Match Reports - 2012-13
Did we win promotion or not?
Bugger bugger bugger.
The final ladder is now up on the HKCA site and shows that we ended up in 4th spot.
Here's the ladder:
http://www.cricket.com.hk/db/ARCHIVE/2012-13/OTHERS/HKG_LOCAL/SAT_FIX.html
So we didn't quite make it, it appears. That first match of the season failing to chase 103 came back to haunt us :(
"I'm too distraught to talk right now" - Sir Alex Ferguson, Manager of Manchester Utd.
"I was not in the right frame of mind" - Rory McIlroy, Golfer
"Bollocks" - John Gaffney, Chairman of Lamma C.C.
Good news is we have 2 bowlers in the Top 10 of the Saturday Championship with Nilu first and Akbar second. Tom W. finished just outside the top 10 in 11th place.
Cheers,
Monty
The final ladder is now up on the HKCA site and shows that we ended up in 4th spot.
Here's the ladder:
http://www.cricket.com.hk/db/ARCHIVE/2012-13/OTHERS/HKG_LOCAL/SAT_FIX.html
So we didn't quite make it, it appears. That first match of the season failing to chase 103 came back to haunt us :(
"I'm too distraught to talk right now" - Sir Alex Ferguson, Manager of Manchester Utd.
"I was not in the right frame of mind" - Rory McIlroy, Golfer
"Bollocks" - John Gaffney, Chairman of Lamma C.C.
Good news is we have 2 bowlers in the Top 10 of the Saturday Championship with Nilu first and Akbar second. Tom W. finished just outside the top 10 in 11th place.
Cheers,
Monty
September 2, 2012
Social Match
Lamma C.C. v HKU at Sandy Bay
Result: Lost by 5 wickets
By Ian Harling
Our first game of the season and not only did I have 11 players turning up – eventually; I even had the luxury of a 12th man. There were wives, girlfriends, children and parents coming along too which was a real pleasure to see. So far this season has really turned out a much to be a much keener one.
We all got reintroduced amongst ourselves and the opposition too. We had one new guy, quite literally, in Guy, our new youngster, in a futile attempt to try and bring down the average age of our team.
We knew we were up against an always strong HKU social team and the Captain thought to try and wear them out on a very hot and humid day (or at least save us) by putting them in the field during the mid of the day. The problem was the ground was very heavy – and in some cases swampy, which made scoring boundaries along the ground very difficult for our cultured batsmen. Scoring was needless to say slow due to the ground but also having to contend with mostly tight bowling.
Batsmen to credit themselves well were Andy Scott, thanks to all his net practices, and Ben Grandy, a late last season recruit. All twelve of us were eventually all out for 128, not a good score for such a small ground with big sloggers in the opposition.
We did at least have some quality bowlers in the team and Tom Woods & Royce McDonald did a great job in sweltering conditions at keeping their scoring down and taking wickets. We were in with a chance with further good bowling from Monty and Barco Alex but it was too difficult to keep the pressure on as their depth in batting came through. In the end the target was too small to defend but we made them work hard for the score and the match was much tighter than the score reflected.
When Lamma play HKU, Mick always lays on the extra beers and it was good to wind down with everyone after the game. With a beer in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other to enjoy the occasion on a good summer’s evening, this Captain was satisfied.
Social Match
Lamma C.C. v HKU at Sandy Bay
Result: Lost by 5 wickets
By Ian Harling
Our first game of the season and not only did I have 11 players turning up – eventually; I even had the luxury of a 12th man. There were wives, girlfriends, children and parents coming along too which was a real pleasure to see. So far this season has really turned out a much to be a much keener one.
We all got reintroduced amongst ourselves and the opposition too. We had one new guy, quite literally, in Guy, our new youngster, in a futile attempt to try and bring down the average age of our team.
We knew we were up against an always strong HKU social team and the Captain thought to try and wear them out on a very hot and humid day (or at least save us) by putting them in the field during the mid of the day. The problem was the ground was very heavy – and in some cases swampy, which made scoring boundaries along the ground very difficult for our cultured batsmen. Scoring was needless to say slow due to the ground but also having to contend with mostly tight bowling.
Batsmen to credit themselves well were Andy Scott, thanks to all his net practices, and Ben Grandy, a late last season recruit. All twelve of us were eventually all out for 128, not a good score for such a small ground with big sloggers in the opposition.
We did at least have some quality bowlers in the team and Tom Woods & Royce McDonald did a great job in sweltering conditions at keeping their scoring down and taking wickets. We were in with a chance with further good bowling from Monty and Barco Alex but it was too difficult to keep the pressure on as their depth in batting came through. In the end the target was too small to defend but we made them work hard for the score and the match was much tighter than the score reflected.
When Lamma play HKU, Mick always lays on the extra beers and it was good to wind down with everyone after the game. With a beer in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other to enjoy the occasion on a good summer’s evening, this Captain was satisfied.
September 15, 2012
League Match
Lamma C.C. v Gap Ramblers at HKCC
Result: Lamma C.C. lost by 5 wickets
By Mark Burns
Well what a match yesterday!
Winning the toss vs Gap Ramblers at HKCC we aimed to control the match by batting second, and it would've worked too but for some pesky bowling from them and frustrating batting by us.
We did nearly everything right in the field, restricting them to just 103 all out in the final over with aggressive fielding and decent bowling. Great to be a part of, they were spewing. Well done!
