Match Report by Sid - JECC vs HBCC 06/22 @ Far Hills.

Report by 
Siddharth Jayakumar (Sid)

JECC beat HBCC by 5 wickets, winning 6 games in a row (excluding the called-off game against Cavaliers).

Scorecard:http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=8573

Man of the Match: Our war-horse(not old though!) Vijay for a match-winning 50, converting a middle-order batting collapse to a convincing victory.

TOSS: We won the toss on a cloudy day and our stand-in captain Chinmay chose to bowl expecting some movement for our medium pacers and hoping the outfield would get faster as the day progressed.

Bowling: Venky and I opened the bowling for us. The ball was doing a bit but after seeing off the first few balls, their opener Ibrahim started with a well-timed straight six off Venky. Both their openers played positive cricket and they were off to a good start.
I went for 12 runs in my third over as both the batsmen had enough time to play good-length balls off the back foot. We realized that while the pitch offered good bounce, 
the ball was stopping for Venky and me as we tried to hit the deck hard. Chinmay brought in Murali and Dhanu after 6 overs. They bowled well in tandem but the batsmen were still going at 5 runs anover. 

Realizing the need for a wicket, Chinmay came in and immediately struck forcing Ibrahim to sky a catch towards long-off. We had the momentum as got the next couple of wickets within the first break with the score reading 70/3 in 14 overs.

Their no.5 batsmen and opener Anand applied themselves well and went about getting ones and twos without much diffculty aided by our generous offering of extras. Chinmay brought in Jay to slow their scoringas the pair put on a 50-run partnership. Jay bowled very well beating the batsmen with flight and turn consistently and soon got rid of their other opener Anand plumb in front with an off-spinner.

At the second break, they were 140/4 in 28 overs still going at 5 an over. Murali then joined the party and got rid off their set no.5 and the new batsmen with an accurate yorker right after a slow off-spinner.
Jay at other end was lucky to get an lbw off a ball that was short/low and almost pitched twice before reaching the batsman. After 3 wickets, they were below 150 for 7 with 9-10 overs remaining. 

Chinmay and Dhanu picked a wicket each a couple of overs later but allowed their lower order to score another 40+ runs thanks to a few dropped catches and wides. Notably, their last pair played >5 overs managing to remain unbeaten while we bowled 30+ wides in total.

Batting: Chasing 191, Dhanushka and Hari opened the innings for us cautiously. Dhanu looked in great touch and unleashed some classy pulls, cover drives to get us to 22 after just 3 overs. Hari at the other end was just getting set when he was bowled trying to whack a good length delivery. Ananth joined Dhanu and looked confident. We got going as Ananth played some of his trademark cover drives. His 2 consecutive straight boundaries off their opening bowler Sameer stood out. 

We were 73/1 in 14 overs at the first break with Dhanu at 44. After the break, HBCC got their spinners in. Dhanu was getting tired and offered a couple of chances before reaching a well-constructed 50.

But he was dismissed soon by their off-spinner Anand off a leading edge. Naga joined Ananth but their partnerhsip was brief as Ananth got out leg before trying to work the ball on the leg side. I joined Naga and we decided to steady the boat but that was not to be. Naga was out stumped coming down to a delivery from their leg spinner bowling around the wicket. 

Vijay joined me in the middle - we looked comfortable against spinners taking ones and twos. Just when it looked like we were cruising, I got out stumped off their leg spinner coming down the ground. Chinmay joined Vijay and we needed around 70 runs at this stage.

They applied themselves well and played sensibly picking ones and twos with ease. At the second break, we needed 58 off 12 overs with 5 wkts in hand. Chinmay and Vijay carried the momentum forward, playing along the ground cutting out any risk while Vijay started timing the ball better. They made sure our required rate was under 5 an over and the equation came down to 30 off 6 overs. They both started finding the gaps easily and Vijay unlaeashed a well-timed six off a short ball getting us to close to a victory with the required rate dropping to 3 an over. They finished the task with 2 overs to spare with Vijay getting to a match-winning 50 in the process.

It was a great win for us chasing a big score. It was great to see another batsmen finding form and scoring valuable runs. Lets keep winning and win them all ! Go Eagles !

Match Report: JECC vs Miracle 06/08/2014 @ Thomas Jefferson, Edison NJ

JECC beat Miracle by 3 wickets to make it 5 wins in a row!

Batting first, Miracle were all out for 151 in 34 overs. JECC chased down the target for 7 wkts in 35 overs.

Scorecard: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=8532

Man of the match: Our  very own young'star' - Venkatesh for a superb allround performance. He took 2 wkts in a tight spell but more importantly scored a match winnings of 47 not out that rescued us from a terrible batting collapse and got us home comfortably.

Bowling: Miracle won the toss and opted to bat first on their peculiar home ground. With short off-side boundaries and bumpy outfield, our task was to stick to a tight line and length. Sid and Venky did just that in their first spell. Generating considerable swing, both bowlers were almost unplayable.

Venky got us the first breakthrough with an excellent short pitched ball that was brilliantly caught, running backwards by Jay at short square leg. Sid kept the pressure on from the other end and got us another breakthrough but was unlucky to have a couple of more wickets, courtesy of some bad umpiring.

Dhanu came in to bowl after a 3 week break and got stuck immediately as if he never left . He got two quick wickets in his second over and was on a hat-trick. With impeccable line and control as usual, Dhanu played the main threat to the batsmen. With a change of pace at the other end, Jay bowled spin at the other end and I stepped in later on. A few good balls of mine were blocked and a short pitched ball got us another wicket with Jay's good catch in the deep.

With about 80/6 at the half way stage, we had the match in our bag, but a couple of their batsman hung along and started to attack..with the score past 100, I got Dhanu again to get a important breakthrough. Sid got us another wicket with his short run up and Venky finished his spell with a wicket too..Chinmay, and Murali later on came up to bowl some tight overs and cleaned up the tail, which stretched their total to 151. Dhanu was the main wicket taker with 4 wickets and Venky, Sid shared two each.

Special mention to our truest all rounder Sid, who kept wickets too after Vijay hurt his back. With 3 dismissals his keeping was a great asset to the team.

