetham put the final nail in the coffin with HRCC folding out for 119.
Batting: With a previous loss against this team, chasing a similar total, our batting had to be circumspect. Rajesh and Preetham were just that initially and watched their new ball bowlers carefully taking the odd ones and twos. After the initial spell and 25 runs later, Rajesh got going with a couple of big hits but was out bowled off his pads, attempting a big shot. Preetham joined him soon after patting a return catch to the bowler.
Suneel and Mital were left to repair the damage and get us back on track and they did just that. Batting straight with caution, they built up a good platform leading us into the break. They took the runs on offer and kept the scoreboard ticking along. When the secondary bowlers came along, Suneel latched on to the loose balls on offer and made sure they were dispatched – to the boundary. Mital kept a steady head and showed us how he has grown as a batsman, playing according to the situation and supported Suneel well. Both got out with the target in sight. Les scored a couple of big hits to reduce the target even further.
A brief flutter with 20 odd runs to go at the end had Dilip, Ganadeep and Sekhar scratch around to finish the job.
Verdict: With our bowling, HRCC should have been all out for 60-70, which we obviously did not. We gave some freebies after the initial spell with a nice helping of extras (30+). Batting started off well but the set batsmen should have finished the game. Nagarjun's keeping was very good as usual. Fielding was OK, we didn’t drop any catches but could have been a bit more energetic on the field.
Overall, it was a easy going game. A win is good any day and with our NRR, we should be on top of the points table. Lets keep the momentum going for the next round of important games.
Next game against Raiders is an crucial one as they are one of the Div 1 teams that were relegated. A win against them would help us in the play off situation if we were to enter a tied points table.
We should be looking to win every game and I am sure if we play to our potential, we can beat any of the Div 2 teams.
Score card : http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=1776
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Video: JECC vs SJCC @ Far hills - 04/26
Created and Edited by Rushi Amin
Video can be accessed at the below link:
JECC won by 2 wickets. It was a fantastic team performance by JECC, Nice bowling by Suneel Guda, Rushi Amin, Asif Mahmood, Dhanushka and Preetham. Some awesome fielding by Shekhar, Vishal, Les, Nilidhar, Ganadeep and great wicket keeping by Rajesh Mehta. Superb opening knock by Preethan Palle. Nice patient innings by Dhanushka Haputhanthri and Rushi Amin. And to finish things off Fantastic 18 of just 17 deliveries by Asif Mahmood
Monday, April 27, 2009
Match report: JECC vs SJCC @ Far Hills 04/26
JECC beat SJCC by 2 wickets.
SJCC won the toss and elected to bat first. Bowling first JECC restricted SJCC to 94 runs and managed to chase the target with 2 wickets in hand in 28 overs.
Man of the Match: Rushi Amin his 5 wickets and a determined 18 runs not out . The knock must be especially hard for Rushi as he had to curb his natural instincts and play for the team by staying on the wicket. He scored 18 runs in 44 balls. Kudos to Rushi for playing according to team requirement.
Bowling: Suneel and Rushi started off as new ball bowlers with big swinging deliveries . Suneel got the wicket in first over. And Rushi got into act after he got warmed up from the second over. And he continued to pick up wickets at his will. He got SJCC reeling at 27/6 in the first 14 overs.
After that SJCC batsman stood on the wicket by not scoring many runs. Rest of the bowlers were pretty rusty giving away extras. Asif came back in the second spell and picked up two wickets along with a wicket to preetham. I picked up the final wicket but was hit for 2 sixes in that over.
All in all it was very clinical effort considering it being our first match. But have to control our extras and let the batsman hit the runs. 19 extras in a score of 94 is huge as it eases pressure on the batsman who just tries to stay on the wicket.
Batting: Enter Rajesh & Preetham as the openers. The bowlers of SJCC were very wayward initially. Preetham also couldn't get his timing right as he was trying to hit the ball very hard. but after couple of overs both the batsman started to play well specially Preetham. He scored 26 of 24 balls. I think he tried to force the ball hard because the grass was too high and it wasn't easy to get runs. We need to remedy that. After he got out, rest of the batsman fell like a pack of cards, providing SJCC with lot of confidence in their bowling.
