Anza Champs vs Island CC Fusion CC Match Report

So there I was lolling about in the outfield. I’d say lurking but in that heat, I was all lurked out just walking from mid-wicket to deep mid-wicket.


Suddenly this song crept into my head and it was all I could do to stop from humming it aloud. Those wonderful troubadours, KC and the Sunshine Band had ruined my concentration yet again. The lyrics?

You're sweet as a honey bee
But like a honey bee stings
You've gone and left my heart in pain
All you left is our favorite song
The one we danced to all night long
It used to bring sweet memories
Of a tender love that used to be


Now it's the same old song
But with a different meaning
Since you been gone
It's the same old song
But with a different meaning
Since you been gone


Now I mention this because my memory drifted back to those vainglorious early years of the Champs where as the first up skipper I looked on with, initially, open-mouthed silent horror and then, by the end of my tenure, a decent amount of less-silent amusement as we struggled to bowl the ball within 2 feet of the stumps (port and starboard).


Plus ca change and all that.

Fast forward to April 2010 and if I closed my eyes I thought I could once again hear the dulcet tones of Feroze Sukh, yelling encouragement to his team mates that “it’s coming mate. It’s coming.” I opened my eyes and what do you know. There was the Freezer!

But that when everything just went bizzaro world. Our body armour piercing weapon of mass destruction bowled two overs which bore no resemblance whatsoever to the big fellow’s consistent line of at least hitting the carpet. Then, just to prove that everything I had clung to as providing consistency in my life was now self-destructing in front of my eyes, the former King of the Wings, Disco, bowls 6 very tight overs for hardly any wides. Truth be told though that since Disco had moved from Jive Talking pace to More Than a Woman ballad tweaking, he’s hardly widened up at all.

But form is temporary and class is permanent so we know the Freezer will be back to his best soon. Once he adapts to the topics again we should be right to go.

Still, that accounted for just 25% of the 40 wides and no balls we gave up. Now that Bubbles has left our shores, we really should move to ban all left handed batsmen from the game.

The cruel facts are these. We were chasing 205 and we ended just 14 runs shy. They bowled 11 wides and no balls and we 40 so there you have it. No real catches dropped. Fielders all ran hard in the heat and we almost got home.

That said, the fact that we got so close was largely due to new skip Munib who struck a truly violent late-innings 60 runs to almost see us through. Munib’s first ever 50 for the Champs and Club and all of this off just 32 balls. Boom Boom may just be the right name for the Bomber. Good support from quite a few with new chum Ashwin knocking up 20 and Freezer, Ben Dunn the Kit, Klaus and Disco all getting a few a few. Disco once again played for the red ink and maintains his record of remaining not out in almost every second innings. His average is climbing as quickly as he gets to the other end of the final over.

On the bowling side, decent debuts for Majid, Ashwin and Homi and we welcome them as new Champs caps 44, 45 and 46 respectively. Just think lads. 6 billion people on the planet and only 46 have been accorded this privilege. More players play for England in a home Ashes series than have worn the Champs cap.

Without doubt the star of the bowling effort was Ben the Stealth Yeoh. His first 4 for and well supported by Chiro, Majid and Feroze to claim those wickets. Well done and well deserved.

Early in the season but the signs are there that we can be competitive if we tweak a few of the problem areas.

And so to the stats.
With Ben Yeoh taking 4 wickets, he moves up the table on strike rates and averages.

Munib similarly does the same on the batting side of things moving up two places to 4th, his highest ever ranking. He becomes just the 5th Champ to score half a kilo of runs and at a cracking pace as well.

Not much more stats to add apart from that. Oh yes there was one. Younger continues to rack up his average of boyfriend/girlfriend faux pas at a very decent strike rate. Not playing with your mates because your girlfriend arrives home after 3 weeks? So much to discover. So little time.

Till the next game.
Regards,
Geoffrey Forday