Batting: Ravi and Dhanu opened the batting with the short boundary in both of their favorite area - point/square leg. Ravi didn't require any special invitation and launched into the opening bowlers. With flashing cuts he signalled his arrival with two huge sixes over point. After getting a look in, Dhanu joined the fun too with a towering six and a four and we were running away by the 8th over and about 45 runs on board.

A panicked miracle team introduced spinners and a dubious lbw decision got Ravi's wicket. Ananth set himself in with a cracking cover driven 4 but got out tamely to a loose ball. I went in after the break and was out duck 2nd ball. From 45/0, we were 65/4 when Dhanu was adjudged lbw to a ball that pitched way outside leg...this caused a mini panic attack, but Sid and Avi cooled things down a bit, but it wasnt enough as both got out cheaply.

With 73/6 by the 20th over, Chinmay and Venky blocked out a lot of loose balls and got their eye in. Running ones and twos, they slowly started the recovery. Venky displayed lot of determination and picked up singles and doubles. After settling in, Venky picked up a loose full toss and dispatched it way outside the playing area for a towering six. Chinmay struck a few boundaries as well and we looked in good shape.
Both of them got us past 100 and we only needed 3-4 runs an over now.

This caused Miracle's team some worries and they started misbehaving...They used chatter, sledge, chucking whatever they could to try and get a wicket. A couple of close calls didn't go their way and this aggravated them further...Chinmay got out at this stage to a good catch with the score at 117 and only 3 wickets to go.

Things started to get tense for us as well when Venky got irritated by a blatant chucking ball and spooned an easy catch which was fortunately dropped by miracle. Vijay was there and together with Venky got things moving on and got us into striking distance.
Venky then decided that it was time and launched into the bowlers for a couple of sixes and well timed shots. Vijay finished off the match in style with a huge six and we finished the match with 5 overs to go.

Five wins a row guys..lets keep the winning streak on!

Match Report: JECC vs Middlesex - 06/01/2014 @ Weston Rd

JECC bt Middlesex by 20 runs.

Batting first after winning the toss, JECC were all out for 183 in 39 overs, thanks to superb batting efforts by Sid, Abhi and Chinmay. We got Middlesex all out for 164 in 36 overs in a tense finish.

Scorecard: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=8488

Man of the Match: Chinmay for a great batting effort of 53* that revived yet another batting collapse. His bowling of 4 crucial wickets turned the match in our favor. 

Special mentions to Abhi's(50 runs) and Sid's (31 runs) batting that kept us in the match and saved us from a huge batting collapse.

Batting: On a fast bouncy pitch and fast outfield, Ravi and I went to open the innings and got a idea of the outfield and things to expect when my cover drive went to four all along the ground. I was out in the second over trying a lofted shot over cover. Ravi looked set when a cracking square cut sped to the boundary and with Ananth looking to get set, we thought we were in good shape. Unfortunately, both Ananth and Ravi got out quickly and Naga was run out soon after in a mix up.

Things weren't looking so good as we lost our top order within the first 10 overs and only about 30 runs on board. A tactical change - to send in Srinath at this juncture to hold one end up worked very well. His job was to just block the bowling and he did it very well with Sid on the other end ticking along the scoreboard. The lull in scoring kind of worked as a stabilizing mode for us and after Srinath's departure, we sent in Venki to do the same. He was out soon and it was left to Abhi (Avi) and Sid to start the repairs.

Inspired by his wife's presence on the sidelines, Sid unleashed some stylish strokes to up the ante...He hit  3 consecutive fours in a 15 run over to get our momentum going on, but was out unfortunately to a brilliant catch by their keeper. With the score reading 81/7 in 25 overs, Chinmay and Abhi set out to just play out the 40 overs quota.

Well..that was the plan :)..but Abhi in his typical attacking style went after the bowling to treat us to a run fest. With some brilliant counter-attacking shots, he demoralized their bowling and hit some huge sixes. 

Chinmay joined the fun and went after the bowling with some powerful shots all around the park. He ran well for twos and threes and picked up the boundaries with some intelligent batting. With the sudden attack from Chinmay and Avi, the middlesex bowlers were left speechless and we were chugging along nicely at 150/7 with 6 overs to go, aiming for 200. We took the batting poweplay when Abhi got out trying a big shot. 

With only Penchal and later Murali as company, Chinmay farmed the strike well and hit some big shots. He went past his 50 with a powerful boundary and remained not out at 53 getting us to a very defendable 183.

Bowling:  With the momentum shifting in our favor, Middlesex went on the offensive and started hitting from the first ball that Venki bowled and went for 12 runs. Sid cut down the pace and tried to bowl to a tight line. We weren't used to such a fast outfield and it took us a little bit to understand the length and the field placings right , but middlesex raced to 20 odd runs in quick time. 

With a gut feeling that pace will not work, I got in Murali to replace Venki after just one over. Murali's experience worked like a charm when he got rid off the hitter off his first ball, brilliantly caught at long off by Abhi. Murali got another wicket off the very next ball with a beautiful inswinger and suddenly he was on a hatrick. We were pumped up to get two quick wickets but the batsmen negotiated the bowling well and were content to block and prod for ones and twos..Sid and murali kept up the pressure but the  pair stuck around and got the score board moving.

After the first break, I came on and was lucky to get the breakthrough with one that kept low. Penchal was bowling well from the other end to keep up the pressure, but I kept leaking runs..Chinmay came on to replace me and got us a important wicket off their set batsman. With some accurate line and cheeky change of pace, Chinmay was able to get two more wickets and we were able to sniff victory now..Sid came on to replace Penchal and got a set batsman out off a short pitched ball.

The middlesex batting line up went on our lines and kept some important guys to the end. With the target closing on and runs flowing off edges interlaced with some big hits, we started to get concerned. A easy caught behind off Sid's bowling was turned down by the umpire and we were left fuming...The target was now 40 odd runs with 2 wickets to go. 

Chinmay got us another important breakthrough of Mustafa with a good catch by Ananth at short third man and we thought we had it in the bag..the last pair added some 20 runs off a few loose balls but Penchal ensured that they didn't get away and finished the match by getting them all out with 4 overs to go.

