The Night Watchman

Well, after weeks of hard fought battles only two nations remained standing in Canada who had defeated Bermuda 13-2 and the UAE who had beaten the Netherlands 7-6 in a thrilling encounter last week. There was plenty of hype and intense moments before a ball was bowled when the moderator’s of the FTP forums said they would lock the banter topic if both nations couldn’t control themselves. A few days later the fixtures had been decided and there were some crackers there:

22:00 Ayotollah of Rockenrollah V FTP-Ashario (Sticky/Sunny)
04:30 Newcastle Knights V Penky (Slow/Cloudy)
22:00 CPS Vanadals V Nieklot (Dry/Sunny)
04:30 Hyderabad Heroes V Hassan (Flat/Hot)
00:00 Carringbush Magpies V Dons (Green/Humid)
04:30 NRI Sixters V Heppa (Uneven/Sunny
00:00 Bulls V Patriotaus (Slow/Cloudy)
00:00 Bible Bashing Pakistanis V MOD-Rob1et (Sticky/Humid)
15:00 The Underperformers V JAGNZ (Dry/Overcast)
04:30 Weekend Hacks V Lahore Leopards (Hard/Hot)
04:30 Milperra Vikings V Nathan (Slow/Hot)
04:30 Nevereasy V Equisiteblue (Flat/Windy)
05:30 Stanford Superstars V Mormans Revenge (Dry/Hot)

The first ball was to be bowled in two different games both held in New Zealand to kick off the final. John Booth had the honours of starting off the intense fixture of Ayotollah Of Rockenrollah VS Relegation Material bowling a dot ball to Cornelious Littlejohn while Benito Mussolini bowled the first ball of the game between CPS Vandals and Thorinus United which was hit for a single by CPS Vandal’s wicket keeper batsmen Tony Goffet.

Ayatollah of Rockenrollah VS Relegation Material- With Heffner taking the early advantage against FTP-Ashario on a sticky pitch as Ayotollah of Rockenrollah star bowler Peter Jeffrey took two quick wickets leaving Ash 2/10 off 3.4 overs. Hard and Hendry came in and put on a 69 run stand to put Ashario back into the game. Hendry and Bosley continued to mount pressure before strike spin bowler Douglas Gibbs came on and bagged 2 quick wickets brought the run rate down significantly. A lower order hit from Gandy saw Relegation Material get to a defendable total of 8/220 off their 50 overs. Heffner’s innings started badly losing Booth and Cage in the space of four balls leaving him reeling at 2/22. It only got worse for Heffner as Scofield, Hosking and McInnes all fell before the 20th over as the game was all but rapped up at 5/59. The lower order tried to put up a fight but the bowlers and conditions were just too strong. Heffner bowled all out for 124 and Relegation Material won by 96 runs. UAE 1-0

CPS Vandals VS Thorinus United- The CPS Vandals won the toss and elected to bat. Goffet and Tingrove got them off to a good start putting on a 38 run opening stand before Tingrove was given out thanks to some smart glovework by Panyala. Candian superstar batsmen Jailey Dailey then came to the crease for 17 runs before he was walking back to the pavilion gone LBW. During that time Goffet was also given his orders for 38 off 60 balls. Steele also came and went for 15 as Hutton and Borgas then put on a 44 run partnership before Hutton was given LBW as Borgas was run out two overs later. Herbert and Thomson then came in for an effective lower order hit as the CPS Vandals finished at 7/234. The Thorinus United innings started baldy losing  Subramaniam in the 5th over but Woodfull and Preetish put on a handy 40 run partnership before Preetish was run out by Tomasi. Sarita then hit 11before being stumped by Goffet. Woodfull was finally caught on 55 and Gordon had a short stay making a 5th ball duck which swung all the momentum in Cactusman’s favour. Panyala and Edwards were both caught behind for 8 as Thorinus United was 7/140 requiring a furthur 95 runs. The Yeluri fell for 29 as the tail was knocked over quickly as the CPS Vandals won by 66 runs. 1-1

