THCC 129 (Shane 29, Silva 29, Imran 2/6) lost to Masroor 130 (Imran 30, Ather 24 , Emil 4/28, Khalil 3/20)
The fifth game of the season got underway at the HICC ground in Hamburg with Masroor CC winning the toss and deciding to bat.
Kamal and Khalil opened the bowling for THCC, with a solid display from both of them. Khalil removed Masroor’s opening pair. Imram and Safiullah continued the good bowling, keeping a good line and not giving away any runs. Emil (aka Ronaldo) came into the attack to take four wickets, ending with innings’ best figures of 4/28.
THCC did really well to get Masroor to 93/9. But last man Ather teamed up with Imran to put on 37 runs for the last wicket; runs that would turn out to be very valuable in the end.
All out for 130, Masroor then supplied lunch for all the players, which was very generous.
Emil and Khalil opened THCC’s innings, but both fell without scoring. Imran did his best to stop the flow of wickets. With the score at 24/4, and nearly all of the runs coming from extras, first Silva batted with Imran and then Shane did, to move THCC into a winning position at 103/5. The team needed 28 runs and had five wickets in hand.
But it was not to be. Nabeel was out caught. Then Kamal and Imran collided when taking a second run, which resulted in Imran being run-out. Skipper Shane compared this tragic event to the Lance Klusener and Allan Donald run-out during the South Africa v Australia World Cup semi-final in 1999.
Imran had batted well, making 15 off 94 balls, and was unlucky to get out in the fashion he did. Kamal soon followed and the score was 126/9. Things became very tense, with Masroor pushing hard for the last wicket. With just two runs to win, Jens was hit on the pad, the entire Masroor team appealed, and the umpire gave him out.
Is there a cricketer anywhere in the world, be they fan or player, who wants to see a very close match decided by an LBW decision? And a contentious LBW decision at that? A match goes right down to the wire, but what it actually comes down to is an umpire’s interpretation of a complex rule. Is that the spirit of cricket?
To the victor go the spoils, but the nature of the LBW decision may mean this one counts as a hollow victory. It was rather a shame to see such an exciting match end this way, as some really good cricket was played by both teams on the day and it ended up being a nail-biter in the end.
It was hard luck again for THCC, as they got so close but couldn’t get over the line. The team played really well and the players should keep their heads up as there are plenty of matches to go.
We wish Masroor all the best for the rest of the season and extend a big thank you for the lunch provided.
THCC 157 ( Nabeel 46, Safiullah 43, Usman 3/21, Imran 3/29) beat Masroor CC 126 (Butt 40, Maher 22, Silva 3/29, Saied 2/10)
The game between THCC and Masroor got underway on THCC’s home ground in light rain. Skipper Shane won the toss and decided to bat first, giving Masroor the ball in wet conditions.
The THCC innings started badly, with Khalil out LBW first ball. Nabeel came in and built an important partnership with Mohibullah to steady the innings, until Mohibullah was bowled for 21. Safiullah joined Nabeel, and the two slowly took control of the innings. Masroor bowled very well, but Safiullah and Nabeel batted with discipline and smarts, with Nabeel giving good advice and support to his young partner as they put on 94 together to take the score to 2/137.
But when Safiuallah was bowled by Imran and Nabeel was run-out, THCC suffered a complete batting collapse, to be all out for 157. Full credit to the Masroor bowlers, who fought back hard, including left-arm spinner Usman and medium-pacer Imran, with both getting three wickets each.
After the break, THCC’s opening bowlers Khalil and Kamal both pushed a little too hard for wickets. The Masroor openers Shams and Imran quickly put on 26. It took a fine low catch by THCC’s Imran off Kamal’s bowling to remove Masroor’s Imran.
While several catches were dropped, some were held, including a good catch by Saied in the slips. Silva tied up one end, mixing it up with eagle-eye pace and hypnotic lobs, while Nabeel worked his off-spin from the other end. Wickets fell at steady intervals, with only Shams providing resistance, as he made 40. But when he was bowled by Nabeel, THCC looked to be getting the upper hand.
With Masroor at 5/92 and the captain removed, THCC started fielding more aggressively and showed that they were ready and willing to win this game. Silva continued his great spell, bowling 10 overs straight to finish with 3/29. Saied also bowled well, to pick up two wickets.
