Match Report: JECC vs Indus, 05/16 @ Far Hills

JECC lost to Indus by 65 runs.

Chasing 230, JECC were all out for 165 in 37 overs.

Brilliant counter attacking half century by Ananth was the highlight of our chase.

Scorecard:http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=3446

Bowling: Suneel and Mital opened the bowling but were unfortunate to start out as many of the runs cameby edges on a surprisingly fast outfield at far hills. The Indus openers were making good use of the flash hard technique resulting in many edges flying off the bat. A dubious umpiring decision – one of many, judging a gloved catch as not out resulted in a life for the Indus opener off Mitals bowling. Vijay and Sekhar bowled a good tight spell but were unlucky as some catches and half chances were dropped by us. A stubborn 60 run opening partnership lasted well past 15 overs until Dhanu had got the break for JECC, off a true shot off the middle of the bat.

This breakthrough led to a couple of wickets – all for Dhanu and the Indus batsmen were content to coast along without losing wickets. Dhanu and I bowled some tight overs between us but found no support from the field as almost 6 to 7 catches were dropped. This led to a confidence booster for Indus as their batsmen changed to an attacking mode and went after the bowling. Vishal cheruku easily scored 70 courtesy of atleast 5 lives and the support acts were gifted lives off dropped catches and sloppy fielding. Mital came on to get him out but things weren’t looking too good for us as we leaked too many runs. Rishi bowled well to get two set batsmen out but couldn’t sustain his wicket taking spell as the batsmen were slogging in the final overs. The last 10 overs by our bowlers conceded 100+ runs and a couple of injuries left us to score 231.

Batting: To score almost 6 runs an over, Vijay and I set out atleast get some runs on board first. I was out bowled in the fourth over for 14 trying to hit out after getting a couple of fours. Ananth and Vijay settled down to stabilize things for a while when Vijay got out and Mital followed him soon after. Lucky and Sekhar supported Ananth well just when he started to find his touch.

Ananth was brilliant in his attack and made the Indus team to panic that led to a lot of team discussions to stop him. Some of his classy shots stood out – six over cover, one over midwicket and boundaries off flicks and cuts were a pleasure to watch. He ran very well for twos and threes and suddenly, the chase was on. With runs flowing thick and fast, it was a reachable target if Ananth was there.The only strategy that Indus could come up with was to not give him strike and they succeeded well for a while and frustrated him resulting in his wicket with almost 100 runs to get.

With a new found spark in our batting, Suneel carried on where Ananth left off, but soon ran out of partners as no one was there for support him. With Lucky as a runner, Suneel was in the same nick as the previous game scoring at will and finding the boundary with ease, but fell trying for a big shot. With the mounting asking rate, the rest of the batting line up collapsed for 165 in 37 overs.

Verdict: If one is to blame for the defeat, it is our fielding that let us down completely and dropped the morale of the entire team. We lost the match in our minds in the first 20 overs of the match as wickets weren’t coming and catches weren’t being taken. We dropped atleast 10 easily catchable ones and the half chances were too many to count.

Contrast with the Indus fielding, who really were a bunch of old guys, who couldn’t run or throw, but took good catches and converted the half chances to wickets. The dropped catches were all around the field and it wasn’t the weather to blame as we found an excuse for the first two games. Bowling was good overall, but isn’t reflected in the score card as fielding lapses were too comic to mention. Overthrows, giving twos for a non existing single, provided entertainment for the cheering Indus camp.

Ananth’s class batting was a relief and gave us the spark we needed in the batting department. We could have chased down 180-200 with him staying around, but the support acts in the top and middle order need to be there. All it takes is to rotate the strike for the set batsman that we failed to do.

Let’s pick up on the fielding and put some heart into the batting if we are to atleast make something out of the season.

Match report: JECC vs Edison, 05/09/10 @ Thomas Jefferson

CLNJ Div 1 league match

JECC lost to Edison by 127 runs.

ScoreCard: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=3416

Batting first, Edison scored 207 for 9 in 40 overs. JECC were all out for 80 and didn't even come close to bat even 25 overs.

Bowling: We Bowled pretty well until their middle of the innings. I and Rushi opened the bowling in windy conditions and bowled 9 overs for 39 runs and took 1 wicket. Then came our pick of the bowlers Asif and Mittal who bowled really well unchanged for 22 overs they were reeling 85 for 5. After changing them no one were able to bowl well and Edison two players started picking the runs easily. After various changes Gana got us the wicket and broke their partnership which was then 145.

After 30 overs they were 133 and last 10 overs with 2 wickets in hand they scored 70 odd runs and ended at 207.

We gave away 45 extras with 26 wides 6 no balls and 13 byes.

Kudos to Asif and Mittal for bowling really well.

Batting: With a nice outfield 200 runs was gettable.