Caringbush Magpies VS Scorezby Scums C.C- The Caringbush Magpies won the toss and elected to bat first and their innings didn’t start well at all losing Rickman and Smith in the first 10 overs. Numa and Brinkman then put Vedder back on track with a 107 run stand before Numa was given out for 39 and Brinkman followed a few overs later for 67 as Matheson and McCool finished off the Magpies innings with an unbeaten 110 run partnership as the Magpies got to 4/258 at the change of innings. The Scorezby innings started okay until the early wicket of Akmal came for 6 as Lilly then followed a few overs later for 14 and Redgrave run out for 6 leaving The Scorezby Scums at 3/49. Kumble and Lerter then put on a 65 run partnership before Kumble was caught and bowled by Darke. That wicket changed the game as O’Neill was sent packing for 22 which then started a collapse as Cripps, Gokaraju, Joseph and Sordo all fell for single digits with McShane being bowled for 10 with Lerter unbeaten on 105 as the Scorezby Scums C.C were bowled out for  245 as the Caringbush Magpies won by 13 runs. Canada 2-1

Bulls VS Pat’s XI- With the groundsman preparing a slow wicket Bulls won the toss and elected to bat. The opening partnership last 10 overs before Winter struck on his first ball removing Rigaud for 13. Carroll was Winter’s second victim as he fell two overs later. Langer and Bird put on 25 before Langer was run out by Lawry for 19. Armstrong’s stay was short as he was caught behind for 1. Bird and Maher put on a blistering 157 run partnership before Bird was caught behind by a diving Denley for 75. Maher finished o 84 not out as the Bulls reached a target of 5/223. The chase was made even more difficult when Lawry was caught at slip in the first over by Bird for 1. Then a 56 partnership was stopped by Black as he picked up the wicket of Denley. Hammersley was the next to fall thanks to some sharp glovework by Maher for 44. Miller was given out LBW a few overs later as Pat’s XI were 4/131 off 30 overs. The wicket of Ashraf by Davies helped Bulls get back in it and when he bowled Mascharanas for a third ball duck things start looking very good for them. A few overs later Bichel and Brown fell in 4 balls as the tail was cleaned up by Frost and Burn as the Bulls won by 49 runs. Canada 3-1.

Bible Bashing Pakistani’s VS Greenfielders- Sticky/Humid, the toughest conditions in FTP as Donny won the toss and elected to bat first. It was a struggle at the start as Donny lost Davidson, Hayat and Zaman early as he fell down to 3/17. An 88 run partnership from Ul-Hussain and Cannon got him back on track before Oliver struck removing them both in the space of three overs. Wasim and Brown then put on a lower order slog as they got to a handy total of 6/211. The Greenfielders innings started alot better losing only one wicket in the first 10 overs. Cooper then came on to bowl and picked up the valuable wicket of Smith. He then later picked up the wicket of Alhashmi with the last ball of his spell. Ali got the scalp of Couper for 11. Gordon and Border then combined to put on a very helpful 51 run partnership before Cooper came in to spoil the party taking the wickets of Gordon, Border, Harms and Oliver before Young was run out for 1 in a desperate attempt to make the runs as the Bible Bashing Pakistani’s won by 13 runs. Canada 4-1

Newcastle Knights VS Penky- A slow pitch was prepared for what would be a thrilling encounter. The Newcastle Knights won the toss and elected to bat first. All of the top 4 batsmen fell around the 20 mark leaving Knights 3/59 and when Burton was caught for 4 the score was 4/81. Peters was the next man to go as he was caught behind for 17. Hill and Smith fell soon after for single digit scores before Jones was cleaned up by Shreeyash for 22 as the tail was bowled out quickly as Penky had a total of 137 to win. Geeves started very well for the Newcastle Knights as he removed Luffman for 1. Emerson then had Graham plumb LBW for 3. Friend then came on and thanks to some fancy keeping by Burton had the wicket of Harvey. Ashburn CC now 3/18 and in strife. The task to get the innings back on track was up to Piper and O’Brien and they succeeded put on a 55 run partnership before O’Brien was bowled by Prowse. Walker followed O’Brien back to the pavilion as he was given the dreaded finger for 8. Piper and Marshall guided the innings home as Ashburn CC won by 5 wickets. Canada 4-2.