Things got really tight when Masroor was 8/122, and Ather and Maher were at the crease. These two former THCC players were keen for victory, but THCC were not to be denied. Saied bowled Maher, then he took a ripper of a catch in the slips, off Safiullah’s bowling, to remove Ather and finish the match, with THCC winning by 19 runs.
Winners are grinners!
THCC did really well to fight back in the field and played well under pressure. Some really good cricket was played by both teams on the day and it ended up being a nail-biter in the end. The match was also played in a great spirit. We wish Masroor CC all the best for the rest of their season.
Thanks to Samiullah from SC Europa for umpiring and doing a great job. Thanks also to Cam for scoring and to Hendrik for his support.
Let’s hope THCC can continue the fighting spirit for the rest of their season.
THCC 140/6 ( Safiullah 52*, Shane 21*) beat HSV Tigers 139 (Imran M 50, Emil 4/32, Shane 3/18 )
The fifth game of the season got underway at HSV’s ground in Mümmelmannsberg, with the HSV Tigers winning the toss and deciding to bat.
Imran and Safiullah opened the bowling for THCC, and they maintained good line and length. But the HSV batsmen were looking to take advantage of the fielding restrictions and tried playing some shots over the fielders. Some good bowling and variation got THCC off to a great start with an early breakthrough.
From there, wickets continued to fall thanks to excellent bowling from second change bowlers Emil and Shane, who combined for seven wickets. Imran M was the only batsman from HSV to show some fight, hitting a fifty that included some big sixes. But when he was bowled by Emil, the resistance was over, and HSV were finally all out for 139, a total which included 34 wides.
Credit to the THCC bowlers, and to the fielders as well, with six wickets coming from catches. Youngster Mohibullah took an amazing catch and executed a direct hit run-out.
After the HSV Tigers generously provided lunch, openers Christian and Mohibullah got THCC’s innings going. Arshad was the pick of the HSV bowlers, and he removed Mohibullah in the first over, and trapped Christian, Nabeel and Jens LBW. Emil occupied the crease, and tried to get the scoreboard ticking with Safiullah, but when Emil was bowled and Hardeep was run-out, THCC were in a precarious position, at 6/70, with 70 runs still required.
In recent games, THCC had pushed hard for victory only to come up short. It was looking like the same would happen today. Until THCC skipper Shane joined Safiullah and they set about building what would become a match-winning partnership. Not even a short rain interruption could break their concentration. They got on top of the HSV bowlers, with Safiullah making a fine half-century. Together, they got the runs and the THCC Academicals deservedly earned their first victory of the season.
THCC’s score of 6/140 also included 34 wides.
Some really good cricket was played by both teams on the day and it ended up being a nail-biter in the end. THCC wishes HSV Tigers all the best for their rest of the season and thanks once again to HSV for lunch.
Winners are grinners!
THCC 142/10 (Nabeel 49, Khalil 34, Qasim 3/7) lost to SG Findorff 2nd XI 162/10 (Aziz 57, Imran 5/28)
While starting the season with three losses, the THCC Regionalliga team was playing with great spirit and enjoyment, and had shown improvement with each game. The team went to Bremen to face SG Findorff 2nd XI with high hopes of returning to Hamburg with their first victory of the season.
It started well, with skipper Shane winning the toss and deciding to bowl, to take advantage of the window of opportunity made available by the clear skies. Kamal and Khalil opened the bowling, with a great display from both of them. They took early wickets, removing some pretty good batsman.
Imran and Safiullah continued the good bowling. Imran distinguished himself as the best bowler of the day, taking five wickets and achieving his personal best figures for THCC. Nabeel also came into the attack to take some good wickets.
At this point in the game, THCC were looking at keeping SG Findorff under 100 runs, but due to some big hitting at the end from Aziz (57) and Jashid (31), and some really poor catching from THCC, these batsmen ended up with some extra batting lives and got their team to a defendable total of 162.
THCC started their innings with youth and experience, as new youngster Mohibullah opened with Adrian. They did an excellent job of taking the shine off the new ball and keeping their wickets. Eventually SG Findorff’s bowlers made a break through and THCC lost some wickets. Nabeel steered the ship and got some great batting support from Khalil. The pair built a vital partnership to bat THCC into a winning position.
