WEEK-END OF SURPRISE RESULTS BUT MEDITERRANEAN CC CLINCH BENRIMOJ/WIGGINS SHIELD.
In a week-end of surprise results, Mediterranean CC nevertheless managed to clinch the Wiggins/Benrimoj Shield despite going down to bottom club Combined Colleges at the Victoria Stadium. Meanwhile, GCC lost a great opportunity of staying in the race as they went down to Calpe CC at the Europa Oval.
Combined Colleges gain their first victory of the season.
Mediterranean CC went into this match against the boys from the Costa in the knowledge that victory would assure them of the Wiggins/Benrimoj Shield, thereby ending GCC’s three year hold on the trophy. However, Combined Colleges seemed to have other ideas! Winning the toss and opting to bat first they were given a good start by Mark Ward, who struck 42 runs off just 46 balls. However, the fifteenth over proved a crucial one as Chris Watkins accounted for both Ward and Wahid to send the total tumbling to 67/3.
When Mediterranean CC’s turn to bat came, Vikram Khatwani and Richard Buzaglo seemed to be putting them well on the way to a comfortable victory with a stand of 57 in the opening ten overs. However, Nushan Alwis then shattered Khatwani’s stumps and two cheap wickets followed, including that of the dangerous Ross Harkins, to leave the total at the fifteen-over stage on 66/3.
When Combined Colleges resumed their innings, Cliff Knezovich and Ashan Alwis added 41 runs for the fourth wicket before the former was bowled by Keith Campbell for 29. Brian Barratt then joined Alwis and a further 92 runs accrued to bring the final total to 200/4 with Alwis undefeated on 71 and Barratt on 27. Watkins returned figures of 2/24.
Mediterranean CC thus required 135 runs for victory in their final fifteen overs at a rate of nine runs an over and much of their hopes were pinned on Buzaglo. He and Tim Caruana added 38 runs for the fourth wicket, but Buzaglo’s innings was finally brought to an end, caught by Ward off Barratt for 78, and when Watkins went cheaply things were not looking too bright for the batting side. Despite a flurry from Joss Hatcher at the end (he struck 22 runs off only eleven balls), Mediterranean CC fell thirty one runs short of their target, being all out for 170. For Combined Colleges, Nushan Alwis took 3/37, Mark Ward 3/30 and Kevin Nolan 3/29. Colleges went home with eighteen points to Mediterranean CC’s three.
Mirpuri and Bacarese defy GCC.
GCC won the toss, asked their opponents to bat first and were soon rueing that decision as Kabir Mirpuri and Mark Bacarese took advantage of some very wayward bowling to pile on the runs. At the fifteen overs stage the total stood on 93/0.
The match seemed well over as a contest as GCC lost two wickets with 17 runs on the board and a third with the total on 44, as only Christian Rocca showed any credible form., but at their fifteen over stage they were only six runs behind Calpe CC on 87/3.
Mirpuri and Bacarese then upped the scoring rate, both batsmen racing past their half centuries. Their opening stand had reached 208 when Bacarese was caught at mid wicket when two runs short of his century, and Mirpuri followed one run later when on 73, Calpe CC’s final total being 238/2.
Faced with an asking rate of over ten runs an over, Rocca and Paul Buttigieg pushed the total along to three figures, but when young Matthew Hunter bowled Rocca (51) the game was as well as over. Buttigieg went on to make 40 and Adam Orfila displayed some defiance towards the end with an undefeated 31 but the task proved too much for them, GCC’s final total being 193/3. For Calpe CC there were two wickets apiece for Karan Sadhwani, Matthew Hunter and Guy Dumas. Calpe CC took 18 points from the game to GCC’s three.
- Mediterranean (3) lost to Combined Colleges (17) by 30 runs.
Victoria Stadium, 21 June.
Combined Colleges 200-4 (30.0 overs, Ashan Alwis 71*, Mark Ward 42)
Mediterranean 170 (26.4 overs, Richard Buzaglo 78, Nushan Alwis 3-37, Mark Ward 3-30, Kevin Nolan 3-29) - Calpe (3) lost to Mediterranean (15) by 3 wickets.
Victoria Stadium, 14 June.
Calpe 140-9 (30.0 overs, Kabir Mirpuri 46*, Iain Latin 41)
Mediterranean 141-7 (23.5 overs, Ian Farrell 36, Iain Latin 3-37) - Calpe (17) beat Combined Colleges (2) by 11 runs.
Europa Oval, 7 June.
Calpe 183-3 (30.0 overs, Mark Bacarese 105*, Kabir Mirpuri 43)
Combined Colleges 172-9 (30.0 overs, A Wahid 47*, Cliff Knezovich 35, Matthew Hunter 3-31) - GCC (2) lost to Mediterranean (17) by 6 wickets.
Victoria Stadium, 7 June.
GCC 141-8 (30.0 overs, Andrew Chipolina 65, Steve Cary 4-29)
Mediterranean 143-4 (25.3 overs, Ross Harkins 47*, Ian Farrell 46, Gary De’Ath 3-26) - Mediterranean (21) beat Combined Colleges (3) by 142 runs.
Europa Oval, 31 May.
Mediterranean 250-6 (30.0 overs, Ian Farrell 103, Ross Harkins 64, Nushan Alwis 3-22)
Combined Colleges 108 (24.1 overs, Ross Harkins 4-8, Joss Hatcher 3-25) - GCC (16) beat Calpe (6) by 14 runs.
Europa Oval, 24 May.
GCC 191-9 (29.0 overs, Kieron Ferrary 78, Christian Rocca 47, Karan Sadhwani 3-35)
Calpe 177-8 (29.0 overs, Scott Chipolina 48, Iain Latin 46, Charlie Harrison 4-29) - GCC (20) beat Combined Colleges (4) by 50 runs.
18 May.
GCC 238-5 (30.0 overs, Kieron Ferrary 102, Rudi Phillips 37, Mark Ward 3-56)
Combined Colleges 188 (28.0 overs, Previn Menon 51, Rudi Phillips 3-54) - Mediterranean (20) beat Calpe (0) by 10 wickets.
Europa Oval, 17 May.
Calpe 148-8 (30.0 overs, Mark Bacarese 54)
Mediterranean 150-0 (17.0 overs, Richard Buzaglo 100*, Ian Farrell 42*) - Mediterranean (2) lost to GCC (15) by 9 wickets.
Europa Oval, 10 May.
Mediterranean 204-7 (30.0 overs, Ross Harkins 71)
GCC 206-1 (29.0 overs, Steven Gonzalez 89*, Christian Rocca 77*)
P W T L BP Pts Mediterranean 6 4 0 2 40 80 GCC 5 3 0 2 27 57 Calpe 5 2 0 3 24 44 Combined Colleges 4 1 0 3 17 27