Match Report: JECC vs Punjab XI at Far hills - 05/18/2014

JECC beat Punjab XI by 3 wkts. 

Batting first after winning the toss, Punjab were all out for 130. JECC chased the target in 36 overs with 3 wkts remaining. 

Scorecard: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=8408

Man of the Match: Chinmay for taking 3 crucial wickets and scoring 26 runs.

Bowling: We had a great first session with both Sid and Venky bowling some accurate and sharp bowling. Sid got us the first breakthrough courtesy of a sharp catch at gully by our debutant Hari.  Venky followed it by bowling the other opener off a ripper. Sid was looking in great rythm and bowled unchanged taking two more wickets in the process. We were very well positioned at 35/4 by the first break. It could have been even great had we not dropped a couple of tough catches.

Sensing that the classical batting method wasn't working, their main batsmen - the bawa brothers attacked our bowlers after the break. Penchal, Murali, Sid and especially me got some rough treatment and they added on to 45 runs in a quick 5 over span. 

Chinmay came at this crucial juncture and got a wicket in his first over. He was successful in applying the brakes and together with Murali built up pressure on their batsmen. Chinmay got two more important wickets with his accurate and economical bowling. Murali chipped in with another wicket to go into the second break. Their tail-enders hung around a bit to play off 40 overs, but Penchal came in to rip off two quick wickets and wrap up their innings at 130.

Batting: Hari and I opened the innings and we got off to a decent start. The youngster -Hari, playing his first match for us opted to open the batting bravely in the absence of out star player Dhanushka. He displayed the left handers stylishness and hit a couple of delightful pulls for boundaries. With some quick ones and twos, we built up a 25 runs partnership when Hari was out caught. Ananth came in and immediately stuck his favorite lofted cover drive for a boundary but got bowled off the very next ball. 

Ronak got out soon after and Sid and I went into the break with their spinners about to bowl. Against the huge anticipation and probably over cautiousness, I chipped a tame catch off Ricky bawa's first ball. Avi joined Sid and both played sensibly rotating the strike and got the score board ticking. Sid was very patient only taking ones and twos. Avi got out trying a big shot and it was left to Chinmay and Sid to get us out of the hole. 

With almost 75 runs to go, both Chinmay and Sid curbed their aggressive strokeplay and played to the teams requirement. It takes great mental strength for strokeplayers like them to do so and they have become our big middle order batsmen. Both played very sensibly and barely lofted the ball. With the partnership building, we got close to 100 when a change of bowling and the second break caused Sid to lose his wicket after a 35 run  partnership.

Penchal was the saving grace at this point. He mixed caution with some aggressive shots and stepped up the tempo along with Chinmay at the other end.  They both saw off the main bowlers and were involved in a 40 run partnership that got us in striking distance of the target. Chinmay got out attempting a six with 2 needed and Penchal remained not out hitting the winning runs.

It was a relatively easy win for us barring a couple of hiccups. 

Match Report - JECC vs Princeton at Far Hills, 05/11/14 - by Murali

Match Report by Murali

JECC won the game by 40 runs. 

ScoreCard: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=8339

Princeton CC won the toss and chose to field first. JECC scored 183/10 in 39.4 overs. Princeton CC all out for 144 in 34.5 overs

Man of the Match: Dhanushka for a classy 62 runs and excellent bowling.

Batting: Dilip and Dhanu opened the innings, they gave us a great start putting up a 50 run partnership in just 12 overs. Ananth joined Dhanu after Dilip was caught-behind trying to negotiate an excellent delivery. Both of them continued the bat and had another good partnership of 61 runs. We lost our 2^nd wicket (Ananth) at 111, he got out on another good ball while he tried to make room to cut the ball. Sid and Naga got out early while Dhanu hung around with Shivam and kept the score card moving. 

Dhanu fell for 62, Vijay and Shivam played some good strokes as we entered into the last 8 overs. We took the batting power-play giving an opportunity to our stroke players a chance to go after the bowlers during the last overs. Well ! Power-play overs are very tricky, sometimes they work and othertimes it gets our batsmen. Both Shivam and Vijay displayed good stroke play. Venky and I did not last long, Manoj and Srinath batted really well putting up a 20 run partnership for the last wicket and got us to a decent total 183.

Overall 183 was a pretty good total to defend at our ground.

Bowling: Going into the field with great confidence, Venky and Sid gave us an excellent start. Sid continued his bowling form from the previous game, he was spot on and got us a breakthrough in his very 1^st over, an unplayable delivery with good bounce…forcing the batsman to play the ball and edge it to the keeper. Looked like Venky thought...hey !..it’s my turn now and gets his man right away…again getting a caught-behind.  Good take by Vijay behind the wickets moving to his leg-side. 

I was introduced in the 1^st spell, was rewarded immediately in my 2^nd over and another one in my 3^rd over. Both these wickets were a result of tight bowling and perfect fielding set-up by Dilip based on the batting style of their big scorer (Mohammad). 

Shivam and Manoj took good catches. Dilip and Dhanu came on to bowl next. Dilip got his 1^st wicket, catch at point by shivam. Dhanu continued to bowl tight on the other end. After that there was a long pause in getting the wickets as their #6 and #7 batsmen played very sensibly just rotating the strike and seeing off good balls. Srinath bowled well, but was unlucky to get a wicket. They kept it simple, played well except for the two chances they gave us..one in Srinath’s over and another in Dilip’s over. 

Dilip brought back Sid and then Vijay in an effort to break the partnership, but things still were going their way. I came back on, tried hard…bowled well…but couldn’t break their partnership. Dhanu too bowled really well, they couldn’t score on him ..but at the same time they didn’t give away their wicket. Though it looked like the game was slipping away, we all knew that all we need is to break this partnership and we are back ON. We were very confident on winning the game and the fighting spirit was still ON.  

After the 2^nd break in the innings (30^th over), Dilip took the challenge upon himself ..came back and bowled an excellent over getting us the wicket we had been waiting for past 15 overs. Rightly so …got in our speedster Venky to bowl the next over to wrap up things. He was deadly….even better than his first spell…they could not even touch his deliveries. He bowled a maiden over with 2 wickets. Amazing comeback spell. Dilip cleaned up their last batsman and won the game for us !!