But then part 2 and the wheels fell off mainly due to them bowling appropriate to the pitch combined with poor shot selection from our batsmen. We were all out for 95 with 5 overs left chasing 103 to win, a very 'ordinary' showing. None of our first 6 batsmen got into double figures.
We'd set the win up but didn't take it.
If we can bat more sensibly (e.g. not looking to hit so many glory shots when they're not needed) and bowl and field like that we'll win a lot of games this season. And we need to to get out of this division.
It's worth noting that half the wickets taken (for both teams) were either bowled or lbw. It was a turf track that favoured full straight bowling. We're likely to be playing on turf at KCC next Saturday so let's get those across the line shots out of our system quick.
We also bowled 24 wides, a huge proportion of their total. We need to fix that with a bit more control.
Well done to Adi who kept wicket well in his first match for Lamma. Nilantha also debuted and bowled and fielded excellently. LCC's Junior Player for 201e-13 Akbar Khan was pick of the bowlers with 3 for 16 off 7, and nearly won the match for us at the end. Sher Lama bowled his 7 for just 11, Royce and Nilantha picked up 2 wickets each cheaply.
League Match
Lamma C.C. v Gap Ramblers at HKCC
Result: Lamma C.C. lost by 5 wickets
By Mark Burns
Well what a match yesterday!
Winning the toss vs Gap Ramblers at HKCC we aimed to control the match by batting second, and it would've worked too but for some pesky bowling from them and frustrating batting by us.
We did nearly everything right in the field, restricting them to just 103 all out in the final over with aggressive fielding and decent bowling. Great to be a part of, they were spewing. Well done!
But then part 2 and the wheels fell off mainly due to them bowling appropriate to the pitch combined with poor shot selection from our batsmen. We were all out for 95 with 5 overs left chasing 103 to win, a very 'ordinary' showing. None of our first 6 batsmen got into double figures.
We'd set the win up but didn't take it.
If we can bat more sensibly (e.g. not looking to hit so many glory shots when they're not needed) and bowl and field like that we'll win a lot of games this season. And we need to to get out of this division.
It's worth noting that half the wickets taken (for both teams) were either bowled or lbw. It was a turf track that favoured full straight bowling. We're likely to be playing on turf at KCC next Saturday so let's get those across the line shots out of our system quick.
We also bowled 24 wides, a huge proportion of their total. We need to fix that with a bit more control.
Well done to Adi who kept wicket well in his first match for Lamma. Nilantha also debuted and bowled and fielded excellently. LCC's Junior Player for 201e-13 Akbar Khan was pick of the bowlers with 3 for 16 off 7, and nearly won the match for us at the end. Sher Lama bowled his 7 for just 11, Royce and Nilantha picked up 2 wickets each cheaply.
September 22, 2012
Saturday League Div 2
Lamma C.C. vs KCC Dragons at Kowloon Cricket Club
Result: Lamma CC win by 6 wickets
By Mark Burns
Match 2 of our season went more according to plan in baking sunshine at Kowloon Cricket Club versus the boys of KCC Dragons. Winning the toss again we opted to bowl first and it again paid dividends as we skittled them for 78 all out. Nilantha and Monty bagged 3 wickets each, Akbar took 2 wickets for 16 runs from his 7 overs and Andy Fullard took the last wicket to fall. It was a good bowling and fielding effort against a relatively weak batting line-up, with the bowlers responding to the call to reduce extras, only 5 wides conceded rather than 24 last week.
The KCC boys however did their best to get among us and showed they had a decent bowling attack with pace and another tiny but effective leggy as they took 4 of our wickets before we reached our target. Both our openers fell early, Adi for 4 and Tom C who looked in good nick on his return to the fray but was caught on 10. Nilantha hit some fabulous shots but was caught on 20 after giving a couple of chances. But Andy F. and Lama dug in and ground out a decent partnership to break the back of the target. Lama was well caught at square leg late on for 15, but Andy scored a polished 23 not out to bring us home. A repeat of the Ramblers debacle of last week it was not to be and we had plenty left in the tank. As we won within 28 overs we get a bonus point.
It was good to see Simon Joyce in the middle for the first time for Lamma, facing his first 2 balls since he was 18. One of them found its way pleasingly onto the middle of his new bat. Welcome also to Dom Thurmott turning out in his first match for Lamma. Well done to S'Andy "Bay" Scott again for sorting out the team kit and to the Tobester for being 12th man.
It was also good to see good team support from Gaffers, Chucker, Kim & Luke, Matt, and Tom Woods & the girls.
So we're off the mark and 1-1, looking good in the field and improving with the bat. Next up we're at HKCC against the Witherers on October 6th. Some may remember Hussain going berserk in the same fixture earlier this year, scoring a mere 172!
Saturday League Div 2
Lamma C.C. vs KCC Dragons at Kowloon Cricket Club
Result: Lamma CC win by 6 wickets
By Mark Burns
Match 2 of our season went more according to plan in baking sunshine at Kowloon Cricket Club versus the boys of KCC Dragons. Winning the toss again we opted to bowl first and it again paid dividends as we skittled them for 78 all out. Nilantha and Monty bagged 3 wickets each, Akbar took 2 wickets for 16 runs from his 7 overs and Andy Fullard took the last wicket to fall. It was a good bowling and fielding effort against a relatively weak batting line-up, with the bowlers responding to the call to reduce extras, only 5 wides conceded rather than 24 last week.
