Match Report: THCC1 v SG Findorff, 7.6.2015
THCC 210 (Dom 92, Raman 34, Fakhar 3/11, Rashad 2/34) beat SG Findorff 138 (Aziz 28, Rashad 19, Sandeep 4/16, Cam 3/4)
Whoever wrote the Wikipedia entry on LBW really knows his/her stuff. It turns out that the acronym stands for “leg before wicket.” Playing in Germany, you could be excused for thinking it stood for “loser before wicket”; you were a loser as a batsman for letting the ball hit you on the pad, because anything that hits the pad is given out.
In the return match between THCC and SG Findorff, played this time on a grass wicket in glorious sunshine, both teams felt the rub of some interesting LBW adjudications (four each). The shame about that being it cast a dark cloud over what was a high-quality match played between two very good cricket teams.
To quote Wikipedia: “Owing to the difficulty of its interpretation, LBW is regarded by critics as the most controversial of the laws but also a yardstick by which an umpire’s abilities are judged.” A good start would be for said umpires to learn and understand the rule, and to keep this in mind: when in doubt, it’s not out. Players should learn the rule as well.
Okay, okay, enough already. Let’s get to the match. Findorff won the toss, wisely electing to bowl on a grassy deck that promised a lot for the bowlers. In the early overs, the ball was moving off the pitch, with openers Hamid and Rashad both getting away movement. Left-armer Hamid was especially difficult to play. He beat the bat countless times and removed Cam (you guessed it: LBW).
Sandeep and Dom batted well to put on 52 and stabilise the innings. It took a good piece of fielding by Iftikhar to catch Sandeep short of his ground, run-out. Guru (LBW) and Israfeel (LBW) also fell cheaply. Only Dom showed the aptitude and verve to slice the ball through the field, on his way to making a wonderful 92 before he too was out (LBW).
Some good batting by Raman (34) and Trived bolstered the score, but Findorff responded well in the second half of the innings. THCC were 4/141 after 25 overs, but were all out for 210 in the 40th over. Again, Iftikhar bowled well (2/37), while Fakhar took off the keeper’s gloves to nab 3/11 in four overs, and the fielders held some good catches.
Chasing 211, Findorff made a promising start. Opener Shafqat hit some splendid shots before he was out (LBW), followed not long after by Abdullah (LBW), with Israfeel taking both wickets. But with Aziz and Hamid at the crease, Findorff looked to be in good shape at 2/88 after 14 overs.
That was when Sandeep came on to bowl from the clubhouse end. His first over was a double-wicket maiden that included clean-bowling Hamid, the league’s top batsman, and getting Ammar caught behind. A few overs later, his dislodged the dangerous Aziz, well caught by Guru in the gully.
From there, Findorff never quite got back into the run chase. Sandeep’s match-winning spell of 4/16 off eight overs was well-supported by spinners Jatin and Cam, with the latter taking 3/4 off 5.3 overs. Safiullah chimed in to take the wicket of Farzan, brilliantly caught by Sandeep diving forward at second slip. From 2/88, Findorff lost 8/50 in 21 overs, to be all out for 138.
The win takes THCC to the top of the Bundesliga Nord table, with four matches to play.
Many thanks to Rashad, Iftikhar and the SG Findorff team for another high-quality, competitive game of cricket. Big thanks to Dave for scoring, and to Shane for being 12th man.