Hyderabad Heroes VS Warriors Guild- A lot of runs where on show today as a beautiful flat wicket was prepared. Warriors Guild won the toss and elected to bat first. Bromley and Hussain got the innings off to a flying start scoring at almost a run a ball for the first 10 overs before Bromley was run out by Hewer for 30. The run rate didn’t drop as McCarthy came to the crease. Hussain was out in the 17th over for 46 runs with the score at 2/87. Stubbs came to the crease in a destructive fashion. He and McCarthy put on a 27 run partnership before McCarthy was clean bowled by Ryder. Stubbs and Bow destroyed the Hyderabad Heroes attack belting an 80 run partnership off only 77 balls before Bow was caught for 33. Langer came and went for 9 and Gaskell made a golden quacker but it seemed nobody was going to stop Stubbs.  Khan fell soon after for 15 and then on 98, Stubbs went for one too many as he was caught out in the deep on 98 off only 88 balls. A wonderful innings as Warriors Guild finished on 8/301. The Hyderabad heroes innings started with a bang! As the first wicket of Trilochana fell for 32, the Hyderabad Heroes were 1/63 off only 49 balls. Then 6 balls later, Holcombe removed the skipper Hewer for only 6 runs. Ward and Markendaya then blasted a massive 155 run partnership off 166 balls with them both making centuries set up the game for the Hyderabad Heroes. Ward fell for 115 but Markendaya was there at the end on 106 not out along with Reagers who hit a quickfire 32 as the Hyderabad Heroes won by 7 wickets. Canada 5-2.

NRI Sixters VS Illawarra Dragons CC- As the groundsmen prepared an uneven wicket this gave NRI Sixters an advantage as heppa has a deadly spin attack which couldnt be used to full use. The NRI sixters won the toss and elected to bat first. Harbin picked up NRI Sixters opening batsmen Hamada for 7 runs. Johnson then picked up Sharmistha for 19 eight overs later. Matre and Giridhara then put on a 61 run stand to put NRI back on top before Matre was gone for 50. Giridhara then fell in the next over for 17. Variya (84) and Patel (60) then put on an unbeaten 150 run partnership to give NRI Sixters a final total of 4/260. The Dragons innings started badly losing Reeves, Ponting and Hanna in the first 10 overs. Abu-Zayed and Nakamura then put on a 64 run stand before Nakamura was caught for 27. Haddin followed for 8 and Harbin was also walking back tot he pavilion for 8. Lavanis was then caught behind for 13 and Marvell was run out for 3. Gladigua was bowled for 7 which completed the NRI Sixters victory by 74 runs. Canada 6-2

At this point Canada are in complete control leading 6-2 and needing one more victory to secure the Minor Nations PCC World Cup.

Weekend Hacks VS Lahore Leopards- The groundsmen prepared a nice hard wicket, expect bounce and runs from this game. Lahore Leopards won the toss and elected to bat first. The opening partnership was 40 when Haider was run out by Roach for 21. The second wicket partnership was again fast and this time was 44 runs when Udayan fell for 19. The third wicket partnership was 84 runs between Manthoon who fell for 80 off 70 balls and Manzoor who was weathering the storm. Oliver was the next man to go on 22 and McCormack followed three overs later for 41 off only 28 balls. A big score was brooming but Chaudhry fell for 2 which was a big blow for Lahore. Mian finished up on 11 not out as Kanhai finished off the tail as the Lahore Leopards finished their innings on 283 all out. The Weekend Hacks innings started very well with Roach and Livera putting on a 135 opening partnership until Livera fell in the 23rd over. Griffith fell quickly for 5 as he was run out by Manzoor. Roach then fell just after the 30 over mark for 91. Powell then fell for a run a ball 52 with only 40 runs to win and wrap up the World Cup. Allen and Daly then cruised tgo the total to crown Canada as Minor Nations PCC World Cup Champions. Canada 7-2.

Milperra Vikings VS The Rangas- The groundsmen had prepared a slow pitch today as The Ranga’s won the toss and elected to bat. Theak and Ridings started off the innings with a 44 run partnership until Ridings was given his orders. Next over, Theak was clean bowled by Evans. A 39 run stand by Leverock and Tamblyn was stopped when the drinks break curse came and got Leverock sixth ball after drinks and Tamblyn followed a few overs later. Searcy and Vernon then put on a handy partnership as Searcy crossed  50 but got out soon after and Fouz made a second ball duck as Vernon and Hussey closed the innings. The Ranga’s made a final total of 6/206. An opening 74 run stand for the Vikings set up the game well for them. Whitney fell for 29 and Ridgeway followed eight overs later for 19. Fitchett then fell next over as did Males for 1. Cartledge and Johnston then put on a 61 run partnership before Cartledge was caught. Oliver and Evans folled him back making 5 and 2. Gray and Johnstone then brought the Milperra Vikings home for a 3 wicket victory. Canada 8-2.