There is not much to write here as again our batting was a disaster with 5 ducks 4 single digits. I and Rushi only went into double digits. Their opening bowlers got 7 wickets for 44 runs in 10 odd overs. I and Dhanu stayed at the wicket and kept Edison at bay for 12 odd overs.

Verdict: I do not mind losing games by showing some fight. But if our batting keeps on continuing this way we shouldnt be in Division1. I do not understand how hard is it to stay at the wicket. I am not asking you to score runs at 6 an over. I only expect 20 odds runs in 40 odd balls. All the batsman irrespective of what position your playing should keep this mind and play a patient innings.

There are minor things we could improve like fielding etc etc but if our batting is like this I dont even want to focus there.

Match report: JECC vs Mavericks, 05/02/10 @ Far hills

CLNJ Div 1 league match

JECC lost to Mavericks by 26 runs.

ScoreCard: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=3384

Batting first, Mavericks scored 153 all out in 39 overs. JECC fell short in the chase and were all out for 125 in 33 overs.

Bowling: Mavericks won the toss and elected to bat first on a hot and humid day. Our opening bowlers, Rushi and Siddharth struggled to find a line initially which helped the Mavericks get off to a flying start. Mital stepped in for Sid and stuck onto a wonderful line and length, slowing their run rate. Mital got the first breakthrough and ended up with three wickets for the game. Rushi got into a rhythm after changing ends and got a couple of wickets. Karthik stepped in and settled into a nice line and was also rewarded with a couple of wickets. Both Mital and Karthik hurried the batsmen with their pace, beating the bat and made them struggle for runs.
Dhanushka and I bowled some tight overs at the half way mark to suffocate the batsmen. Dhanu got into his merry–go-wicket-taking spell getting three quick wickets, unlucky to get a fiver. Our strike bowlers came into finish the job but couldn’t as the Mavericks tail enders hung around and scratched their way to a 150+ total with the last two pairs scoring 40 odd runs.

Batting: Vijay and I opened the innings, but didn’t have to even touch the ball as the Mavericks bowlers struggled with the swing and leaked plenty of wides. The first 3 overs yielded almost 20 runs in wides mixed with a couple of straight ones. A freakish run out that touched the bowlers hand off a straight drive got me run out at the non strikers end. Their bowlers settled into a line later and Karthik, along with Vijay nicely built up our innings with ones and twos and the odd boundary. With rain predicted, we were well ahead of the run rate and were looking good when Vijay had to retire due to the heat and dehyrdration. Sid also had to retire between because of the heat. Karthik stuck on at one end and rotated the strike well, ticking on the score board. He got out for a classy 22.
None of the batsmen that followed Karthik were able to stick on as we lost wickets at an alarming rate. Mital, Rushi, Ananth, Sekhar, Dhanu, Gana, all got out in a heap – with 3 wickets falling at once. All of them got out to a slow bowler, Sudhir who was just flighting the ball and our batsmen gave easy catches to the ring fielders, gifting him 5 wickets.
Vijay came into bat again and looked in good nick scoring some big hits and running well for ones and twos. He got out for a well made 33, off a blinder of a catch. Sid came in to bat at the end with Dhanu as a runner with Murali. This was the last wicket. They put on a brave fight and got us into striking distance of the target. With good running, they were set to get a come from behind victory, just when Sid got out caught, closing our innings with 26 runs left.

Verdict: This was a game we expected to win. With home field advantage and an opposition like Mavericks, the odds were in our favor. But our lame batting cost us the game. Only 3 batsmen got into double figures while the rest of the batting line up collapsed like a pack of cards. Five ducks in a batting line up doesnt look good. Although we can take heart with the fight at the end by Murali and Sid, this was essentially a total batting failure.We went into the game assuming that we have the best batting line up in the league – but it showed that it was on paper, not on the ground. We just had to stay on the wicket as the reqd run rate was only 4 runs an over.
Bowling was OK, but we lacked a finisher that could have wrapped up the Mavericks tailenders for well under 100. We gave up too many runs at the beginning and end of their innings.
Fielding was OK too, but we could use some improvement with the catching. The heat and exhaustion didn’t help anyone but some very good catches were taken although some catchable ones were dropped. Credit to Murali, Rushi and Gana for taking up the keeping responsibility and not giving any byes or catches in the absence of a regular keeper.

We have to get set for the upcoming games as we will be facing tougher opponents throughout the season.

Match Report: JECC vs IndiansCC, Practice Match @ Far Hills, 04/18/2010

CLNJ Practice game.
JECC bt Indians CC by 5 wickets.

Indians won the toss and batted first, scoring 147 (all out) in 33 overs. JECC got home comfortably in 30 overs and 5 wickets in hand.

Bowling: Everyone except Nagarjun, who was keeping, got to bowl as Murali gave everyone a good chance to bowl. The Indians CC batsmen weren’t threatening but stuck on as we kept leaking wides and no balls magnanimously. Other than that, the bowling was pretty decent with Rushi and Murali utilizing the new ball effectively and the follow up bowlers bowling to their field. A couple of run outs and some good catches wrapped up the innings for IndiansCC.

