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GRAMMARIANS AND GCC SET THE PACE

Grammarians and GCC, with victories over Calpe CC and UKCCC respectively, are the early pace-setters in the Caleta Hotel League.

GCC stage remarkable recovery at Europa

UKCCC won the toss at Europa on Saturday, chose to bat first and were given an excellent start by Chris Watkins and Steve Martin as 51 runs accrued in the opening nine overs, most of these coming from the former’s blade.    When Martin was caught by Bob Brooks off the bowling of Gary De’Ath, Greg Harris helped Watkins add a further 67 runs for the second wicket before Watkins fell victim to Brooks for 65.   Steve Cary then helped Harris keep the total ticking along with a stand of 47 runs, before both went in rapid succession, Harris having by then reached his half century.   The UKCCC innings then threatened to collapse as three wickets fell cheaply but an undefeated 30 from Nick Taylor, coming in at number nine, enabled his side to reach the very respectable total of 245 all out in 48.4 overs.   De’Ath took 3/40 for GCC and Brooks 2/49.

GCC made a terrible start to their reply, losing three wickets with only 36 runs on the board.     Ian Farrell, who opened the innings, was looking solid, and in Rudi Phillips he at last found someone to stay with him as 51 runs were added for the fourth wicket.   With the total on 87, GCC lost both the wickets of Phillips (23) and Adrian Hewitt and with the total on 87/5 the result of the match appeared to be a foregone conclusion.   However, Chris Allan had other ideas as he kept Farrell company whilst a further 96 runs were added.   Even so, when Farrell’s long vigil at the wicket ended with his personal total on 79, Allan followed him soon afterwards having just passed his half century, and Terence Garcia was run out for 2, GCC’s total had slumped to 201/8 and a UKCCC victory seemed a foregone conclusion.     Mark Garratt (24 not out) and Brooks (21 not out) then staged a remarkable recovery with an unbroken stand of 45 which brought home victory in the 49^th. over.    Watkins, Neeraj Punjabi and Steve Martin took two wickets apiece for UKCCC, as GCC went home with nineteen points to UKCCC’s eight.

Grammarians post big total.

Grammarians CC batted first at the Victoria Stadium on Saturday and made a horrendous start as they lost their first four batsmen with only thirty runs on the board.  Vikram Khatwani and Richard Buzaglo then came to their rescue with a fourth wicket stand of  81 before the former fell nine runs short of his half century.   John Gordon did not hang around too long, after which Raj Kochhar helped Buzaglo put on 114 runs for the seventh wicket in the process of which Buzaglo reached his century.    Kochhar fell for 29 near the end of the innings but by then the Grammarians’ total had reached the very respectable 246/9.   For Calpe CC, Karan Aswani returned figures of 4/50, Ross Harkins took 3/37, and Dylan Armstrong 2/27.

Calpe CC suffered an early blow as Sebastian Suarez trapped Steven Gonzalez leg before with the total on 21, after which Chris Phillips and Karan Aswani put on 59 runs for the second wicket.     When Kochhar bowled Phillips for 24, Iain Latin helped Aswani add a further 46 runs but by then the batting side were falling behind on the required run rate.   Latin went on to make 30 and Aswani fell one run short of his half century, whilst David Young, coming in at number six, struck a quick-fire 48.   However, the fragile Calpe tail failed to wag and the whole side was dismissed for 185 to give Grammarians victory by the comfortable margin of 61 runs.   Kabir Mirpuri claimed four victims for Grammarians at a personal cost of 17 runs, Mohammed Usman took 3/37 and Suarez 2/21.    Grammarians took twenty points from the game to Calpe’s six.