The KCC boys however did their best to get among us and showed they had a decent bowling attack with pace and another tiny but effective leggy as they took 4 of our wickets before we reached our target. Both our openers fell early, Adi for 4 and Tom C who looked in good nick on his return to the fray but was caught on 10. Nilantha hit some fabulous shots but was caught on 20 after giving a couple of chances. But Andy F. and Lama dug in and ground out a decent partnership to break the back of the target. Lama was well caught at square leg late on for 15, but Andy scored a polished 23 not out to bring us home. A repeat of the Ramblers debacle of last week it was not to be and we had plenty left in the tank. As we won within 28 overs we get a bonus point.
It was good to see Simon Joyce in the middle for the first time for Lamma, facing his first 2 balls since he was 18. One of them found its way pleasingly onto the middle of his new bat. Welcome also to Dom Thurmott turning out in his first match for Lamma. Well done to S'Andy "Bay" Scott again for sorting out the team kit and to the Tobester for being 12th man.
It was also good to see good team support from Gaffers, Chucker, Kim & Luke, Matt, and Tom Woods & the girls.
So we're off the mark and 1-1, looking good in the field and improving with the bat. Next up we're at HKCC against the Witherers on October 6th. Some may remember Hussain going berserk in the same fixture earlier this year, scoring a mere 172!
October 6, 2012
Saturday League Div 2 Match
Lamma C.C. vs HKCC Witherers at The Hong Kong Cricket Club
Result: Lamma CC won by 7 wickets
By Mark Burns
Match 3 of our season had a sombre start coming as it did just a few days following the terrible ferry disaster off Lamma Island which resulted in the deaths of 39 people. Both teams and match officials held a respectful minute's silence before the match commenced and wore black armbands as a mark of respect.
To the match, we lost the toss and were put in to field which was fine by me. Their openers, a left and right hand combo, looked reasonably solid despite decent opening spells from Nilantha and Tom Woods. But a change of bowling and some acrobatic fielding, especially from a salmon-like Sher Lama at point, soon changed things with Royce snapping up both openers and we were among them. It was a really pleasing fielding performance from us, everyone was throwing themselves around and looking to save runs, and every time they looked like they might start getting away from us we kept the pressure on them by pegging them back with timely wickets.
Nilantha was immense, ripping the middle out of their batting order in his second spell taking 3 quick wickets. He finished with figures of 3 for 17 runs off his 7 overs. Sher Lama was his usual miserly self conceding 28 off his 7, taking 1 wicket. Royce dug deep in the heat taking 2 for 39 off his 7. It was great to see Tom Woods back on the field bowling quick and taking 2 wickets for 27 helping to mop up the tail. Monty and Andy Fullard took a wicket each as once again we bowled out the opposition (that's 30 wickets in our first 3 matches) as Witherers posted 158 all out. It was good to see that 8 of the wickets we took were either bowled, LBW or caught behind.
Doable, very doable, and so it proved. If they could open up with a left right combo, so could we as we welcomed Brad Tarr back for his first match of the season who, as Tom Callahan had frustratingly done his knee in fielding, opened up with Andy Fullard. Unfortunately Andy went early but then Brad and Nilantha gave us a solid start before Brad was triggered out for 19. Nilantha was joined by Sher Lama and they took us comfortably to drinks with both looking in good touch. Nilantha holed out first over after drinks which brought Toby to the crease.
The Witherers players had apparently never seen Toby bat before and were quite bullish having seen him allegedly slurping Gaffa's cider / beer while fielding. They won't forget him in a hurry now as he slapped the bowling all around the park, including some monster sixes. Carnage. Lama also joined in displaying a variety of deft shots; the bowlers had no answers and didn't know where to bowl to them.
Both posted half centuries, Lama scoring 52 not out in 39 balls and Toby 57 not out in just 22 balls as we breezed past our target with 11 overs and 7 wickets to spare, picking up a bonus point in the process. It was great to see 2 of our batsmen reach half centuries for the first time in a while, and good ones they were too!
It was a very satisfying win, on their ground, going into a 2 month fixture break. We’re up there on the ladder and hopefully put the batting ghosts of the first match behind us!
Saturday League Div 2 Match
Lamma C.C. vs HKCC Witherers at The Hong Kong Cricket Club
Result: Lamma CC won by 7 wickets
By Mark Burns
Match 3 of our season had a sombre start coming as it did just a few days following the terrible ferry disaster off Lamma Island which resulted in the deaths of 39 people. Both teams and match officials held a respectful minute's silence before the match commenced and wore black armbands as a mark of respect.
To the match, we lost the toss and were put in to field which was fine by me. Their openers, a left and right hand combo, looked reasonably solid despite decent opening spells from Nilantha and Tom Woods. But a change of bowling and some acrobatic fielding, especially from a salmon-like Sher Lama at point, soon changed things with Royce snapping up both openers and we were among them. It was a really pleasing fielding performance from us, everyone was throwing themselves around and looking to save runs, and every time they looked like they might start getting away from us we kept the pressure on them by pegging them back with timely wickets.
Nilantha was immense, ripping the middle out of their batting order in his second spell taking 3 quick wickets. He finished with figures of 3 for 17 runs off his 7 overs. Sher Lama was his usual miserly self conceding 28 off his 7, taking 1 wicket. Royce dug deep in the heat taking 2 for 39 off his 7. It was great to see Tom Woods back on the field bowling quick and taking 2 wickets for 27 helping to mop up the tail. Monty and Andy Fullard took a wicket each as once again we bowled out the opposition (that's 30 wickets in our first 3 matches) as Witherers posted 158 all out. It was good to see that 8 of the wickets we took were either bowled, LBW or caught behind.