Batting: Myself and Vijay Mukherjee opened the innings but both got out cheaply after getting a good look in. Karthik, a tryout for JECC, put up a classy display with effective strokes all around the ground. He is a good find for us in the mold of Les, and can bowl well too. Nagarjun on the other end was batting very well too and got into form quickly with some big hits, scoring 30. We retired Karthik for 35, to give others a chance at batting after he scored a 60 run partnership with Naga. Rushi, Dhanu took us closer to the target and Sekhar,Murali finished it off in style with quick boundaries.

Overall a nice outing for JECC but we could use some disciplined bowling and energy on the field for the league games. The weather was cold and dull making the fielding difficult but still, a nice effort overall.
This win would take us with a high morale into the league matches starting next Sunday.

Match report: Practice game JECC vs Indus 04/11/2010 @ Far Hills

Match Report: JECC vs. Indus CC by Murali

30 over practice game played at our Home ground. Indus CC won by 20 runs.

Indus: 164/10 beat JECC: 144/10

Indus won the toss and chose to bat. They come in with their regular full strength team with (Prem Sanjay, Ashvin, Vishal, Vikram Nadig,Girish. ....). Put up 164 in 30 overs.

Bowling: Our first spell was tight and on the mark with Rushi and I opening the new ball. Rushi was as always unplayable.. up-rooted the stumps in his 2nd over. Sreenath and Asif were brought in for the 1st change and they did well. We had 10 bowlers in the game and everybody deserved a chance as it was a practice game..bowling was rotated and everyone got a fair chance and bowled 2/3 overs each to finish off. We did have some loose overs in the end...but it was okay and expected. (We gave 12 extras).

Batting: For a change, Sreenath opened our batting with Dhaval. . He did okay...faced Indus CC pace bowler with ease...Praneeth joined Dhaval in 3 rd over and Aript joined Praneet in next over. Praneeth batted well piked up right shots with nice drives and pulls. Dhanu and Vishal did great in the middle, both had great understanding and it was treat to watch Dhanu batting in his original form, he played all his favorite shots (sweeps, pulls and flicks)..Vishal too on the other side played really well. I joined Vishal after Dhanu was caught..Vishal & I did well together. Asif later joined me and played some nice strokes. We didn't give up, hung around and tried our best, Asif played some of his best shots.

Taking the positives from the game, though we lost the game, I feel we did okay in the batting dept. Out of 144 , 130 runs came in from the bat. (only 14 from extras). Overall,it is really a positive note going the season.



Batting Scorecard:

Match Report: JECC vs Warriors @ Mercer County Park, 09/13

CLNJ Semifinals

JECC lost to Warriors by 6 wickets.

Scorecard: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=2674

Batting: The scorecard says it all. Irresponsible batting display by the entire team let us down in the most important game of the clubs history. We had a definite chance of winning this and the championship. When the task at hand demanded a cautious approach to batting on a wet pitch, our batsmen went for glory and attempted big shots only to get caught in the deep. Cricket does not work that way where runs only come in sixes and fours. The set batsmen threw their wicket away just because a couple of others did. We forgot that this batting lineup bats all the way till no.11. Most of the batsmen went out in the same way letting down the entire team.
A couple of dubious decisions by the umpire made the matters worse, but in the end a very bad performance with the bat by JECC. Bowling wasn’t unplayable, but infact was dibbly dobbly stuff by Anoop and co. who were just looking for us to hit the ball in the air.

Bowling: With a target of 93, we needed a performance like the previous game. Suneel and Rushi promised just that and put up quite a fight. A wicket in the very second ball by Suneel got us started and Rushi followed it up with another wicket in his over.

But it was all downhill from there on..Catches were dropped early on for the opening slog hitter and with a couple of big hits from him the game was out of our hands. Simple catches were dropped that made the shoulders droop and made the bowling look helpless. Himanshu came on later to bowl a very good spell but was unfortunate as his catches were dropped too. Our bowling was way better than theirs but fielding was non-existent to make us lose without a fight.

Verdict: With a batting lineup that looks so good on paper, we should be scoring 150+ each time we go out to bat. 94 was a saving grace in the end but not a fighting total.
Seven catches and a couple of run outs were missed. Had we taken atleast 4-5 of them the match would have been ours. All of them were catchable and it was just the loser attitude that rubbed off on everyone.

~End of the season~

The loss was a bad way to end the season but we had some positives to keep track of throughout our journey.

** Going into Div 1 is a true bonus but we would have liked to be in the championship game atleast. This thought process is a long way for a team that was just satisfied to be playing in CLNJ and a playoff berth was a cause for celebration. It is credit to our self belief that we are disappointed not to win the semifinal – very unlike the past JECC teams.

