Having moved to Koblenz and playing his cricket in Frankfurt, former THCC member Satya helped organise a tour to the city on the Main for a weekend of matches against Frankfurt CC.
The THCC convoy started from Hamburg at dawn on Saturday morning, with Sandeep, Silva, Hardeep, Ali and Kamal in one car, and Steve, Emil, Raman, Dom and Shane in the second car. Cam was working in Cologne and took the train from there.
The team arrived early enough to see the second innings of a cracking intra-club contest, which featured some strong batting and a couple of very good catches. The FCC field in the Bockenheim district is very large (rabbit holes included), with an astro pitch placed on concrete. It’s a bouncy wicket, very good for batting, and big scores are regularly posted here. The only downside being that fielding can be a little dangerous.
THCC’s first match was a T20 against the FCC Old Boys, and it was fun and light-hearted affair. The Old Boys were a fantastic bunch, and the one hour rain delay was really no problem, as it meant standing under the tent with the Old Boys, chatting and sharing a laugh. When play resumed, THCC comfortably won the match.
Afterwards, FCC put on a fabulous barbecue, replete with a round of drinks on the house. From there, the THCC players decided to take in some of the city, walking to the Römer and then crossing the Main for a few (quiet) drinks in Alt-Sachsenhausen.
The Sunday match was played against a strong FCC team. Sandeep won the toss and decided to bat. Dom and Cam made a promising start, with Dom making a half century. Some strong hitting from Silva and Steve helped THCC reach 216 off the allotted 30 overs.
This seemed like a solid total to defend, but the FCC openers were both experienced batsmen, and they pushed and smashed the ball all over the ground. The THCC bowlers tried hard, but couldn’t make any inroads into the openers, who got to about 170 before Sandeep finally broke through. It got down to the last over, but FCC made the runs with three balls and eight wickets to spare, and were worthy winners.
“We played at our highest level, something we should all be proud of,” Sandeep said. “Even the Frankfurt team agreed that on another day we could have won it. All in all, it was a fantastic match which finished in 59.3 overs of intense cricket.”
The Frankfurt Cricket Club shall be commended for being such welcoming and generous hosts, putting on a great lunch during the Sunday game and presenting the THCC players with special tour t-shirts.
“Frankfurt has been an amazing host and we owe them a very big thank you,” Sandeep said. “They were in constant touch with me checking about our hostel reservations and travel plans, and then providing awesome food throughout our stay. And finally the presentation ceremony which had mementos for all of the visiting team which is amazing. They indeed set a very high standard of hospitality.”