With Dilip taking 4 wickets, Venky: 3 wickets, Myself: 2 wickets and Sid : 1 wicket pushed Princeton to the losing side.

Over all ! Great performance, Excellent fight back by Eagles. Enjoyed the game thoroughly. This is the kind of start we need for the season and we got it now. Let’s continue this winning habit and go all the way.

Cheers !!

Match Report by Ravi : JECCvs Piscataway - CLNJ on May 4, 2014

Match Report: Eagles vs Piscataway CLNJ game on May 4, 2014

by Ravi Kumar Suri

Used to write these reports from 2000 to 2007 after which I took a back seat, enjoying other’s reporting abilities. Our official reporter for the season was off today, I am filling in.

When we reached the ground this morning the wretched winter seem to have come back in all its freeze. Players with thick jackets and hoods at a cricket ground is never a pretty sight. The bright whites of players, the glowing green of the outfield, 2 sets of 3 stumps with bails on them, the 22 yard strip, and boundary cones laid, the 30 yard circle laid is what gets the adrenalin pumping. Most of this was missing as we assembled for start of the match.

Chinmay standing in for Dilip won the toss and after some due diligence opted to field. There is a proven mathematical equation between the Sun being out and the number of runs being scored. Almost every time the sun is not in its bloom, the batsmen seem to be playing with their feet in cement. The batsmen’s eyes seem uncertain and therefore the timing is awry. In contrast the bowler looks sharper, hungrier and meaner. And if the bowler is a mart cookie like Sid who read the conditions and adapted his bowling to suit the conditions, he comes out a winner and the batsmen come out a cropper.

At the huddle Chinmay laid the objectives for us the fielding unit crystal clear. He asked the bowlers to bowl stump to stump and short of a length. The operative word being short of length, which is hugely different from short. Venky and Sid opened the bowling. Venky bowled a good first over and Sid followed up with telling spell. A cricketer who sums up the match situation, weather conditions, wicket behavior, outfield behavior as in quick / slow etc. is always a huge plus for the team. I saw Chinmay lead for the first time and was hugely impressed with his handling of various cricketing aspects. The first thing I look for in a captain is his field set. Is the field set in tune with the outfield, in tune with who is bowling, in tune with weather and wicket conditions. 

For Venky and Sid Chinmay had a slip, a wide gully, a point, a cover point, cover and mid-off on the off side. The on side had mid-on, midwicket and a square leg. Why this field impressed me was the captain dint get carried away with over cast conditions and have 2 slips and a gully, a third man or fine leg all of which were avoidable because the idea was to build run less pressure on the batsman. Equally important was that one of the openers Yamunan is known for his ability to stick at the wicket as against his ability to go hell for leather. Role of the captain is to weigh in all these parameters; who is bowling, who is batting, how the wicket is behaving. Not only weigh in the parameters but also keep a close eye on how well is the bowler responding on that given day.

To get back to the game, after a good first over from Venky, Sid pitched one up and Pakaji thumped it to wide mid-on. Sid’s cricketing awareness kicked in and he pitched short of a length and was immediately rewarded. He bowled Pakaji with a beauty which came in sharply and uprooted the off peg. There is no better sight for the bowler than seeing a cart wheeling stump. Having smelt blood and realizing what length to bowl Sid dint let up the pressure and kept attacking to regularly disturb the timber. He performed the Double Pressure act, don’t give runs and take wickets!!

Cricket matches turn on small acts of the captain, a good field change, a smart bowling change a promotion in batting etc. One such smart act was getting Dhanu to bowl in the 5th over after Venk found his line going out of sync. In low scoring games every run and rhythm of the bowler literally every ball matters big time. It is therefore important for captain to be on his toes on a ball by ball basis. The slightest of let up and things can go out of control. Dhanu responded with a wicket immediately and we had Piscataway at 30 for 4. The pressure was building, Arpit and Shilp counter attached, the odd catch was dropped and would normally happen in a close game a partnership built. 

Chinmay tried all bowling combinations at hand, Venk was brought back, Murali bowled very well and kept things tight. Chinmay came to bowl but dint bowl in the right areas. As the partnership kept mounting, Sid was brought back and he struck a telling blow. He got the danger man Arpit bowled to a beauty. From there on it was a matter of time. Jay contributed by taking a spectacular catch. He ran from square to deep square leg a 12 to 15 yard sprint and took the catch. Dhanu plucked a catch out of my unsure hands, Srinath held a catch and played with the ball raising the captain Blood Pressure!! All in good fun as we had Piscataway bundled for 79.

Dhani and I opened the innings and as we stepped out talked to each other saying if we can lay a foundation of about 30 we will be well on the road. That’s exactly what we did, running well between wickets, the left right combination helped as well. Dhanu is a team mate’s delight, a captain’s delight and a MUST have for any team. Most often he delivers with bat and ball, at worst he will deliver with either bat or ball. End of the day he is a delivery man. (If he were a woman, he would have an easy time at DELIVERY!!!)

Dhanu gave us a flying start and put us on the road. Jay came in after me, dint last long. We lost 3 wickets at the same score of 30, but Vijay and Shivam started playing well and re building. Vijay was given out to a doubtful decision as it appeared the ball swung prodigiously and seemed to miss everything. Shivam also got out to a tricky decision lbw. Chinmay and Murali saw us through. Chinmay more than made up for his bowling and batted extremely well. Smart cricket was needed to see off Benny and that is exactly what Chinmay and Murali played. Running sharp dingles converting ones to two’s running the odd three all the while bringing the target down. Chinmay played some lovely pull shots, good sweep shots and the odd chip shot. There was no panic, no mad rush it was a cool chase from former and stand in captain.

Congrats Eagles, job well done. Sid you have made a dream start to the season. Your broad bat and broad shoulders can take a lot of load. I wish you a very successful season. I remember mentioning to you that I have great hope from your bowling and if you can start the ball from outside the off and leave the rest to your natural talent you will be a match winner. If we can get a pitch map of your bowling yesterday it will show 90% of your bowling was on or outside off. If you can replicate the line every game, you will provide Eagles break through’ game after game put tremendous pressure on any batting lineup.