At 120/4, THCC had the match in control and victory was within reach. But when Nabeel was out for 49, it triggered a batting collapse. THCC lost five wickets for five runs and the only batsman still standing at the end was Jens.
It was a hard loss for THCC after coming so close, and the team will rue the dropped catches during SG Findorff’s innings, but lots of good things came from the game. This included our new players Saied and Mohibullah, who did really well for the team, Imran’s bowling and Nabeel’s batting.
Some really good cricket was played by both teams on the day and it ended up being a nail-biter in the end. Well done to SG Findorff. We wish them all the best for the rest of the season.
The scoreboard tells the tale: THCC 20 runs short
THCC 226/10 (Wides 61, Shane 42, Silva 40, Jayaraj 2/41) lost to SC Europa A 285/10 (Muralidharan 62, Khailil 3/42)
The second game of the season got underway on THCC’s home ground with the visitors winning the toss and deciding to bat in the rainy conditions. This match marked the debut of THCC’s new coconut mat pitch, which played brilliantly throughout the day.
The persistent rain made it hard for the THCC fast bowlers to control the ball. The SC Europa openers capitalised on the bowling and put on a great opening partnership, getting to 89 runs before Hendrik removed one of the openers with some good spin bowling. After the much-needed breakthrough, THCC bowlers Khalil, Kamal and Silva took wickets, and THCC also held some great catches in the field (Jens and Hardeep), but the runs kept coming. SC Europa A did a good job with the bat, getting to a very competitive score of 285/10.
Play was stopped for an hour during SC Europa’s innings for rain, when all the players retreated to the THCC clubhouse for some hot soup (thanks to Frank S.). And the match was reduced to 45 overs.
With a big score on the board to chase, THCC had to keep wickets in hand for as long as possible. Unfortunately, Kamal fell early, putting THCC under pressure from the start. Khalil was looking in form before he was run out. Frank tried to steady the innings, but got bowled by a good ball. THCC was on the back foot with 65/5 on the board and SC Europa in total control of the game.
Enter skipper Shane, who tried his best to stop the flow of wickets. He got some good support from Hendrik, then put on 79 with Silva. With the wide tally already over fifty, and the rain having cleared, THCC could sense an unlikely victory. But when Shane was bowled and Silva was out not long after, the game slipped away. Aswin and Hardeep showed fight right until the end, getting THCC to a respectable score of 226/10.
Some really great cricket was played on the day and THCC showed some great determination and fight. Congratulations to SC Europa A and best of luck for the rest of the season.
Thanks to Vignesh from HICC, who did a very good job umpiring, to Safi for taking on the 12th man duties, and to Cam for scoring.
THCC 78 (Asad 27, Emil 14, Farooq 4/6, Kashyap 3/10) lost to MTV 1/82 (Kashyap 35, Pruthvi 21*, Emil 1/21)
THCC2 started their season at home, playing their first Regionalliga game against MTV Stallions from Hannover. Shane won the toss and decided to bat due to the wet field. Against good bowling from MTV, the only batsman to show a bit of fight was Asad, who made 27. Wickets fell quickly, with the entire team on the bench for just 78 runs.
MTV Stallions started their innings with Kashyap (35) and Prutvhi (21*) building a solid opening partnership. Only one wicket fell before the target was reached, but THCC could have applied more pressure if they’d held their catches. Credit must go to Asad, Ali, Shane, and Emil who tried their best with the ball.
Jens and Jürgen try to find some gaps in MTV’s tight field
On a positive note, many of the THCC batsmen got bowled while playing straight shots, and were unlucky that the ball stayed low or barely bounced. The MTV Stallions also fielded a stronger team, which included some of their first team players, due to the first team having no game.
On an even more positive note, THCC won the T20 friendly played after the game. Chasing 158 and with THCC at 103/1, Khalil was retired and brought back at the end to hit the winning runs, leaving him with 71 not out and helping THCC win a nail-biting thriller.
This will surely give the team some confidence to take into the next game.
Also, special thanks to Bianca for scoring and for the photo.