** New additions this time were a big positive to our club. Les, Amit, Sekhar, Lucky, Preetham and Sekhar – you guys were a big boost to us this year and we are looking forward to a bigger role for you for the next year onwards.

Les’s batting was very classy and he truly is the best batsman in the team. Atleast four wrong umpiring decisions went against him but otherwise a solid performer and a true team player.

Special thanks to Amit for his uncomplaining and excellent wicket keeping throughout the season. He was rock solid behind the stumps and made important contributions to the batting.

Our teammates from the past, Rushi and Himanshu were very big additions this year. Rushi’s MVP like performance in every game that he played made us a force to reckon with in the league. Had he played more matches, he would have improved his stats to be a top player. His competitiveness rubbed on most of us and we should improve our game going forward.

Lucky, Sekhar and Preetham gave us the boost in batting and team spirit but we do expect more from them next year, given the optimum chances.

**We all have played well as a unit and I feel happy that we ‘gel’ together well as a unit instead of petty politics and issues that face other teams.
Let’s keep it that way and look forward to a better season next year.

NOTE: We were looking to plan a end of the season get together..so please email your suggestions. Paint ball was one, football game another..
We will wait for Murali and Ganadeep to get back so any thing around the first week of Oct should be OK.

Video: JECC vs Parisppany Panthers

Video by Rushi:

http://vimeo.com/6365105

Amazing bowling performance by Rushi and Suneel..

Match Report: JECC vs Parsippany Panthers @ Far hills, 08/30

Play Offs: Quarterfinals

JECC bt Parsippany Panthers by 71 runs.

Batting first, JECC were allout for 88 runs in 30.1 overs and in reply, got Parsippany Panthers allout for only 17 runs in an exhilarating spell of swing bowling for 11 overs.

Score Card: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=2662

Man of the Match: Rushi Amin for taking six wickets in 5.2 overs for 11 runs and effectively ripping out the batting lineup for the Panthers. It was a treat to watch as he made the ball swing and curve that left the batsmen just shaking their heads in disbelief.

Batting: The less said the better. Losing the toss, we were put into bat on a bit of damp conditions on a very heavy outfield. Except for a couple of good balls, the rest of the batting line up was out to rash shots and lazy footwork. The slide started with the second over when Preetham got out looking for a big hoick, but only managed edging it to short third man. Suneel followed him, chipping a shot to short midwicket and Mital was soon out LBW.

Les and Rushi steadied things a bit with some big sixes, but with the slow outfield, ones and twos were difficult to get. Rushi was out bowled and Les got a couple of chances, but was soon out too to a big shot in the deep to their ‘chuckie’ off spinner, who took four wickets. Rajesh tried get things into order and played out some tricky overs before launching into a couple of big sixes, but was also soon out caught behind. Amit and I got out to the offie and we were staring down the barrel with barely 70 on board. Dhanu, Himanshu and Asif tried to put up some resistance but couldn’t prevent the damage and we got allout for 88 runs.

Bowling: With such a small total to defend, all our bowlers were very much warmed up during the break and all of us were charged up. None of us wanted the season to end this way and this showed on all the faces. We knew run scoring would be difficult on the heavy outfield and with a strong bowling line up as ours, it would take some effort to win this game, but everything depended on a good start and quick wickets from the opening bowlers.

Suneel took the new ball and started out a typical unplayable first over with a few close calls. Rushi’s first over was much more eventful. After a couple of full tosses, he found his length and got the ball to land on a perfect spot that curved into the batsmen ripping out the middle stump. The very next ball was a LBW that the batsmen assumed would go outside off but it moved in at the last second to catch him plumb in front.

With 2 wickets in the second over, we were all rearing to go and the fear showed in the batsmen’s faces. They couldn’t middle a ball yet and were very fortunate to not edge any. Suneel got two wickets in the very next over - a caught behind and a bowled to leave the panthers at four wickets down, with almost nothing on the board.
A couple of unplayable overs later, Rushi got another 2-for (2 wickets in an over) with a bowled and sharp catch in the slips by Suneel. Another brilliant over by Suneel followed it up where he bamboozled the batsmen with big swing. The batsman left if as wide outside leg, but he ball curved in at the last minute to hit his foot in front of the wickets – plumb LBW!
In between all this mayhem, Rushi missed a wicket too! –a bowled off a no ball.

The last wicket was another gem – a quick catch by preetham at short leg off Rushi that wrapped up the innings in about 45 minutes and 11 overs, almost like a highlights package.

Verdict: It seemed as if our batting and bowling were like from two different matches altogether. Suneel and Rushi would be the best bowling pair in NJ and are a threat to any opposition in any league. Although the caliber of the Panthers batsmen wasn’t half good to face this quality bowling, the way these two bowled was good enough for any batting line up. It left the umpire, batsmen bewildered and the fielders breathless for joy!