Thank you Eagles!! I enjoyed this game thoroughly as all 11 players brought something to the table. A perfect team game.

Match report - JECC vs GCC 04/27/2014 at Far hills

JECC lost to Gymkhana Cricket Club (GCC) by 26 runs

ScoreCard: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=8149

GCC won the toss and elected to bat first on a moist conditions and scored 200/9 in 40 overs. JECC were all out for 174 in 38 overs.




Man of the Match: Siddharth Jayakumar (Sid) for a classy and fighting 71 runs that kept us in the chase till the very end. It was a very valiant effort by Sid to take us within striking distance of the target fighting cramps and exhaustion. He was the last man out attempting a big shot.





Bowling: Good bowling conditions meant we were looking for swing and some early wickets to get things going. Venki was right on target from first over and kept a very tight leash on things. He got the opener bowled with a Yorker that ripped out the middle stump. Dhanu was introduced into the attack replacing Sid and got the other opener out caught at deep cover with a spectacular catch by Venki. Dhanu followed it up with another ripper that bowled another GCC batsman. GCC were 36/4 at this stage in 10 overs.

Murali came on to bowl some tight overs and got rewarded with one great caught and bowled. We looked in great shape at this stage with Murali getting another wicket when Vijay got hold of a swirling high catch.

After the power play overs, I came on to bowl some legspin and got into rhythm getting some good turn and bounce. A few tight overs ensued with myself and Chinmay not conceding any runs.

With the pressure building, Chinmay got to dismiss one of their dangerous batsman when I held on to a tough chance a short cover. We were at a good position now with 65/6 in 21 overs. I was bowling some good tight overs and built up the pressure with Sid and Venky coming on from the other end as well. We missed a few half chances and some catches at this stage. A stroke of bad luck occured when my finger got injured trying to catch a full blooded drive and I had to step off the field with 75/6 in 26 overs.

The decision to continue with spin with Jay and our new comer Prasanna backfired in the space of two overs. The batsmen who were struggling against spin launched into the two bowlers as they were trying to get their length right. We also missed a couple of catches there and conceded 30 runs to go into the break at 98/6 in 28 overs.

These two big overs gave the two GCC batsman good momentum and they attacked our bowlers from this point. With some amazing hitting, they were tearing apart our frontline bowlers for some quick 50 runs. Just to change things up, I came on to bowl again and got rid of their set batsman Mani who scored 64, off a good catch by Sid. We breathed a little then at 148/7 in 34 overs.

Things went from bad to worse in the next 6 overs with some great hitting by their other batsman in the batting power play. In between this chaos, only Dhanu managed to bowl some tight overs, getting a wicket too and not conceding any boundaries. Venky , Sid and Chinmay got roughed up by some good slog hitting.

With a last ball six, GCC ended up scoring 200/9 with 102 coming off the last 12 overs.


Batting: With 201 as the target, Dhanu and I set out to build a good partnership against what we knew was a good bowling attack. In the second over, I hit six over cover and got things rolling along with some ones and twos. Dhanu got his eye in and launched into a couple of sixes over square leg. 30 came in no time when their bowlers settled into a nice line and length and kept us quiet. 

I got out for 15 trying get a big shot going. With Ananth settling in, Dhanu went on to hit some glorious shots a.k.a sangakkara..a couple of flicks for sixes followed by some crisp drives got us moving at a good rate.

Against the run of play, we lost two quick wickets -  Dhanu got out to a pull shot for 29 and Ananth immediately followed him trying a cut shot off a short pitched delivery.Sid and Chinmay came in to play out some quiet overs, a few of them were maidens, but atleast we were in stabilizing mode. Sid played very intelligently rotating the strike and cutting out any risk taking shots. Chinmay struggled to get his timing right against some quality bowling but hung in there to keep Sid company. 

With the asking rate climbing and a loopy spinner introduced, Chinmay went for a release - big shot over mid wicket, which unfortunately went straight to the fielder in the deep. Murali came in and ran some quick runs with Sid but couldn’t resist the big shot against the spinner and got out bowled. Vijay too got out quickly to the spinner as well and we were reeling at 65/6 in 21 overs.
Jay came in to support Sid who sensed the urgency and went for some big shots. With the right/left combination, things started chugging along. Sid unleashed some big hitting interlaced with classy flicks and drives to rotate strike and keep us in the hunt. Even with cramps limiting his running, he still managed to take ones and twos and kept the pressure on the bowlers just when Jay out out for a well made 21. 

We were now 148/7 in 34 and took the batting powerplay with Sid and Venky at the crease. Things were looking great with Sid in ominous touch and passing his 50. Power play was going good when Venky got out and prasanna soon followed him.  168/9 off 38. With only Srinath as company for the last wicket Sid went for hitting, but got out as the last wicket for a exceptional 71.

The effort and fighting spirit of Sid counted more than the 71 runs he. It lifted our morale but unfortunately none of our batsmen could stand to support him.It all came down to our last 10 overs vs their last 10…we gave up atleast 30 easy runs in the end overs. Two of their batsmen scored 60's which dented our bowling attack. We should come up with a strategy and bowl with a set plan for the slog overs.It was a tough loss against a good team, but let’s hope that things improve with all our other players striking form soon.

Match Report: JECC vs Mavericks 05/12/13

-By Murali

Intone Eagles Won: Mavericks Sports Club:121/10 in 33.2 , Intone Eagles
Cricket Club:122/4 in 25.1

Score Card:
http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=7080

Great job guys, we registered our 1st win of the season.

Preview: The field was wet with puddles all over, Mavericks put in a lot of
effort in clearing up the puddles as much as they could and made the game
possible. Due to delay in this process, the game was reduced to 35 overs.

Toss: We won the toss and it was no brainer to field fist as the wicket was
soft and damp.

