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CALETA HOTEL LEAGUE GETS UNDER WAY.

The Caleta Hotel League got under way on Saturday, last year’s champions Calpe CC taking on runners up UKCCC.     The match turned out to be one of swinging fortunes as first one side, and then the other grabbed the initiative.   Highlights included knocks of 91 and 60 by David Young and Paul Buttigieg respectively and an unbroken stand of 62 by Nick Taylor and David Jacobs which brought home victory for UKCCC.

Calpe CC batted first and were soon in some trouble as they lost both openers with only 22 runs on the board.   Worse was to follow as Karan Aswani hit a long hop from Shaun Ainsworth into the grateful hands of Steve Martin at mid-on.     Young and Buttigieg then retrieved the situation with a fourth wicket stand of 55 before the latter was caught by Chris Watkins off the bowling of Roy Rodgers; his 60 runs was his second half century in successive weeks, and his move from GCC appears to have transformed his fortunes!   After his departure, Young was left with Calpe’s long tail and there followed as good an exercise in farming the bowling as has been seen at Europa in many a long while.    Young managed to reach 91 to bring the total up to the levels of respectability on 192.   For UKCCC, Rodgers took 3/43 and Ainsworth 2/22.

Aswani struck the first blow for Calpe as Watkins hit him straight to Vivek Sadhwani at mid wicket with the total on 15.     The total had moved on to 40, thanks in the main to “extras” and in particular wides, when four wickets fell for the addition of just 35 runs.    Rodgers (37) and Harris (25) struck a few useful blows, but when the former was well caught by Young at cover the UKCCC total had slumped to 131/7 and a Calpe victory seemed well on the cards.    However, Taylor and Jacobs had other ideas as they defied all efforts to dislodge them and in the process scored the required runs with 6.2 overs to spare; Taylor finished on 47 and Jacobs on 22.   For Calpe CC Aswani and Harkins took two wickets apiece.   UKCCC thus went home with 17 point to Calpe’s five.

Next Week.

The Victoria Stadium comes into use for the first time this season next Saturday, GCC and Grammarians doing battle there, whilst UKCCC take on PGCC at Europa.   Both encounters are Caleta Hotel league matches.