To be honest, it was a division 3 standard bowling. We gave away wickets with some irresponsible shots. Dhanu supported Rushi for 15-20 runs and he got out trying his favorite scoop shot around fine leg and not noticing the fielder there. Asif played really well getting his eye in before scoring the last 15 odd runs in a span of 10 balls.
Rushi played really well supporting the other batsman. And its time the others have to step up and support him.
Verdict: A very good outing in terms of bowling and we made it difficult in batting as we were 50/1 in about 6 overs and we almost gave them the match.
Improvements: We should control our extras and let the batsmen make the runs.
Batsmen who are set should finish of and shouldn't expect the other guys to do the job. The rest have to take up responsibility and get your eye in before going for shots. There was no pressure on anyone for this match to score some fast runs. And try not to take it easy on any stage of the match. Even when we have to score the last run or take the last wicket. Never take the pressure off until the fat lady sings.
All in all this should be an eye opener for us. And all our rustiness in terms of batting should be gone by now.
Special thanks for Rajesh filling the role of keeper and doing an excellent job. And also Dhanuskha and Vishal for tracking the score.
Post your comments and suggestions.
Score Card:
http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=1730
SJCC won the toss and elected to bat first. Bowling first JECC restricted SJCC to 94 runs and managed to chase the target with 2 wickets in hand in 28 overs.
Man of the Match: Rushi Amin his 5 wickets and a determined 18 runs not out . The knock must be especially hard for Rushi as he had to curb his natural instincts and play for the team by staying on the wicket. He scored 18 runs in 44 balls. Kudos to Rushi for playing according to team requirement.
Bowling: Suneel and Rushi started off as new ball bowlers with big swinging deliveries . Suneel got the wicket in first over. And Rushi got into act after he got warmed up from the second over. And he continued to pick up wickets at his will. He got SJCC reeling at 27/6 in the first 14 overs.
After that SJCC batsman stood on the wicket by not scoring many runs. Rest of the bowlers were pretty rusty giving away extras. Asif came back in the second spell and picked up two wickets along with a wicket to preetham. I picked up the final wicket but was hit for 2 sixes in that over.
All in all it was very clinical effort considering it being our first match. But have to control our extras and let the batsman hit the runs. 19 extras in a score of 94 is huge as it eases pressure on the batsman who just tries to stay on the wicket.
Batting: Enter Rajesh & Preetham as the openers. The bowlers of SJCC were very wayward initially. Preetham also couldn't get his timing right as he was trying to hit the ball very hard. but after couple of overs both the batsman started to play well specially Preetham. He scored 26 of 24 balls. I think he tried to force the ball hard because the grass was too high and it wasn't easy to get runs. We need to remedy that. After he got out, rest of the batsman fell like a pack of cards, providing SJCC with lot of confidence in their bowling.
To be honest, it was a division 3 standard bowling. We gave away wickets with some irresponsible shots. Dhanu supported Rushi for 15-20 runs and he got out trying his favorite scoop shot around fine leg and not noticing the fielder there. Asif played really well getting his eye in before scoring the last 15 odd runs in a span of 10 balls.
Rushi played really well supporting the other batsman. And its time the others have to step up and support him.
Verdict: A very good outing in terms of bowling and we made it difficult in batting as we were 50/1 in about 6 overs and we almost gave them the match.
Improvements: We should control our extras and let the batsmen make the runs.
Batsmen who are set should finish of and shouldn't expect the other guys to do the job. The rest have to take up responsibility and get your eye in before going for shots. There was no pressure on anyone for this match to score some fast runs. And try not to take it easy on any stage of the match. Even when we have to score the last run or take the last wicket. Never take the pressure off until the fat lady sings.
All in all this should be an eye opener for us. And all our rustiness in terms of batting should be gone by now.
Special thanks for Rajesh filling the role of keeper and doing an excellent job. And also Dhanuskha and Vishal for tracking the score.