It was like a competition between the two bowlers with the Panthers at the suffering end. Suneel’s banana outswingers were matched up by Rushi’s in dippers. It was like the bowling pair of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in tandem that we watched on TV!

The batting was a disappointment indeed. Their bowling was simple and nothing great but our batsmen lacked the responsibility and approach that is to be shown in a playoff game. We have to practice hard and look to play 40 overs when we step out to bat, moreso in playoffs where the quality and intensity of the opposition is very much a step up.

We are only 2 games away from the championship, so we need all the practice and support we can get.

Match report: JECC vs Brunswick Braves@ Piscataway, 08/23

Div 2/3 Play offs 2009: Pre-Quarterfinals

JECC bt Brunswick Braves by 7 wickets

Batting first, Brunswick braves put on a fight but were all out for 131 in 37 overs. We chased down the target in only 19.3 overs for the loss of 3 wickets with initial fireworks from Preetham and a classy finish by Les and Rushi.

Man of the Match: Dhanushka for taking 4 wickets in an excellent spell of 8 overs for 17 runs at a crucial stage of the game where the match tilted in the opponents favor. He could have got a couple of more wickets had we not dropped some easy catches.

Toss: We had to relocate the ground to Piscataway (provided by the league) early morning as Far hills wasn’t in playing condition.
Even Piscataway was damp and with a wet outfield, the start was delayed a bit. With such conditions, we would have opted to bowl first anyway. We lost the toss but the Braves opted to bat first as they were only playing 10 players. It was a wise decision in the end as they didn’t have to toil in the field for the entire day with our explosive batting line up.

Bowling: Suneel and Rushi opened the attack and made use of the conditions very well. They were totally unplayable and it would have taken better batsmen to even get a nick in their bowling. After a customary maiden first up, Suneel got one to swing from outside leg to get the first wicket, which brought their main batsman Ananth to the crease. He was pretty good to give due credit but not good enough to take on the swing form these two. Some couple of loose balls were duly punished but the run rate was very much in check. We couldn’t get past the initial wickets and bowling changes were on the cards. Mital and Himanshu bowled very well too, keeping a tight line, but were unlucky as we dropped a couple of easy takes in the outfield.
The Braves only lost one wicket by the first break and were looking set for a big score. Change of bowling – enter Dhanushka and he took a wicket in his first over, that too of their set batsman Ananth. A couple of overs later, another wicket came off a tame catch to point and with a stumping off my bowling, the Braves were in serious trouble. They nudged along with 3 runs per over and we kept taking wickets at regular intervals, even with the dropped chances. Rushi got a stumping in the end and Suneel wrapped up the last two wickets. He is on a hatrick for the next game.

Batting: Continuing where he left off in the previous game, Preetham was on fire launching into the attack and taking 15 runs off the first over, including a huge six that deposited the ball across the stream near the boundary. Mital gave him support but was subdued and saw off the good balls. Preetham was out for 19 trying to cut a ball that rose on him. Rajesh replaced Preetham and hit a huge six to start off but was out soon after to an attempted pull. Mital followed him too and it was left to Les and Rushi to get back things into order.

Les took the charge and played freely. With his gifted timing, Les played the ball to all parts of the ground using his repertoire of strokes. The heavy outfield stopped many boundaries but he still was in prime form and demoralized the bowlers. Rushi, after playing himself in, showed the Braves what a classy player he is. Getting into position quickly, he pounced on anything marginally short and hit some magnificent sixes. Both ran very well between the wickets and completed the chase in emphatic fashion by the 20th over. Les finished at a well made 50 and Rushi at 30, both not out.
Had it been our batting in the first innings, a score of 250+ was definitely on the cards with Les and Rushi set for huge scores.

Verdict: Glaring errors yesterday were the catches we dropped. Six to Seven ‘catchable’ ones were dropped as the fielders didn’t take a start or judged the take poorly. Time and again, we have to support the bowlers as a dropped catch or a life demoralizes the bowler and the team.
It didn’t prove too costly, but we saw how two games were lost because of dropped catches. Let us learn from the mistakes and concentrate on the field.
Fielding was OK, but we could have been more energetic. Agreed that the humid conditions didn’t help the cause, but a little more energy can save us some runs. Dhanushka was a chatterbox on the field and kept the batsmen and bowlers in check!
Amit was very good keeping wickets with 3 catches and two stumpings. He dropped a catch off Dhanu but the rest of the dismissals were very clean and there was quick glove work behind the stumps.
It was a fun day with us and some supporters cheering our batting, but we should not be complacent as the next games might have some better bowling attacks.

Scorecard: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=2646

Match report: JECC vs SomCav@ Far hills, 08/16

JECC bt SomCav by 8 wickets.

Man of the Match: Preetham/Mittal for their excellent batting/bowling.
Special mention to Dhanukshka for his continuos talk on the field. Keeping us on toes on the field and frustrating the opponent batsmen all day.