Doable, very doable, and so it proved. If they could open up with a left right combo, so could we as we welcomed Brad Tarr back for his first match of the season who, as Tom Callahan had frustratingly done his knee in fielding, opened up with Andy Fullard. Unfortunately Andy went early but then Brad and Nilantha gave us a solid start before Brad was triggered out for 19. Nilantha was joined by Sher Lama and they took us comfortably to drinks with both looking in good touch. Nilantha holed out first over after drinks which brought Toby to the crease.
The Witherers players had apparently never seen Toby bat before and were quite bullish having seen him allegedly slurping Gaffa's cider / beer while fielding. They won't forget him in a hurry now as he slapped the bowling all around the park, including some monster sixes. Carnage. Lama also joined in displaying a variety of deft shots; the bowlers had no answers and didn't know where to bowl to them.
Both posted half centuries, Lama scoring 52 not out in 39 balls and Toby 57 not out in just 22 balls as we breezed past our target with 11 overs and 7 wickets to spare, picking up a bonus point in the process. It was great to see 2 of our batsmen reach half centuries for the first time in a while, and good ones they were too!
It was a very satisfying win, on their ground, going into a 2 month fixture break. We’re up there on the ladder and hopefully put the batting ghosts of the first match behind us!
November 9, 2012
Social Match
Lamma C.C. v HKCC Taverners at The Hong Kong Cricket Club
Result: Lost by 5 wickets
By Ian Harling
Had the message only a week before that the coming Friday afternoon slot was available to play the Taverners and jumped at the chance. A Friday afternoon up at The Gap is always a great time and place to play and the call was sent out for available players.
Eleven players responded and it looked a strong team to face an equally capable Taverners team. It was the first outing of the season in our new Club shirts and it was good to see our whole team all looking splendid in them and ready to face the challenge. So on an unusually hot, humid and bright afternoon for November, we won the toss and decided to bat.
The batting got off to a slow start but the tempo was beginning to rise when Gaffa, opening the batting with Brad, was the first to go. Brad carried on nicely with his rate and retired on 30. Royce was first drop and was playing a supportive role while Simon hit some lusty blows after surviving a very good LBW shout first ball up. A LBW decision was to go against him when he was looking good for retirement. Royce didn’t really get going and he was out caught, but Mat didn’t disappoint and hit a typically quick-fire 30 for his retirement.
From this point there was a collapse not un-typical of Lamma CC, with Neil, Ian, Ali and Pricey going in quick succession after Pete & Barco Alex offered some resistance. In no time the retirees where in – and in no time were out again, Mat top edging for a simple catch leaving him on 34 out and Brad on the same, albeit with a N.O. after his. A few overs left in the innings, not a bad total, but we were more than a little light. We looked to have a good bowling attack though so we were certainly not out of it.
With a maximum of only 5 overs per bowler it meant nearly all the team would bowl and with good batting through their order, the idea was not to use all the best bowling at the beginning. Also necessary was to hold back some overs for the end. There were good early overs from Pricey, Royce & Barco but there was a steady flow of runs that was difficult to stem. Ali slowed things down considerably when he had his spell after the drinks break, and with Gaffa on toward the end, things were getting tighter. A last bowl out from Pricey was making things very interesting but in the end we really hadn’t scored enough to defend and the Taverners had enough time to score the winning runs with overs to spare.
There was no hurry to leave the field with an esky of beer brought on after the game. Well after darkness fell, the teams came in for a top curry spread, a catch-up with the fine hosts that is the HKCC, and a prize hand-out for the player of the match of each team. The stand-out bowling by Pricey meant the Taverners gave him their nomination and was the recipient of an HKCC shirt. It was then off to Bar 42 for the majority of us…
Social Match
Lamma C.C. v HKCC Taverners at The Hong Kong Cricket Club
Result: Lost by 5 wickets
By Ian Harling
Had the message only a week before that the coming Friday afternoon slot was available to play the Taverners and jumped at the chance. A Friday afternoon up at The Gap is always a great time and place to play and the call was sent out for available players.
Eleven players responded and it looked a strong team to face an equally capable Taverners team. It was the first outing of the season in our new Club shirts and it was good to see our whole team all looking splendid in them and ready to face the challenge. So on an unusually hot, humid and bright afternoon for November, we won the toss and decided to bat.
The batting got off to a slow start but the tempo was beginning to rise when Gaffa, opening the batting with Brad, was the first to go. Brad carried on nicely with his rate and retired on 30. Royce was first drop and was playing a supportive role while Simon hit some lusty blows after surviving a very good LBW shout first ball up. A LBW decision was to go against him when he was looking good for retirement. Royce didn’t really get going and he was out caught, but Mat didn’t disappoint and hit a typically quick-fire 30 for his retirement.
From this point there was a collapse not un-typical of Lamma CC, with Neil, Ian, Ali and Pricey going in quick succession after Pete & Barco Alex offered some resistance. In no time the retirees where in – and in no time were out again, Mat top edging for a simple catch leaving him on 34 out and Brad on the same, albeit with a N.O. after his. A few overs left in the innings, not a bad total, but we were more than a little light. We looked to have a good bowling attack though so we were certainly not out of it.