Man Of the Match: Ananth

Bowling/Fielding: I and Venkey opened the bowling attack, bowled well. But
were unlucky to pick up a wicket in the 1st spell. Their openers were
running hard between the wickets taking quick singles to keep the score
board ticking. We put in attacking field, closing up off-side and bowling
complete off stump line. They had no choice but to go for shots over mid-on
and mid-off to score some runs. Dhanu and Sid were brought into the attack
in 1st change. Both of them bowled really well. Sid's 2nd over yielded us 3
wickets : one run out - good work by Anurag at sq. leg + keeper Vijay and
two bowled. One of his delivers was like a dream ball for any bowler, just
taking off the off-stump and the wicket went flying back. Chinmay was very
sharp at mid-on and was spot on with his straight throw at the non-striker's
end and got us another run-out. Dhanu is getting very good with his Yorkers
and improving on it with every game. His spell was unplayable, bowled very
tight and picked up two key wickets. Their last pair tried to put up some
fight, but could not last long with good bowling from Venkey and Chinmay.
Chinmay picked up one wicket, excellent catch by Venkey at mid-off and
finally Anurag claimed the last wicket.

Batting: Having witnessed the opponents struggling to bat on the damp
wicket and with the wet outfield, we knew chasing 121 is not going as easy
as it sounds. On such a field, its equivalent to chasing 180 plus. But
Ananth's blitz transformed the run chase into a cakewalk. Our regular
openers Ravi and Dhanu opened the innings, Ravi was unlucky to get out on a
ball pitching on leg-side, brushing back off his leg and going on to the
stumps. Mavericks were very excited to see a wicket of their 1st ball. But I
am sure they realized it pretty soon that their excitement is short lived as
it didn't last even till the 2nd over. Ananth started off with a cover drive
boundary as soon as he walked in. They barely knew that he would shatter
their winning chances.

He looked in great form played attacking shots. Dhanu too was looking good
too until he was given caught behind where the ball went off to the keeper
from Dhanu's pads. Naga joined Ananth and played very sensibly, just
rotating the strike and letting Ananth take on the bowlers. Ananth continued
his assault hitting some big shots. He put up a great show with his cover
drive boundaries, hooked and pulled full tosses over final-leg and
mid-wicket boundaries finally ending up with 65. He was caught at deep
mid-wicket when we needed just 10 runs to win. Sid joined the party. Naga
remained not-out on 21 and brought us home convincingly.

Over all, we did well and am happy with the performance. Our Fielding was
spot on, bowled and batted sensibly. I am confident we shall continue to
showcase such winning performances in the future games too.

Match Report: JECC vs Tiranga at Mill Creek 05/05/2013

Match Report by "Murali"

Tiranga Won: Intone Eagles Cricket Club:127/10 in 37.0 Tiranga Cricket Club:128/2 in 25 overs.

Score Card: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=6962

Toss:  Tiranga won the toss and put us to bat.

I really wish, I could write a match report as good and interesting as Dilip. J …but since he wasn’t there yesterday…you guys have no choice, but to read my version …. (I think it’ll definitely be better than the one composed by Dhanu for last week’s game J )

Get a cup of coffee and start reading..it’s a little big …

Here we go !!!

Batting: We went with a different approach this time in the batting lineup. In trying to spread our batting strength across, I saved our regular opener Dhanu for middle order. Ravi  opened with Sudharshan, both of the started off well. Ravi, similar to his previous game was strong, picked up the balls really well and once he settled down, started off with a huge six over covers and continue scoring. Sudharshan too looked good rotating the strike, until he got out while trying to flick and missed a full toss…opening up his leg wicket and got bowled. The pitch was not playing well, we saw few odd bounces here and there and some of them were just rolling off the ground after pitching in.

Ananth started cautiously, got his signature cover drive boundary…just when we felt that he is ON …there were two lbw shouts which were turn down, but as we thought…the third lbw shout came in the same over forcing the umpire to raise his finger. Sent in Sesha to support Ravi, he looked good…got off with a mid-wicket boundary , but gave an easy catch to the keeper while trying to play a similar shot on leg side. Ravi on the other side continued to score a boundary here and here while rotating the strike with Sid. Sid looked in nice form, middling the ball, taking singles…but got out edging the ball to the keeper. Dhanu and Vijay tried to take control and play sensible, but could not negotiate the flighted balls and gave away their wickets while trying to hit the ball out of the park. Myself, Venkey, Vinod & Saurab were able to add few runs at the end. I was looking good, but ran out of partners at the other end. We were able to set a low target of only 127.

Bowling/Fielding: There were many occasions in the past where we won the games defending such low totals.  But on a fast outfield like Mil Crick park, we had no room for error in either bowling nor fielding. Every bowler MUST click and fielding should be top class to convert even half-chances into wickets. We did walk in with great confidence that we can do it. Started the opening spell with me and Sid. I was able to cut the ball towards the slips consistently and troubled the batsmen. Venky took a nice catch at long-on to send their opener back on the very 3^rd ball of the 1^st over. Sid & Venkey bowled well, but could not trouble their batsmen enough to get them out. I think we failed to convert couple of chances into wickets. Dhanu bowled really well, he injured himself while bowling but continued his spell without break ..it was a great spell. Their batsmen looked very comfortable, played cautiously ….were very patient,..picked up the loose balls only and carried their team to victory with ease.

Conclusion:  No doubt we put in good effort and tried hard, I am sure we could have done better had we performed to our potential. Each one of us are capable of playing much much better cricket. We just need to show more patience in batting, waiting for bad ball sometimes becomes very essential depending on the situation of the game. Let’s be more active and energetic on the field and show the killer instincts. I am sure if we had Paradise Chicken biriyani for lunch, we would have been tigers on the field. We would have seen a Jonty Rhodes in Ananth on the field J .

Well ! This is a match report and I had to put in the facts of the game. The nature of the game is such..we have good days and bad days. J ..Let’s set it aside look, forward on performing better in the next game. We have a wonderful team and everyone is a great team player. I am very confident… we’ll bounce back and bounce back strong. 

Match Report: NJ Barons vs JECC at Far hills, 04/28/2013(

Match Report by  "Dhanushka"

Score Card:
http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/Scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=6822

We lost to NJ Barons by 33 runs. They batted first and scored 223/8, we were all out for 190 in 38.x overs.