Easy victory for the Eagles in a must win to go to Division 1.

Toss: We lost the toss and fielded first in a very hot conditions and damp outfield.

Bowling: There isn’t much to write here as everyone bowled exceptionally well. Suneel opened the bowling with Rushi and bowled economically and Rushi picked up the first wicket. Then came Mittal and Himanshu and tightened the screws further. Dhanu and Preetham followed and bowled brilliantly. Somcav were all out for 107 in 37.1 overs. They would have been well short of that score if we picked up our catches.

Batting: Preetham opened the batting with Mittal and both took only couple balls to get their eye in and started there expansive drives and pull shorts. This is how to play, wait for the loose ball and dispatching that ball. In the mix calming down your adrenalin in playing shots is very important because that will make you go for the shots on good balls. Their calling and running between the wickets was excellent. We finished of the target in 18 over’s with couple wickets down.

Improvements: We have already discussed this but let me remind you again.
I understand that the conditions were too hot but
1) Fielding: Catches win matches. We dropped too many easy chances and couple of run outs. If this was another team that will definitely haunt us.
2) Batting: No complains except one, finish the job.
3) Bowling: 17 extras in the score of 107 should be tightened going forward.

Verdict: All in all we played as a team and won the must win game to go to Division 1 next year. We achieved our 1st goal and let’s get on and finish what we started for, to win the championship.

Score card: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=2050

Video: JECC vs SomCav @ Far hills - 08/16

Video By RUSHI:

http://vimeo.com/6322299

Somcav won the toss and elected to bat first. Somcav's 107 all out in 37.1 overs. Some economical bowling by Jecc bowlers. JECC scored 110/2 in 18.4 overs and won the game easily by 8 wickets. Some amazing shot by preetham palle who scored 40 runs.Mital and Preetham had a partnership of 96 runs.

Match Report :JECC vs USCA @ Far hills - 07/26

Match tied.

Batting first JECC were all out for 140 in 36 overs in the alloted 37 overs - cut short by rain. In reply USCA were reeling at 116/8 with 7 overs to go when rain interrupted play. At that time Usca were not willing to bat as they were marginally ahead even though we dried the areas and the umpire called them out to play. The result was in dispute with the league and they split the points between the teams to rule it as a tied game.


Scorecard : http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=1982

Man of the Match: Suneel & Himanshu.
Suneel for a magnificent return- to -form 50 runs that helped steady our batting and get us to a respectable score. His 50 was studded with 3 towering sixes and four 4's in 59 balls.
Himanshu's 4/29 got us back into the game and his bowling was the game changer for us.

Batting: USCA won the toss and put us in to bat on a wet outfield and impending rain in the afternoon. I opened with Rajesh and got out nought to a tame catch off a full toss. Mital stepped in and steadied the innings with Rajesh cutting loose. His innings of 25 had some big hits but was cut short to a good catch off a checked shot.Les and Mital got out soon after that and it was left to Suneel and Sekhar to repair the damage. Suneel was in good nick middling the ball and hitting some stylish shots. The pulls and drives were back and this made USCA run for cover.

A rain interruption resulted in a reduction of three overs.Sekhar and Amit supported Suneel very well and together took us past 100. With wickets inhand, we were looking for 150+ but the dismissals of Suneel,Amit,Ganadeep got us to playout the overs rather than attack. Preetham played well towards the end but ran out of partners by the 36 th over to finish at 140.

Bowling: 140 on our pitch in 37 overs was defendable and suneel and Mital started off well in the hunt for wickets. They were unfortunate not to get wickets but both bowled a tight line giving nothing away. Himanshu came into the attack and got us the breathrough we were looking for, off a good catch by Sekhar. Preetham from the other end maintained the pressure to get another one - a sharp catch by Rajesh in the slips. Himanshu wasnt finished though and ripped through their batting line up with 4 wickets in his first spell. Ganadeep was in his elements too and nabbed 3/24 with a tight line and some intelligent bowling.
With impending rain, the USCA tailenders chanced their bats around to get some quick runs which tipped the run rate in their favor. A quirk of fate and luck yielded a couple of sixes of Suneel and Mital just when the skies opened and a big thunderstorm fell on the ground pushing the USCA runrate ahead.

Rain: By the time rain came, USCA needed 25 runs off 7 overs (they were ahead by 3 runs!!). But rain stopped after a while and the skies celared up for some sunshine. We cleared up the water around the pitch but USCA werent in any mood to play and argued about everything. Calls to the league left the decision in the umpires hands. After we cleared up the water around the pitch and fit to play, the umpire was satisfied cand called us in to play but the USCA batsmen were trying everything possible to avoid playing.
The batsmen and umpire stepped on the field when I guaranteed a boundary if the ball goes into a puddle near the short fine leg area. This was there all through the game which we agreed as a 'one declared' but a boundary in their batting wasnt enough to get them to play. They provoked us and got me into an argument cauing even more delay leaving the field in a huff.