THCC 104/6 (Safi 37, Shane 19, Karti 2/19) beat SC Europa A 103 (Umar 38, Adbul 18, Saied 5/11)
Following on from the wise words of last match, this week’s Regionalliga Motto of the Week (patent pending) is a village cricket favourite, “Catches Win Matches”. This is a saying that the Accies will be only too aware of, having seen their dropped catches tally creep into double figures in recent games. However, with an increasing focus on fielding at training, Captain Shane was confident that his team could register another win against SC Europa A in Mümmelmannsberg. Our optimism grew when, on arrival, the team was delighted to see that the grass on the outfield had received a much-needed and long-overdue haircut.
SC Europa won the toss and elected to bat first. Safiullah continued his fine form with the ball from the last match by starting off his spell with two maiden overs, ably supported by Khalil at the other end (actually, the same end, but more of this later…). After a period of sustained pressure from our opening bowlers and tight fielding with Hannan cutting off anything that came his way at fly slip, the breakthrough came in the 8th over when the big-hitting Abdul Khan, who had proved a dangerous batsman when we faced him in the T20 tournament, was expertly caught and bowled by Khalil, despite Imran’s best efforts to put him off! As is often the case in cricket, one wicket follows another, and this was true again here as Safi’s brilliant spell of bowling was rewarded when he clean bowled SC Europa’s number 3. Tina then joined in on the action not too long after when, (feeling not so) fresh from national team duty in Rotterdam the previous day, she sent the other opening batsman packing in her first over with one of her infamous inswinging yorkers. Her second wicket soon followed when she had SC Europa’s number 5 caught behind thanks to a very smart catch from Mohibullah.
At this point, SC Europa were on 62-4 but still looking dangerous with their captain, Umar, hitting some powerful boundaries and building a partnership with Sahil. Trying to wrestle back the initiative in the game, Shane turned to Saied to throw down some of his spin in the hopes of restricting the boundaries and getting the breakthrough. Tina was holding down one end well, with the SC Europa batsmen visibly terrified of getting out to a member of the fairer sex. This allowed Saied to pile on the pressure at the other end (metaphorically), which was quickly rewarded with two wickets in the second over of his spell. The first was especially important as it removed SC Europa’s captain and came courtesy of a very good catch from Shane, moving away to his left at mid-off to catch the ball which came very quickly at him. The second wicket of the over, Saied sending one through the gate, meant that the Accies were now well on top with the score at 93-6.
However, Saied was not finished there, because in his next two overs he took a further two wickets, both of which contributed to the RMOTW (Regionalliga Motto of the Week, in case you’d forgotten). The first catch was very well held by Safi at deep cover after the ball stayed in the air for a long time. In the form that Safi is in at the moment, the other fielders were in no doubt that he would hold onto the ball safely. The outgoing batsman, Sami, simply seemed relieved that it was Saied that had got him out and not Tina. The second catch was arguably the easier catch, but was the epitome of another beloved cricketing motto, “Communication is Key”. After another one of Saied’s fiendish deliveries, SC Europa’s number 9 batsman succeeded only in skying the ball directly up in the air. In a situation that any cricketer is only too aware of, three fielders rushed towards the dropping ball and it looked for all the world that we’d end up with a classic THCC situation of three fielders in a heap on the floor and the ball falling harmlessly to the floor beside them. Thankfully, a very clear and loud call from Aswin, which was probably heard back in Klein Flottbek, avoided calamity and the ball dropped safely into his hands.
The Accies were now looking to finish the innings off, and they managed to do this in comprehensive style in consecutive overs. The first wicket came in Imran’s first over after he had replaced Tina, although maintaining the same action of left-arm over. Showing no signs of rustiness having stood fielding in the heat for over 20 overs, he took the 9th wicket of the innings when he had the SC Europa batsman caught by Shane at extra cover and finished his over as a very impressive wicket maiden. The THCC bowling innings then ended with a flourish as Sahil, SC Europa’s number 6, was trying to get a few extra runs on the board but didn’t quite manage to hit his cover drive far enough as he was brilliantly caught by Aswin on the boundary off the bowling of Saied. This was a particularly impressive catch as Aswin had to cover a lot of ground and ended up taking the catch almost over his shoulder. This also handed Saied his five wicket-haul, capping a very good individual bowling performance, but also a testament to the pressure built up by the other bowlers around him. The Accies came off the pitch very satisfied to have restricted SC Europa to 103 all out, especially since the total threatened to be much larger in the middle part of the innings.