Post your comments and suggestions.
Score Card:
http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=1730
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Video: JECC vs HBCC @ Far hills - 04/19
Monday, April 20, 2009
Match Report - JECC vs HBCC @ Far hills - 04/19
JECC beat HBCC by 92 runs. It was a jinx we had to break against HBCC, having never won against them and a thumping win like this one gives us lot of confidence going into the league matches starting next week.
Batting first, JECC scored 210/8 in 40 overs and HBCC managed 118 all out in 28 overs.
Man of the Match: Rushi Amin for a classy 87 not out, batting for almost 45 overs and taking 3 top order wickets in 4 balls, just missing a hat trick.
The knock must be especially satisfying for Rushi as it was not his typical aggressive style, more workman like, and did not include any sixes! Most of the runs came off well timed shots and he played a sheet anchor role to perfection guiding the others around him.
Batting: JECC won the toss and elected to bat first on a sunny day with a slight breeze blowing across the ground.
Rajesh was out quickly at the start of the innings. Rushi, together with Preetham played sensibly against the new ball being watchful as the pitch was tricky in the morning. The bounce was variable, spongy sometimes which did not help the batsmen to time their shots at all. Although HBCC had some good bowlers, they were made out to look unplayable on occasions. Preetham got out for 14 just when he started to get his eye in and Suneel followed him, out bowled off a full toss.
With three wickets down on an uneasy pitch, Lucky (niladhar) and Rushi started to bring some stability to the proceedings. They saw off some quiet overs for a while but made sure that the score board was ticking with singles and twos. Lucky started to open up and timed some glorious shots over cover and a magnificent six over midwicket. Rushi meanwhile made sure the bad balls were punished chipping in with the odd boundary. He was watchful but was never bogged down and calmed Lucky down at the other end , who was beginning to get aggressive. Lucky's aggression ultimately led to his downfall as he was out caught for 29, attempting a big shot. Amit joined Rushi and continued his good form with the bat scoring a breezy 27. He pulled a muscle while running and got the quick silver Preetham as a runner. Preetham was lightning quick and converted dots into ones and ones into twos and threes…now we know who is our designated runner! (he is faster than Dhanu :) ) ..
Rushi meanwhile completed his half century and was planning to retire to give the other batsmen some playing time.. but wickets kept falling from the other end as he went on the offensive in the slog overs. A century was easily on the cards but he gave way for our lower order to bat the last 5 overs to end up at 210. Excellent team spirit Rushi!!..
Bowling: Suneel and Rushi started off as new ball bowlers with big swinging deliveries . A couple of big shots by the HBCC openers did not affect them at all and the pressure with their line and length resulted in a string of wickets in the sixth over. Rushi got the swing to work for him resulting in three quick wickets in 4 balls, destroying the top order for HBCC. First change – enter Srinath and as ever, got two wickets which made sure we had the match in the bag.
Suneel then rotated the bowling, making sure everyone got to bowl. Mital substituted Amit , keeping wickets and did a pretty decent job, although a couple of chances went down. The run scoring was completely curbed with the HBCC batsmen’s intent being on survival.
Dhanu, Vishal, Rishi and myself got to bowl a bit too which dragged on the proceedings till the 25th over. I got two wickets and a run out by Suneel left HBCC in complete disarray. Preetham took the last wicket wrapping up HBCC for 118.
Verdict: A very good outing for JECC getting rid of the jinx and making sure we enter the league matches on a high note. We set the bar high this season and the expectation to go all the way is surely possible. Rushi displayed his all round skills and his addition to our team makes us even better. The batsmen should always aim at scoring 20’s and 30’s atleast in every game. A tendency to throw the wicket when settled throws away all the hardwork and the team loses momentum. With everyone chipping in, even if one batsman then goes on to make a big score, a total of 200+ will then be easy. Preetham, Amit, Lucky, Dhanu are looking good with their starts and a big score from them is surely to be expected.
Bowling was OK, as we always have been, but extras need to be controlled. All the runs we gave were off extras and the wind blowing across the ground did not help at all.