With all our efforts wasted, the match result in left in dispute as USCA walked off the field when it was fit to play even with the rain interruption.

Verdict: Our batting still needs to click and we should post 150+ to give us a fighting chance.
4 of our batsmen fell to half hearted to shots. Feilding was OK but we dropped a couple of chances, one off the same guy who hit two sixes in the end.

Sorry to the entire team that all the hardwork has been wasted without a result. A proper ending to a cricket match is on the field and had we played atleast two overs, the two tailenders were sure to be taken out. We were the stronger team throughout the day and were sure of winning if the rain gods permitted. The unnecessary arguments and hurled abuses spoilt a good day of cricket. Lets hope we salvage some points out of this.

Match Report: JECC vs Miracle @ Far Hills - 07/19

JECC lost to Miracle by 4 wickets

Batting first JECC scored 125 all out in 39.5 overs. Miracle got to the target in 38 overs losing 6 wickets in the process.

Scorecard:http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=1958

Man of the Match: Amit for scoring 36 not out in a fighting knock to get us to a respectable total. His keeping was brilliant as usual.

Batting: We won the toss and elected to bat first on a hot sunny day. The filed miraculously dried up and a few wet spots were covered with tarps to get the match started on time.

Rajesh and Preetham opened the batting starting off well but found it difficult to judge the left arm swing of their main bowler – Jagannath and got out cheaply. Mital and I stepped in to steady the innings a bit but Mital was soon out to a chipped catch to mid off. Sekhar was run out without facing a ball in bizarre circumstances when he grounded his bat but lifted it as he thought the throw to the keeper was about to hit his head.

Suneel, coming down the order hit a big six but was soon out bowled to a straight ball. Dhanuskha followed him immediately and we were looking down the barrel with six down and plenty of overs to go. Amit and I played out some quiet overs but my resistance of 22 ended with a thin edge to the keeper. Murali (12) put up a good fight with Amit(36*) to get us closer to 100 but was unfortunately out when a edge lobbed up off his head to gully. With Asif being judged out off his shirt, the last wicket of Srinath and Amit were left to play out the overs and pile on the runs.

Amit batted intelligently to farm the strike and got some big hits at the end. He remained not out on 36 but ran out of partners in the penultimate ball of the innings.

Bowling: 125 was fighting if not a winning total on our ground provided we fielded and bowled with discipline.. Suneel got us to a perfect start with a wicket off his first ball with a maiden to follow up. Mital was equally up to the task and bowled with fire and intent. The batsmen were not up to the caliber to even edge the balls and were beaten repeatedly, wasting both of their overs. The batsmen Kunal and Rohan played watchfully too, more than content to leave the balls off Suneel’s bowling and block out Mital..just when Mital got a big inswinger to tip the off stump to get us our second wicket. Both Suneel and Mital were brilliant with the new ball but were very unfortunate not to get many wickets they deserved. Their spells ended at 9 overs and 15 runs with only 2 wickets.

The change of bowling did exactly the opposite of what was required and spoiled the good work by the opening pair. A lot of extras and loose balls were on offer and in a span of 4 overs we leaked almost 30 runs. Change of bowling didn’t get us the wicket we wanted. My overs of spin and faster balls got us the breakthrough of Kunal, but I too proved to be expensive considering the total we were defending. A couple of easy dropped chances didn’t help our cause either.

Dhanu and Preetham were able to restrict the flow of runs but we as a bowling unit couldn’t rip through their batting line up. Wickets weren’t falling regularly enough to our liking and we kept losing ground by the total and a demoralized fielding unit. Suneel and Mital came back to get a couple of wickets , but it just wasn't enough.

With last 10 overs, their batsman Raju launched into Asif’s bowling hitting some big sixes reducing the total and getting to the required 125 with 3 overs to go. He got the winning runs with a mighty six to seal the victory for Miracle.

Verdict: Batting was below average from most of our players. Except for a couple of unplayable deliveries, the rest of them got out due to a lack of concentration and application.

The basics of cricket to occupy the crease and play 40 overs seems like a big ask for us. Miracle’s bowling wasn’t great but was simple and effective. All they had to do was to land the ball and test our patience. Except for Amit, supported by Murali, Srinath and a bit by myself, none of the other batsmen seemed to have the focus.

Its not a question of talent, skill, conditions or form. All the batsmen are proven match winners on their days and it is just to apply themselves and fight as a team, as a unit, which seems to be missing. It was missing all season except that easy wins off big contributions from Les, Rushi and chasing some low totals masked our deficiencies.

We have defended small totals in the past and the key to that is good fielding and catching. Miracle dropped some catches too, but our dropped catches cost us the game.

Suneel’s spell of 8 overs and 5 runs without wides is the way to bowl in any game. Suneel and Mital bowled their heart out and did it believing that they can win the game. The rest of the backup looked lost and bowled as if they had a luxury of 250 runs to defend.