Well bowled, Saied!
However, with last match’s RMOTW at the back of their minds, the THCC batsmen still realised that they had to apply themselves to reach the relatively modest score set by SC Europa. The innings got off to a less-than-ideal start as the Accies’ young opener, Mohibullah, was caught behind off the bowling of Sami in just the second over. This brought Captain Shane to the crease and he and the other opener, Safi, put on a very useful 45-run partnership. This included Safi hitting the ball to all parts of the ground and Shane striking some lusty blows through the covers which were appreciated by all of his team and the THCC supporter(s) on the sideline. This partnership lasted 10 overs (which was about the same number of times that Safi changed gloves) before Shane was comprehensively bowled by Hidiat, bringing Aswin “Safe Hands” Sivakumarr to the crease. Aswin ably supported Safi in building another useful partnership, before he fell to a catch in the covers, leaving the score on 78-3. It was during this partnership that SC Europa’s opening bowler, Sami, seemed to take a rest from bowling, before then coming back to bowl just an over later, much to the puzzlement of the scorers. This led to an unnamed THCC president sagely remarking, “maybe he wanted to bowl from the other end”. This would have been a very educated guess, were it not for the fact that both teams had been bowling from the same end all day. He’d obviously spent too much time sitting in the sun!
As THCC edged closer to the finishing line, Safi continued to anchor the innings with support from Imran, before the latter was bowled by Sami, who had come back on to bowl…from the same end. Safi soon followed for a very well-constructed 37 when he was caught in the covers. In true THCC style, the Accies were making things difficult for themselves and were struggling to get the final twenty runs required to win the game. However, the diversity of the THCC team shone through as Jens and Bakhtiyar took to the crease, two players on very opposite ends of the cricketing spectrum. Whilst Jens was stoically protecting his wicket and waiting for the bad ball, Bakhtiyar, in tribute to the recently-retired Tillakaratne Dilshan, attempted several scoops over the keeper’s head. The odd couple managed to nevertheless push the team closer to victory, with Jens showing the speed of someone half his age to scamper through for some tight 2s. When Bakhtiyar fell trying to play one extravagant shot too many, the score was on 96-6 and it fell to Khalil to finish the innings off with Jens. After Khalil scored a quick 7 off as many balls, the honour fell to Jens to see the team home, using all of his experience to expertly leave a wide ball to give the Accies the run required to win the game. The timing of the win was perfect as, not half an hour later, the heavens opened and a storm of biblical proportions hit Hamburg. Thankfully, at this point the players were all safely on the way home in cars and trains (incidentally, one of the safer places to be during a storm because the transport acts like a faraday cage, apparently. Cricket can be fun and educational…)
The fielding and bowling part of the day was especially pleasing as it capped off weeks of training and improved performances. However, the team knows that they will have to improve their batting performance in preparation for a return trip to Mümmelmannsberg in two weeks’ time to face a strong SC Europa XI side.
Thanks to Jens for providing the much-needed water, to Steve for scoring and supporting, and to SC Europa A for a great game of cricket in perfect summer conditions. We wish them well for the rest of the season.
And that makes it three wins in a row!
THCC 111 ( Silva 43, Aswin 23, Farooq 5/17) lost to SC Europa XI 225 (Shinwari 51*, Latif 49, Kamal 3/20 )
The third game of the season got underway on THCC’s home ground with the visitors winning the toss and deciding to bat. Kamal and Khalil started the bowling for THCC and got a couple of good wickets early on. The fielding of THCC was excellent, with great catches being held.
After being 5/117, SC Europa XI did well to get to 225, with Shinwari making a half century and getting good support from Hassan Raza (21) and Habibi (29). A strong team, SC Europa XI had in previous matches put up big totals when batting first, which meant THCC did very well to bowl them out for 225.