Nevereasy VS Equisiteblue- A very flat wicket was prepared for today’s match. Equisiteblue won the toss and elected to bat first. The opening partnership reached 50 before being stopped by Jones as he bowled Amarakoon at his toes. Hasan was then caught for 32 which brought Martin to the crease, Martin and Cooke shared a 148 run stand before Cooke was out for 76. Gilman and Qasem were both out to Cavenagh as Martin blasted his way past 100. He ended up on 135 not out as the team made 5/321. The Nevereasy innings started oh so easy until Joshi was plumb LBW in the 11th over. Law added an extra 40 at a run a ball pace until he was caught by Ahmed. Calver then joined opener Ruchika at the crease for a 54 run stand before Ruchika was bowled for 107. Calver was then given his marching orders on 55 before Craven was run out for 29. Jackson and Jones then saw Nevereasy home to a 5 wicket victory as Canada wrapped up another game. Canada 9-2.

Stanford Superstars VS Morman’s Revenge- The groundsman had prepared a dry wicket. The innings did not start well at all for Momo losing Hunt second ball of the match. Tipuna then got cracking but only lasted until 17 as Vishwanath followed him back to the pavilion for 26 soon after. Patterson and Bubb then got working and out on a 103 run stand before Patterson was caught behind on 41. Von-Zeebot kept the pressure on with Bubb but was run out on 34 by Lill. Westbrook and McGan both fell for 2 as Bubb went over 100. He ended up on 122 not out alongside Smith who was 18 not out at the change of innings where the Stanford Superstars had 7/273 on the board. The Morman’s Revenge innings started very well with the opening partnership at 96 before Wood was caught behind by Patterson. McGan then stunned Clarke in the next over as he left a ball which spun a mile and beat Clarke around his pads bowled! Smith then picked up Fitzpatrick for 9 a few overs later. Westbrook then got rid of Forrest for 20 and McDermott for 1while down at the other end Johnson picked up his second wicket in Coombes for 38. Johnson then had 3 as some tidy keeping by Patterson saw Nergis walking back to the pavilion for 9. McGan then picked up Ramanujan for 3 as Venkatasubramani cleaned up the tail taking the final two wickets to give The Stanford Superstars a 79 run victory. Canada 10-2.

The Underperformers VS JAGNZ- The groundsmen had prepared a dry wicket for the final game of the PCC World Cup final. With the tournament wrapped up this game didn’t have much weighting on it although both sides wanted a win. The Underperformers won the toss and elected to bat first. The start was medium paced not going to fast but not going at snail pace. After a 71 run opening stand Pillani was the first to go on 29. Eight overs later Cuff was caught by Kelly for 13.  Jaggernauth came in and on 13, suffered the fate of Kelly’s swing bowling which took his stumps right out of the ground. This meant Freil and Mahmad had the honours of finishing the innings although Mahmad didn’t get there as he was caught on 17. Warner was then out for two as Mason Freil crossed 50 and The Underperformers ended their innings at 6/244. JAGNZ Warrior’s innings did not start well because Sri Lankan National bowler Aravinda Pieris took two early wickets to leave them reeling at 2/25. A partnership got together between McFarland and Cooper but Warner had other idea’s removing Cooper for 28. Westaway was then caught on his crease as he was given out LBW on 7. Whitney then fell just after the 30 over mark on 15 when he was caught by Cuff. Jaggernauth the ran out Bishop for 12. At this point McFarland is the man they needed. Kelly fell to Warner on 14, Bradley fell to Marsh on 8 but they just coludn’t buy the wicket of McFarland but then finally in the 49th over Warner had him caught in the deep by Pillani when McFarland was chasing the game. Marsh then got the final wicket of Cooper to complete a wonderful Canadian victory! Canada 11-2.

Final Score: 11 Canada VS UAE 2.

A great win for Canada in the Minor Nations PCC World Cup.

Just a quick good luck in the next PCC World Cup to all the nations and a thanks to Naruto for organizing the whole Minor Nations PCC World Cup event.

By Momo.