With a maximum of only 5 overs per bowler it meant nearly all the team would bowl and with good batting through their order, the idea was not to use all the best bowling at the beginning. Also necessary was to hold back some overs for the end. There were good early overs from Pricey, Royce & Barco but there was a steady flow of runs that was difficult to stem. Ali slowed things down considerably when he had his spell after the drinks break, and with Gaffa on toward the end, things were getting tighter. A last bowl out from Pricey was making things very interesting but in the end we really hadn’t scored enough to defend and the Taverners had enough time to score the winning runs with overs to spare.
There was no hurry to leave the field with an esky of beer brought on after the game. Well after darkness fell, the teams came in for a top curry spread, a catch-up with the fine hosts that is the HKCC, and a prize hand-out for the player of the match of each team. The stand-out bowling by Pricey meant the Taverners gave him their nomination and was the recipient of an HKCC shirt. It was then off to Bar 42 for the majority of us…
December 8, 2012
Saturday League Div 2 Match
LSW Warriors vs Lamma C.C. at PKVR
Result: Lamma C.C. won by 7 wickets
By Mark Burns
It was an overcast day that looked cooler than it was at PKVR where we won the toss and elected to field versus one of our main rivals for promotion, LSW Warriors, who earlier in the season had scored more than 500 runs in an innings against a new Chinese development team.
It was probably of one of the strongest line-ups Lamma C.C. has ever fielded, in our first match League following a preposterous 2 month gap in the fixtures.
We welcomed back a hatrick of players for this match: Bayden for his first match of the season, Lethal Leigh and Tom C. to the strength. Hatricks were to be the order of the day…
Bayden opened the bowling with Nilantha and created 2 chances in his first over that we didn’t manage to take. Was it to be one of those afternoons? He soon got into his stride however as the wickets were sent flying in successive balls, followed by a caught behind taken by Tarry as Bayden took a hatrick on his return, the first one of the innings…
Bayden picked up 4 wickets in his spell of 6 hostile overs while Nilantha kept runs down at the other end bowling fast and straight but with no luck. Akbar, fresh from his school cricket tour to KL last week came on, along with Woodsy. Both players bowled superbly, probably the best spells I’ve seen them send down. Woodsy was all control and pace, Akbar bowling consistently just short of a length outside off which troubled the batsmen so much that in his spell of 3.3 overs Akbar picked up an incredible 6 wickets for just 2 runs including a hatrick when the last LSW was dismissed! Two hatricks in the same innings, fantastic! Strangely all 10 wickets were taken at the same end by Bayden and Akbar. It was a superb display of bowling by all 4 bowlers which piled up relentless pressure and created numerous chances, with catches taken by Leigh, Tom C., Nilu, Tarry behind the stumps and a great slips catch by Ross to give Akbar his first ever hatrick. Last week’s good showing at the Festival was not an aberration as LSW Warriors were all out for 72 and LCC were ‘cock a hoop’, whatever that means!
Our batsmen knocked off the runs by 3pm with more than 20 overs to spare as we claimed another bonus point (3 in 3 matches). Nilantha led the charge hitting a breezy 25 before he holed out in the deep. Tarry was triggered (again) and Leigh also fell, but Adi was solid and Bayden flamboyant as we cruised to our target, despite energetic appealing and a handy left armer.
So, our next match is in 2 weeks time against our other main rivals for promotion, KARP C.C. who won the festival last week. On today’s showing we would probably have beaten most Div 1 teams. LSW were shell-shocked and had few answers. We were collectively very good with a few incredible personal performances, and it was one of the best Lamma C.C. performances I’ve been a part of. We could have held a few more catches, but in the end it didn’t matter, this time. If we play the way we did today on the 22nd December we’ll be very tough to beat. Splendid.
Saturday League Div 2 Match
LSW Warriors vs Lamma C.C. at PKVR
Result: Lamma C.C. won by 7 wickets
By Mark Burns
It was an overcast day that looked cooler than it was at PKVR where we won the toss and elected to field versus one of our main rivals for promotion, LSW Warriors, who earlier in the season had scored more than 500 runs in an innings against a new Chinese development team.
It was probably of one of the strongest line-ups Lamma C.C. has ever fielded, in our first match League following a preposterous 2 month gap in the fixtures.
We welcomed back a hatrick of players for this match: Bayden for his first match of the season, Lethal Leigh and Tom C. to the strength. Hatricks were to be the order of the day…
Bayden opened the bowling with Nilantha and created 2 chances in his first over that we didn’t manage to take. Was it to be one of those afternoons? He soon got into his stride however as the wickets were sent flying in successive balls, followed by a caught behind taken by Tarry as Bayden took a hatrick on his return, the first one of the innings…
Bayden picked up 4 wickets in his spell of 6 hostile overs while Nilantha kept runs down at the other end bowling fast and straight but with no luck. Akbar, fresh from his school cricket tour to KL last week came on, along with Woodsy. Both players bowled superbly, probably the best spells I’ve seen them send down. Woodsy was all control and pace, Akbar bowling consistently just short of a length outside off which troubled the batsmen so much that in his spell of 3.3 overs Akbar picked up an incredible 6 wickets for just 2 runs including a hatrick when the last LSW was dismissed! Two hatricks in the same innings, fantastic! Strangely all 10 wickets were taken at the same end by Bayden and Akbar. It was a superb display of bowling by all 4 bowlers which piled up relentless pressure and created numerous chances, with catches taken by Leigh, Tom C., Nilu, Tarry behind the stumps and a great slips catch by Ross to give Akbar his first ever hatrick. Last week’s good showing at the Festival was not an aberration as LSW Warriors were all out for 72 and LCC were ‘cock a hoop’, whatever that means!