The fielding needs to be improved…we need to practice more of the catching /throwing and should support the bowlers.
The first league game is against SJCC on Sunday. Please sign up before Wednesday.
Batting first, JECC scored 210/8 in 40 overs and HBCC managed 118 all out in 28 overs.
Man of the Match: Rushi Amin for a classy 87 not out, batting for almost 45 overs and taking 3 top order wickets in 4 balls, just missing a hat trick.
The knock must be especially satisfying for Rushi as it was not his typical aggressive style, more workman like, and did not include any sixes! Most of the runs came off well timed shots and he played a sheet anchor role to perfection guiding the others around him.
Batting: JECC won the toss and elected to bat first on a sunny day with a slight breeze blowing across the ground.
Rajesh was out quickly at the start of the innings. Rushi, together with Preetham played sensibly against the new ball being watchful as the pitch was tricky in the morning. The bounce was variable, spongy sometimes which did not help the batsmen to time their shots at all. Although HBCC had some good bowlers, they were made out to look unplayable on occasions. Preetham got out for 14 just when he started to get his eye in and Suneel followed him, out bowled off a full toss.
With three wickets down on an uneasy pitch, Lucky (niladhar) and Rushi started to bring some stability to the proceedings. They saw off some quiet overs for a while but made sure that the score board was ticking with singles and twos. Lucky started to open up and timed some glorious shots over cover and a magnificent six over midwicket. Rushi meanwhile made sure the bad balls were punished chipping in with the odd boundary. He was watchful but was never bogged down and calmed Lucky down at the other end , who was beginning to get aggressive. Lucky's aggression ultimately led to his downfall as he was out caught for 29, attempting a big shot. Amit joined Rushi and continued his good form with the bat scoring a breezy 27. He pulled a muscle while running and got the quick silver Preetham as a runner. Preetham was lightning quick and converted dots into ones and ones into twos and threes…now we know who is our designated runner! (he is faster than Dhanu :) ) ..
Rushi meanwhile completed his half century and was planning to retire to give the other batsmen some playing time.. but wickets kept falling from the other end as he went on the offensive in the slog overs. A century was easily on the cards but he gave way for our lower order to bat the last 5 overs to end up at 210. Excellent team spirit Rushi!!..
Bowling: Suneel and Rushi started off as new ball bowlers with big swinging deliveries . A couple of big shots by the HBCC openers did not affect them at all and the pressure with their line and length resulted in a string of wickets in the sixth over. Rushi got the swing to work for him resulting in three quick wickets in 4 balls, destroying the top order for HBCC. First change – enter Srinath and as ever, got two wickets which made sure we had the match in the bag.
Suneel then rotated the bowling, making sure everyone got to bowl. Mital substituted Amit , keeping wickets and did a pretty decent job, although a couple of chances went down. The run scoring was completely curbed with the HBCC batsmen’s intent being on survival.
Dhanu, Vishal, Rishi and myself got to bowl a bit too which dragged on the proceedings till the 25th over. I got two wickets and a run out by Suneel left HBCC in complete disarray. Preetham took the last wicket wrapping up HBCC for 118.
Verdict: A very good outing for JECC getting rid of the jinx and making sure we enter the league matches on a high note. We set the bar high this season and the expectation to go all the way is surely possible. Rushi displayed his all round skills and his addition to our team makes us even better. The batsmen should always aim at scoring 20’s and 30’s atleast in every game. A tendency to throw the wicket when settled throws away all the hardwork and the team loses momentum. With everyone chipping in, even if one batsman then goes on to make a big score, a total of 200+ will then be easy. Preetham, Amit, Lucky, Dhanu are looking good with their starts and a big score from them is surely to be expected.
Bowling was OK, as we always have been, but extras need to be controlled. All the runs we gave were off extras and the wind blowing across the ground did not help at all.
The fielding needs to be improved…we need to practice more of the catching /throwing and should support the bowlers.
The first league game is against SJCC on Sunday. Please sign up before Wednesday.
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