In my opinion, though we lost it was a good match; most of us didn’t get to play a practice match so we were still rusty.

Bowling

Murali opened bowling with Venky. Though they hit a six off the first over and started strong Venky got one of the openers out with a catch to Murali. First change was Sid and Lahiru. Lahiru got the next wicket with another simple catch to long off. I bowled a 6 over spell and got 3 wickets. While Venky, Srinath, Ananth taking few more. After the second break they were 105 for 26 overs with 6 or 7 wickets. We lost the match in the 3^rd session; they were 8 down for 120 something with 12 overs to go. At the end, with some poor bowling they ended up scoring 223 for 8.

Batting

Me and Ravi opened batting and had a great start, Ravi had few sixes off deep backward point. I got out caught and ball when we are at 46, Ananth and Ravi looked really good together. Ravi got out to another caught and ball when we were at 76. Sid and Naga got out cheaply. Until Ananth was there, we were on course to win the match. Ananth got out at 59 with a bad LBW decision, he was bowling round the wicket and he got hit on his thigh pad. Lahiru, Murali, Sucha, Shesha and Srini chipped in to get us to 190.

Fielding

This being our first match, we did really well. There were two catches missed, a very easy catch by me. He was their best batsman, but good thing he got out without scoring anymore runs in the next over. He was also dropped earlier on by Naga on a tough inside edge.

We did give too many easy singles and doubles. That is something we can really improve on. When we cut down the runs pressure will be on the batsmen.

Match Report: Eagles vs Tiranga, Play off game @ Mill Creek Park, 08/25/2012

Intone Eagles lost to Tiranga by 5 wickets.

Batting first, Eagles scored 117/9 in 40 overs. Tiranga managed to get to the score in 22 overs losing 5 wickets.

Man of the Match: Sid for top scoring in the match with a classy 41 where the rest of the team barely managed double digits.

Sid also bowled his heart out in a spell of 8 continuous overs for 2 wickets.

Batting: It was pretty much a replay of the previous game against Princeton.

Dhanu and I got out cheaply in the 3^rd over just when we needed a good start. Ananth and Naga settled in to look good when Ananth was out to a catch in the covers. Naga followed soon after caught off the off spinner. A familiar collapse was looming in and all our plans to make a big score were gone, with all the batsmen getting out to lofted shots.

Sid played the savior act again and he came in and looked busy taking quick singles and running some hard twos. Lucky gave him support playing out the tough overs, but got out stumped just when he looked settled. Venkatesh was bowled soon after.

Chinmay supported Sid briefly with some strike rotation after the drinks break and Sid started to open up with some glorious shots. The wristy flicks, pulls were all there and he pushed our score close to 100. Chinmay too got out off a lofted shot towards the slog overs. Sid was running out of partners and before the batting powerplay, tried a big shot to get out for a well made 41. Murali and Bala stepped up the last few overs to get us some quick runs. Murali got run out for next highest score: 12. Asif and Bala played out the last few overs to get us to 117.

Bowling: Murali and Sid opened the bowling. We needed quick wickets to have any chance of putting up a fight with such a small total. Sid was accurate and fast from the get-go, bowling a good length and unplayable deliveries. His second over produced an edge that went to third man where Dhanu took a good running catch. The next few overs were supposed to add to the pressure, but their other opener went on a rampage hitting a big six and three successive fours off Murali. 

Tiranga quickly got to 50 and our team went into a quiet mode.

Sid kept up the fight with some tight bowling and eventually got the opener out bowled off a skidder to revive our chances. Asif also stepped in to bowl some excellent overs. He was rewarded with a wicket off an brilliant caught behind by Naga standing up to the stumps.

The runs kept leaking though and Tiranga were well on their way, getting close to 100.

I was brought in after the break and got a wicket in the first over off a flighted ball to reduce Tiranga to 4 down. Venkatesh came in from the other end to bowl some fast, unplayable bowling, but the batsmen were able to survive him. Chinmay got a wicket towards the end with a good catch by Ananth in the slips.

Our batting let us down completely in the last few crucial games. Apart from Sid, none of the established batsmen were able to play the ball along the ground. We should have learnt from the game against Princeton, but we repeated the same mistakes. Sid’s lonely fighting effort was in vain in both games as no one gave him enough support. We should learn to apply ourselves and not look for glorious shots.

May be a re-jig of the batting order would do the trick, but it was too late in the season to try anything. As always, practice is essential for batting on the field…Let us try to implement that next season.

Till then, stay fit.. cheers everyone!

Match Report: Intone Eagles vs Princeton @ Far hills, 08/12/12

Eagles lost to Princeton by 3 wickets in a must win game to get promoted to Div B.

Batting first, Intone Eagles were all out for 140 in 38 overs. Princeton managed to chase down the total in 34 overs for the loss of 7 wickets. 

Sid’s composed 46 was the highlight of our batting.

Batting: We lost the toss and were put into bat in wet conditions. The heavy grass in addition to a damp outfield and pitch were going to make run scoring difficult and we lost quick wickets within the first hour of play. Most of our batsmen got a good look in and were settled, but got out playing expansive shots leading to a collapse.

Dhanu and Lucky opened the innings and started off cautiously. After getting a good look in, Dhanu opened up with a beautiful six off a casual flick. With a couple of big shots over cover, he looked well underway but he got out bowled off the slow bowler Rajesh. Lucky looked to stabilize with Ananth on the other end, but Ananth too got out quickly to a lofted shot after hitting a boundary. Nagarjun settled in and tee’d off with a big six, but got out to a bad lbw decision.

Sid replaced Naga and together with lucky, resisted a bit when against the run of play Lucky was out caught behind with the score at 40 for 4. I followed lucky soon after for a duck, again going for a lofted shot.

Chinmay and Sid went about reparing the damage from our batting collapse by a mix of aggressive shots and good running. A steady partnership ensued where Sid played some wristy shots and Chinmay walloped a big six off a pull towards the pavilion. Chinmay got out bowled for 14 just when he was looking good.