Our batsmen knocked off the runs by 3pm with more than 20 overs to spare as we claimed another bonus point (3 in 3 matches). Nilantha led the charge hitting a breezy 25 before he holed out in the deep. Tarry was triggered (again) and Leigh also fell, but Adi was solid and Bayden flamboyant as we cruised to our target, despite energetic appealing and a handy left armer.
So, our next match is in 2 weeks time against our other main rivals for promotion, KARP C.C. who won the festival last week. On today’s showing we would probably have beaten most Div 1 teams. LSW were shell-shocked and had few answers. We were collectively very good with a few incredible personal performances, and it was one of the best Lamma C.C. performances I’ve been a part of. We could have held a few more catches, but in the end it didn’t matter, this time. If we play the way we did today on the 22nd December we’ll be very tough to beat. Splendid.
December 22, 2012
Saturday League Div 2 Match
KARP C.C. vs Lamma C.C. at PKVR
Result: Lamma C.C. won by 4 wickets
By Mark Burns
Phew! Well we won the match and gained a bonus point, but after excellent work again in the field our batting was ordinary.
We lost the toss and were put in to bowl as several of the KARP players had not arrived at the ground. Good, this played to our strengths.
Former skipper Ian Beck was making a welcome flying appearance for Lamma C.C., and we also welcomed former Chairman Neil Runcieman and current Chairman Gaffers - who took a screamer of a catch at first slip - onto the strength.
Within minutes KARP were 4 down for 1 run and scrambling for pads on the side-lines, Tom Woods and Nilantha bagging 2 quick wickets each, including danger man Ankur Sharma. Both bowlers were virtually unplayable; Nilantha ended up with figures of 2 wickets for 6 runs off 6 overs and Tom 2 for 17 off his 7 overs. Ross as stand in keeper did a great job and took two catches. Another 10 wickets taken. Great start.
Akbar and Royce then got stuck in, Akbar taking 3 for 22 off 5 overs and Royce 2 for 15 runs off 3 overs. Becks then chipped in bagging the final wicket on the 3rd ball of his only over as KARP limped to 67 all out in 22 overs. Woof!
8 of the wickets taken were bowled, LBW or caught behind. Excellent work.
So it was our turn to bat, 68 to win in 35 overs, a doddle? Er… no. We laboured to 31 for 6 as no batsmen established themselves at the crease. Thankfully the young head of Akbar and seasoned head of Royce dug in and played sensibly under relatively difficult circumstances and brought us home with a stand of 37 as we passed the target in the 28th over to earn the win and the bonus point. Job done, the hard way and we remain on course for a top 2 placing.
Saturday League Div 2 Match
KARP C.C. vs Lamma C.C. at PKVR
Result: Lamma C.C. won by 4 wickets
By Mark Burns
Phew! Well we won the match and gained a bonus point, but after excellent work again in the field our batting was ordinary.
We lost the toss and were put in to bowl as several of the KARP players had not arrived at the ground. Good, this played to our strengths.
Former skipper Ian Beck was making a welcome flying appearance for Lamma C.C., and we also welcomed former Chairman Neil Runcieman and current Chairman Gaffers - who took a screamer of a catch at first slip - onto the strength.
Within minutes KARP were 4 down for 1 run and scrambling for pads on the side-lines, Tom Woods and Nilantha bagging 2 quick wickets each, including danger man Ankur Sharma. Both bowlers were virtually unplayable; Nilantha ended up with figures of 2 wickets for 6 runs off 6 overs and Tom 2 for 17 off his 7 overs. Ross as stand in keeper did a great job and took two catches. Another 10 wickets taken. Great start.
Akbar and Royce then got stuck in, Akbar taking 3 for 22 off 5 overs and Royce 2 for 15 runs off 3 overs. Becks then chipped in bagging the final wicket on the 3rd ball of his only over as KARP limped to 67 all out in 22 overs. Woof!
8 of the wickets taken were bowled, LBW or caught behind. Excellent work.
So it was our turn to bat, 68 to win in 35 overs, a doddle? Er… no. We laboured to 31 for 6 as no batsmen established themselves at the crease. Thankfully the young head of Akbar and seasoned head of Royce dug in and played sensibly under relatively difficult circumstances and brought us home with a stand of 37 as we passed the target in the 28th over to earn the win and the bonus point. Job done, the hard way and we remain on course for a top 2 placing.
5th January 2013
Saturday League Division 2 match
Lamma CC vs Laguna Gully CC at HKU
Result: Lamma CC won by 9 wickets
By Mark Burns
This was a match that went very well for us, in the field and with the bat, apart from an injury to Adi.
Losing the toss, again, we were asked to field, again. Happy days. So out onto the field we trooped and soon Laguna Gully were 30 for 5 wickets as both Tom W. and Nilantha bagged early wickets again. Each of them bowled out their 7 overs well and both took 2 cheap wickets. A sharp run out by Lethal Leigh, Laguna Gully were in trouble.
Unfortunately Adi, who was keeping wicket, twisted his knee taking a catch and had to be helped off not to return. Ross then donned the gloves and 12th man Pricey came on.