The hard work of the bowling is lost if easy catches are dropped but it happens in cricket and we have to learn to learn from the mistakes.

The points table is looking very crowded at the top with us fighting for a 2^nd place and Crescent and Edison breathing down our neck. There is no option to lose now and we have to win them all. USCA is a tough opponent next week at Far hills, and we have to win it at any cost.

Match Report: JECC vs Warriors @ Mercer County Park - 07/12

JECC lost to Warriors by 58 runs.

Batting first, Warriors scored 193/8 in 40 overs and JECC were all out for 135 in 31 overs.

Scorecard: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=1936

Man of the Match: From Warriors - Durale Forrest for scoring 99 runs getting out in the last over.

He played really well blocking the good balls and scoring runs off anything marginally bad. His batting was the difference between the two teams.

Bowling: It was surprising that the match started on time with the overnight thunderstorms in the area. We won the toss and elected to field first with the moist pitch and heavy outfield. Suneel justified the decision with an excellent first over dismissing Anup for a duck off a brilliant catch in the slips by Les. The ball looped up off the batsman’s glove and was falling short of Les, just when he dived full stretch to catch it in the air. Himanshu from the other end couldn’t get his line and went for a few extras in his first spell. This let off some pressure but runs were still hard to score. Mital came into the attack and immediately got a wicket bringing Dural to the crease.

A couple of boundaries off legside balls got him going and we reverted to spin to keep the scoring in check.Ganadeep and myself bowled some tight overs of spin from both ends with G getting the other opener out LBW. After that ,for a period of almost 12 overs, we couldn’t get any wickets as the batsmen were content to take ones and twos. Of course a couple of appeals and half chances didn’t go our way and bowling changes didn’t work either.

Durale grew in confidence and started to play some big shots with the run rate going around 4 an over. Some run out chances and a drop catch by Suneel were enough for Durale to charge towards a century. Still, we were in an OK position at the 30 over mark with only 130 on board. But with wickets in hand, Warriors scored runs in good measure until Himanshu bowled an excellent last over to dismiss two batsmen off fiery yorkers and getting Durale out for 99 in the process.

Batting: With a loaded batting lineup and a fast outfield, 193 looked manageable provided we got a good start. That just didn’t happen with Suneel and Himanshu (coming in as a pinch hitter) going out for ducks and I followed them soon after. Mital was looking ominous with some big shots but couldn’t make it count for a big score getting out for 22. Les was looking in great touch with silken timing but was unfortunate to be given LBW, a bad umpiring decision, off the lowly bowling of Anup.

Rajesh, coming in the middle order played well with some big shots but got out for 15, chipping a catch to short cover. Preetham and Sekhar played out some slow overs with good running and pleasing shots. Preetham got a good measure of the bowling and hit some delightful boundaries. He was out for a well made 34. Sekhar and Murali put up a fight at the end but it just too late and we folded out for 135 in 31 overs.

Verdict: The Warriors tactics of sledging and painstakingly slow over rate bowled in slow motion worked into the minds of our batsmen. It appeared as if we weren’t scoring runs but the run rate was always good and we were still in the hunt. This didnt look like that on the field as warriors managed 25 overs in 3 hours! The irritant bowling of Anup proved quite a handful coupled with some of the other bowlers that they had. Without a run up, Anup’s bowling was going at almost 10-12 minutes an over! The constant sledging got into most of our heads which also proved to be bad for the chase. It also looked as if we were a bit too complacent with all the earlier wins.

In retrospective, a lot of decisions could have made a change, but whatever I decided just didn’t click that day. A bad day in the office as one would say.

Although the decision of bowling first was collective, it didn’t work as well as they scored much more than we expected. My plans to make bowling changes, juggle the batting order, use a pinch hitter – all of them backfired on one day! Any other day, with a batting line up as we had (Sekhar batting at 10!), 193 at 5 runs an overs is achievable.

Our fielding was also slacking and the energy just wasn’t there. We see that quite often where a partnership gets our fielders to droop the shoulders and gets them into hibernation.

We should make sure we get out of this habit and back up each other, fight as a team.

A loss especially as this one hurts, but we still are at the top of the points table and we should bounce back strongly.

We host Miracle at Far hills next Sunday and I expect everyone to be fired up and show what a good team we are!

Go Eagles!

Match Report: JECC vs Echelon - 06/14

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

Video: JECC vs Hightstown @ Far Hills 06/07

Video by Rushi:

http://vimeo.com/5336502

JECC bt Hightstown by 52 Runs. Great batting by Rushi!

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.

Match Report: JECC vs Crescent @ Woodbrook - 05/31

JECC beat Crescent by 71 runs

Batting first, JECC scored 202/9 in 40 overs and bowled out Crescent for 131 in 34 overs.

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

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!