Sekhar came in and calmed down things  with quick running and well placed shots. Sid, from the other end got settled well and took it back to the bowlers with some great shots all round the park. His footwork and timing were good, but he was running out of partners when Sekhar got out off a close run out appeal for 10.

Venkatesh came in next and looked very good from the outset. A couple of delightful drives were a treat to watch. Things were looking rosy with a well set Sid and Venkatesh taking the attack to the bowlers. We took the batting power play in the 36^th over when Sid and Venki got out trying to accelerate the scoring. Sid made a very well made 46 in tough conditions which would equate to atleast 75-80 on a decent outfield.

Asif was the last man out again trying for a bit hit leaving Murali stranded on the other end. We were all out for 140 in 39 overs.

Bowling: In those conditions, 140 was a pretty good total to fight. 180+ would have been a winning score, but 140 meant that we need disciplined bowling with quick wickets against a good batting lineup of Princeton. Murali and Dhanu did just that resulting in a snap-it catch by Venkatesh off Dhanushka. It was Dhanu’s consistent swing and line that got us the catch of their big scorer Srikar. Murali continued the pressure with good line and length and the second wicket resulted in a spectacular catch by Asif at gully. He leapt forward and to his left to take this amazing catch! Dhanu and murali continued the good work and it paid off when Murali got another wicket, bowled off his indipper.

At this stage we got three wickets in 10 odd overs with only 30 on the board, most of the runs came off wides. A couple of wickets more should have got us in, but the next two batsmen resisted a lot and saw off Chinmay’s and Venkatesh’s spells with some quick runs. Murali got me in to introduce spin after the drinks break. It took me a couple of overs to get good loop and line going, resulting in a wicket off a quicker ball. A couple of more tight overs from me and Sid followed during which a few catching chances were given. I got another wicket with a good caught and bowled off my bowling. Asif was got in from the other end. He bowled well but the runs slowly kept coming off edges and mistimed shots.

Meanwhile, Dhanushka got injured hit on the head when he leapt up to attempt a catch on the boundary. He got a small bruise, but felt OK to bowl after that. A smart piece of run out by Nagarjun off a attempted legbye got us another important breakthrough. The runs still kept leaking through extras and mishits, but the pressure was always there on the batsmen. Dhanu got their captain lbw to lead us into the final session of the game with 40 odd needed in the last 12 overs. The settled batsman Sriharsha got some big hits off Venkatesh and Murali to get to his 50 and then got his team closer to victory. 

In the end, the runs just weren’t there for us to defend anymore and Princeton were able to win it with 6 overs remaining.

Verdict: 30 more runs would have made the match really tight. It was a good bowling performance, but we gave a lot of extras, almost 35. 

We took some good catches, but also left two-three catchable ones. We went in with a big batting line up and most of our batsmen couldn't cope up with tough conditions, outfield and the dampness. The ones who got a look in couldn’t build a innings worth a big score. 

Sid played very well with the support of Sekhar, Chinmay and Venkatesh. This should be a lesson for the playoffs and we should seriously put effort in playing/batting as a unit with a clear goal in mind.

Score Card

Match # 6177
Intone Eagles Cricket Club v/s Princeton Cricket Club
Far Hills
08/12/2012(40-over match)
Result	princeton Won Intone Eagles Cricket Club:140/10 in 39.0 Princeton Cricket Club:143/7 in 34.0
Comments
Toss	Intone Eagles Cricket Club
Umpires	BurgiRamlackhan
Man of the Match	1.
	2.
Intone Eagles Cricket Club Innings (40 overs maximum) R B 4 6 Niladhar Rao Caught Rajesh Soleti 11 0 0 0 Dhanushka Haputhanthri Bowled Rajesh Soleti 11 0 0 1 Ananthkrishnan Gopalakrishnan Caught Abhijit Shaw 5 0 1 0 Nagarjun Aleti LBW Tulasi K 8 0 0 1 Siddharth Jayakumar Caught Mohan Paribrajak 46 0 3 0 Dilip Kovuri Caught Rajesh Soleti 0 0 0 0 Chinmay Bhat Bowled Harish Gadre 14 0 0 1 Venkatesh Donavalli Bowled Girish Reddy 14 0 0 0 Shekhar Vajjhal Run Out 10 0 1 0 Murali Vijjapurapu Not Out 2 0 0 0 Asif Mahmood Caught Girish Reddy 0 0 0 0
Extras	(b 0, lb 0, w 0, nb 0)
Totals	(10 wickets in 39.0 overs) 140
FOW
Bowling O B M R W Abhijit Shaw 5 0 0 21 1 Rajesh Soleti 8 0 1 16 3 Tulasi K 6 0 1 19 1 Sriharsha Boddepalli 6 0 0 20 0 Harish Gadre 5 0 0 26 1 Mohammad Shaikh 3 0 0 16 0 Girish Reddy 3 0 0 12 2 Mohan Paribrajak 2 0 0 7 1
Princeton Cricket ClubInnings (target : 141 runs from 40.0 overs) R B 4 6 Srikar Reddy Caught Dhanushka Haputhanthri 7 0 0 1 Harish Gadre Caught Murali Vijjapurapu 0 0 0 0 Vimal V Bowled Murali Vijjapurapu 3 0 0 0 Sriharsha Boddepalli Not Out 60 0 5 2 Mohammad Shaikh Bowled Dilip Kovuri 18 0 2 0 Girish Reddy Caught Dilip Kovuri 1 0 0 0 Venkat Sarath Run Out 7 0 0 0 Rajesh Soleti LBW 1 0 0 0 Mohan Paribrajak Not Out 8 0 0 0 Tulasi K Did not bat 0 0 0 0 Abhijit Shaw Did not bat 0 0 0 0
Extras	(b 0, lb 0, w 0, nb 0)
Totals	(7 wickets in 34.0 overs) 143
FOW
Bowling O B M R W Murali Vijjapurapu 6 0 0 29 2 Dhanushka Haputhanthri 7 0 1 25 2 Chinmay Bhat 3 0 0 8 0 Venkatesh Donavalli 4 0 0 17 0 Dilip Kovuri 8 0 0 30 2 Siddharth Jayakumar 3 0 0 15 0 Asif Mahmood 4 0 0 14 0