Their 6th and 7th batsmen then put on a decent stand of 77 however, until Gaffa got the call for the ball and struck with his first one, the batsmen baffled by the bounce and pirouetted onto his own stumps.
Royce got into his stride and took 2 for 28 from his 7 overs, Gaffers took 2 for 21 and Akbar took the last wicket as Laguna Gully managed to struggle to 151 all out, a gettable total at Sandy Bay.
And so it proved.
Nilantha and Lethal opened up for us and made a handy dent in the target before Leigh went LBW for 16 with the total on 47. Nilantha, who was stroking the ball around nicely was joined by Andy Fullard. Between them they knocked off the required runs by the 15th over, Andy finishing with a solid 26 not out and Nilantha posting an excellent 102 not out which included 7 fours and 10 sixes, with his second 50 coming off just 17 balls.
A solid all round team performance and a 9 wicket win which keeps us on track for a top 2 finish. 10 more wickets taken - that's a 100% haul in every match this season - and we're top of the fielding stats for the entire Saturday Championship.
Happy New Year!
Saturday League Division 2 match
Lamma CC vs Laguna Gully CC at HKU
Result: Lamma CC won by 9 wickets
By Mark Burns
This was a match that went very well for us, in the field and with the bat, apart from an injury to Adi.
Losing the toss, again, we were asked to field, again. Happy days. So out onto the field we trooped and soon Laguna Gully were 30 for 5 wickets as both Tom W. and Nilantha bagged early wickets again. Each of them bowled out their 7 overs well and both took 2 cheap wickets. A sharp run out by Lethal Leigh, Laguna Gully were in trouble.
Unfortunately Adi, who was keeping wicket, twisted his knee taking a catch and had to be helped off not to return. Ross then donned the gloves and 12th man Pricey came on.
Their 6th and 7th batsmen then put on a decent stand of 77 however, until Gaffa got the call for the ball and struck with his first one, the batsmen baffled by the bounce and pirouetted onto his own stumps.
Royce got into his stride and took 2 for 28 from his 7 overs, Gaffers took 2 for 21 and Akbar took the last wicket as Laguna Gully managed to struggle to 151 all out, a gettable total at Sandy Bay.
And so it proved.
Nilantha and Lethal opened up for us and made a handy dent in the target before Leigh went LBW for 16 with the total on 47. Nilantha, who was stroking the ball around nicely was joined by Andy Fullard. Between them they knocked off the required runs by the 15th over, Andy finishing with a solid 26 not out and Nilantha posting an excellent 102 not out which included 7 fours and 10 sixes, with his second 50 coming off just 17 balls.
A solid all round team performance and a 9 wicket win which keeps us on track for a top 2 finish. 10 more wickets taken - that's a 100% haul in every match this season - and we're top of the fielding stats for the entire Saturday Championship.
Happy New Year!
12th January 2013
Saturday League Division 2 match
Lamma CC vs Pioneers CC at Mission Road
Result: Lamma CC won by 7 wickets
By Mark Burns
Lamma CC go top the table!
Placed second in the table before the match with 4 matches remaining of the season, Lamma CC were a little wary of Pioneers who, though they had been knocked over regularly for 40 or so this season, had added new players to bolster their side.
Pioneers is a brand new team, aimed to be predominantly Chinese, which has been put into a two division league which is far more competitive than many give it credit for, and which has a format which encourages stronger teams to defeat weaker ones by the highest margin possible. Its not clear whether this is a HKCA policy (ie to expand the number of Chinese teams playing adult cricket) or whether this is an experiment. In order to be relevant as a sport in Hong Kong and demonstrate a need for grounds to play, more Chinese people need to be actively playing and involved in the sport. Given the current playing strength of Pioneers the entering of this brand new team into the competitive environment of the Saturday Championship as the League is structured at present is open to question on a variety of levels.
Anyway, on with the match report. We won the toss and invited Pioneers, who featured former Lamma CC players Ming Li and Henry Lam, to bat first on the turf wicket of Mission Road.
In the event of ties on points etc. to decide which teams earn promotion run rate is a relevant factor, and was a factor in this decision given other teams had smashed Pioneers regularly for more than 300 runs. Much related prep work and ruminations on permutations had been gone through on multiple spreadsheet options by Tom C and Andy Fullard, and the machine that goes ping somehow spewed out the answer: "bowl first." And so we did.
Pioneers had few answers to the pace of the Lamma opening bowlers, particularly Nilantha who finished his spell with a triple wicket maiden. They struggled gamely to 47 all out in 11 overs with Tom Woods bagging 3 wickets and and Nilantha 7 wickets including a triple wicket maiden. They were helped by 23 extras, 18 coming from wides. Former Lamma CC player Henry Lam got lucky when he was called back to the crease having been given out LBW when he had edged it onto the pads. Another former Lamma player Ming Li, brother of Godiva, was the only Pioneer to make it into double figures with 12.
So the run rate chase was on along with the added opportunity for some Lamma batsmen to get some middle time. The turf track was not the easiest to bat on, especially against spin. Simon Joyce opened up with Ross Burgmann and was stroking the ball around nicely until he was out LBW for 11 to a nicely flighted leg spinner from Ming. Nilantha contributed a breezy 10 but was caught and bowled with one that amazingly / fortunately / unfortunately stuck in the outstretched palm of the bowler having been middled and destined to remove the head of the umpire. The same bowler then took Tom Woods wicket LBW before Andy Fullard came in and calmly saw the match to conclusion along with Ross in the 8th over, for a Lamma CC win by 7 wickets, earning us 4 win points and a bonus point and boosting our run rate.