It was a getable target. Unfortunately, the run chase got off to a bad start, with Frank bowled in the first over and Khalil extremely unlucky to be given out LBW on a ball he hit for four (how does that happen??). Left-armer Farooq tore through the top order, to leave THCC reeling at 6/20.
The only batsman that took the fight to SC Europa was Silva, with a blistering 43 runs. He was well supported by Aswin, as the pair built a partnership and added respectability to the score.
But when Silva was out, well caught at first slip, the resistance ended. Farooq finished with 5/17 while Shinwari completed a fine all-round game with 3/21.
SC Europa played really good cricket on the day, with a great spirit on the field and off the field. THCC wishes them all the best for the rest of the season.
Thanks to the supporters who attended the match, and thanks also to Murali for scoring.
Bandanaman! Silva sends another ball to the fence for four during his swashbuckling 43 (photo by Bianca)
THCC 3/94 (Murali 29, Israfeel 20*, Daub 1/11, Murugan 1/16) def. Göttingen 90 (A. Mustafa 34, Kamaladin 3/21, Cam 3/23)
Match details on CricHQ
There can be no doubt that back on February 2, Punxsutawney Phil saw a shadow, meaning six more weeks of winter. Well, that must have been some shadow, because it was still winter in Germany when the first ball was bowled in the 2016 NDCV Bundesliga.
A short pre-season, with little chance for outdoor training, meant the THCC first XI travelled to Göttingen with little preparation, but with a lot of clothing. Snow was forecast, and it came, along with rain, hail and a chilly northerly wind. For many, the match marked the first time playing cricket in snow.
Safiullah and Israfeel guide the team to victory as the snow falls
The new-look THCC team included Murali and Chandan, playing their first games for the club, while Henrik debuted for the first XI. It meant the team comprised players from Afghanistan, Australia, Denmark, England, India, Pakistan and South Africa, with a 12th man and scorer from Germany.
Cam lost the toss, with Göttingen electing to bat, perhaps hoping conditions would improve during the day and the temperature might rise from 3° to 6°. So, THCC took the field, literally shaking with excitement. Bipin started proceedings, bowling with the arctic wind and finding a rhythm early. He had an LBW turned down, which looked about as good as an LBW can, but then got the rub of the green next ball, when a good-pitched delivery kept (very) low and hit the bottom of the stumps.
The Mustafa brothers then batted well to defy Israfeel and Bipin, taking the score up to 36 until G. Mustafa was well caught by Safiullah at point, with Bipin getting a second wicket. Israfeel followed soon after with a searing ball that cut back on Germany U19 player Oliver Markus and took the top of off-stump. From there, Kamal and Cam teamed up to cut down the runs and pick up six wickets. Celebrating his 23rd birthday, Kamal dislodged the stubborn A. Mustafa, brilliantly caught by Bipin at first slip, then had Prem out next ball, this time with Murali taking a sharp catch at short leg, but couldn’t get the hat-trick.
Murali and Steve combined well for a run-out, Henrik took a great catch at extra cover, and after 26 overs, THCC had managed to dismiss Göttingen for 90. In the break, the Göttingen team, always generous and welcoming hosts, put on an excellent lunch of sandwiches, home-made cake and hot drinks.
With the temperature having dropped, debutants Murali and Chandan opened the innings, cautiously taking the score to 25 before Chandan was out LBW. Murali and Cam got to 50, before another LBW sent Cam packing for 16. As the weather started to turn bad, with blustery snow falling, Murali swung the bat some more, hitting a succession of fours before trying one shot too many and getting bowled by the Göttingen captain, Raja Murugan. Israfeel and Safiullah weathered the storm (hah!), getting the runs in the 23rd over, with Israfeel finishing in style with a big six over long on.
The low scores, matching the day’s temperatures, shouldn’t take anything away from this being a hard-fought match. Göttingen is a team showing a lot of promise, especially Z. Jamali, the young left-arm bowler, and Mahel Daub, who dismissed the THCC captain, while Oliver was solid behind the stumps. THCC wishes Göttingen all the best for the rest of the Bundesliga season, and extends a big thank you for your warm hospitality and a great day of cricket. Thanks also to Moritz for scoring in difficult conditions.
Scorers Moritz and Thomas look more like they’ve camped out while en route to the top of Mt Everest