The win takes us top of the Second Division! We've taken 70 wickets in 7 matches, won our last 6 matches and have 3 matches left of the season, 2 of which are against rival teams for a top 2 place. We're now the team to beat, and should prepare and play accordingly. Well done guys for getting to this position, we're 3 matches away from earning our goal of a top 2 place.
See http://www.cricket.com.hk/db/ARCHIVE/2012-13/OTHERS/HKG_LOCAL/SAT_LAD.html
Following the League match we then played a friendly T20 match with all the player names being drawn out of a hat, Andy Fullard skippering one side and Henry Lam the other. For the record Henry's side batted first and notched up 116 all out in 17 overs with Royce making 21 and Ragunoth of the Pioneers 28. Pricey took 3-28, Ian Harling 1-18, Andy F 2-15 and former Lamma player Vicky Niaz (who'd turned up to watch) 4-8!
In an increasingly competitive and exciting reply, Andy's team reached their target and won bragging rights in the final over thanks to 31 not out from Monty and 25 not out from Tom C. Tom Woods bowled an economical spell of 1-17 from his 4 overs.
Thanks to Kim for scoring 2 matches in one afternoon!
Next match in our campaign is 2nd February vs SCC Lancers.
Go Lamma!!
Saturday League Division 2 match
Lamma CC vs Pioneers CC at Mission Road
Result: Lamma CC won by 7 wickets
By Mark Burns
Lamma CC go top the table!
Placed second in the table before the match with 4 matches remaining of the season, Lamma CC were a little wary of Pioneers who, though they had been knocked over regularly for 40 or so this season, had added new players to bolster their side.
Pioneers is a brand new team, aimed to be predominantly Chinese, which has been put into a two division league which is far more competitive than many give it credit for, and which has a format which encourages stronger teams to defeat weaker ones by the highest margin possible. Its not clear whether this is a HKCA policy (ie to expand the number of Chinese teams playing adult cricket) or whether this is an experiment. In order to be relevant as a sport in Hong Kong and demonstrate a need for grounds to play, more Chinese people need to be actively playing and involved in the sport. Given the current playing strength of Pioneers the entering of this brand new team into the competitive environment of the Saturday Championship as the League is structured at present is open to question on a variety of levels.
Anyway, on with the match report. We won the toss and invited Pioneers, who featured former Lamma CC players Ming Li and Henry Lam, to bat first on the turf wicket of Mission Road.
In the event of ties on points etc. to decide which teams earn promotion run rate is a relevant factor, and was a factor in this decision given other teams had smashed Pioneers regularly for more than 300 runs. Much related prep work and ruminations on permutations had been gone through on multiple spreadsheet options by Tom C and Andy Fullard, and the machine that goes ping somehow spewed out the answer: "bowl first." And so we did.
Pioneers had few answers to the pace of the Lamma opening bowlers, particularly Nilantha who finished his spell with a triple wicket maiden. They struggled gamely to 47 all out in 11 overs with Tom Woods bagging 3 wickets and and Nilantha 7 wickets including a triple wicket maiden. They were helped by 23 extras, 18 coming from wides. Former Lamma CC player Henry Lam got lucky when he was called back to the crease having been given out LBW when he had edged it onto the pads. Another former Lamma player Ming Li, brother of Godiva, was the only Pioneer to make it into double figures with 12.
So the run rate chase was on along with the added opportunity for some Lamma batsmen to get some middle time. The turf track was not the easiest to bat on, especially against spin. Simon Joyce opened up with Ross Burgmann and was stroking the ball around nicely until he was out LBW for 11 to a nicely flighted leg spinner from Ming. Nilantha contributed a breezy 10 but was caught and bowled with one that amazingly / fortunately / unfortunately stuck in the outstretched palm of the bowler having been middled and destined to remove the head of the umpire. The same bowler then took Tom Woods wicket LBW before Andy Fullard came in and calmly saw the match to conclusion along with Ross in the 8th over, for a Lamma CC win by 7 wickets, earning us 4 win points and a bonus point and boosting our run rate.
The win takes us top of the Second Division! We've taken 70 wickets in 7 matches, won our last 6 matches and have 3 matches left of the season, 2 of which are against rival teams for a top 2 place. We're now the team to beat, and should prepare and play accordingly. Well done guys for getting to this position, we're 3 matches away from earning our goal of a top 2 place.
See http://www.cricket.com.hk/db/ARCHIVE/2012-13/OTHERS/HKG_LOCAL/SAT_LAD.html
Following the League match we then played a friendly T20 match with all the player names being drawn out of a hat, Andy Fullard skippering one side and Henry Lam the other. For the record Henry's side batted first and notched up 116 all out in 17 overs with Royce making 21 and Ragunoth of the Pioneers 28. Pricey took 3-28, Ian Harling 1-18, Andy F 2-15 and former Lamma player Vicky Niaz (who'd turned up to watch) 4-8!
In an increasingly competitive and exciting reply, Andy's team reached their target and won bragging rights in the final over thanks to 31 not out from Monty and 25 not out from Tom C. Tom Woods bowled an economical spell of 1-17 from his 4 overs.
Thanks to Kim for scoring 2 matches in one afternoon!
Next match in our campaign is 2nd February vs SCC Lancers.
Go Lamma!!
