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UNDER NINETEENS TRIUMPHANT IN SCOTLAND.

Gibraltar’s under nineteen cricket team returned home on Sunday with five victories out of five under their belts and the ECC Division Two Championship Shield in their possession.    The performances put in by the boys were just reward for the very hard work that they and their coach, David Young, have been putting in for the past six months.    Crucial to their success was the fact that no less than six of their batsmen – Mark Bacarese, Chris Phillips, John Hazell, Karan Aswani, Kieron Ferrary and Ross Harkins – all scored more than 100 runs, demonstrating the depth of the team’s batting line-up.    In the bowling department, Phillips led the way with ten wickets, followed by Kayne Peliza with six, Aswani with five, and Kabir Mirpuri and Bacarese with four apiece.   Behind the stumps, Ferrary took six catches and made two stumpings.

Germany post big total.

The tour opened at Dundee High School, Germany’s under nineteens providing the opposition.   The Germans won the toss, opted to bat first and lost their first wicket with 27 runs on the board.  Rupert Rath and Shahid Nadeem then proceeded to stage a recovery but runs were slow in coming and at the 25 overs half-way stage the German total had only moved on to 99.   When Rath was eventually trapped leg before by Mirpuri, things were looking good for the Gibraltar boys, but a tremendous assault by Nadeem and Vaseekaran Aritharan saw them add 105 runs in the final ten overs to take the German total to 260/2 at the end of the allotted fifty overs.

Gibraltar lost the early wicket of Phillips, after which Bacarese and Hazell put on 103 for the second wicket before the latter was adjudged leg before with his personal score on 40.   At the half-way stage the total stood on 142/2 and Gibraltar seemed well set for a victory.   However, two overs later Aswani was bowled for 18 and Bacarese was caught for 59 and the total had slumped to 161/4.   Mirpuri and Ferrary then featured in a 55-run partnership and when the former became the third leg before victim of the innings the total had moved on to 216 with twelve overs remaining, and under four runs required for victory.    Harkins then joined Ferrary and these two saw their side home with 4.3 overs to spare, both batsmen remaining undefeated on 33.   It had been a remarkable recovery!

Stutters against Italy.

The following day, the team travelled to Perth for a game against the Italians.    Bacarese lost his second toss in two matches, the Italians opted to bat first and were no match for Gibraltar’s bowling attack, being dismissed for 104 in 28.5 overs.   Phillips was the star of the show with figures of 5/29 and Peliza took 2/13.   After the previous day’s batting performance against the Germans, such a paltry total should not have posed any problems.   However, cricket is a funny game and Gibraltar lost the wickets of Bacarese, Harkins and Mirpuri with only 29 runs on the board.   Worse was to follow as Phillips and Ferrary both departed with the total on 44, and at 44/5 Gibraltar were facing defeat.    Rain interrupted play with the total on 69/5 and an early lunch was then taken.    After the break, Aswani and Hazell took command of things and Italy’s total was overhauled without further loss in the 24^th. over, Aswani ending on 43 not out and Hazell on 18 not out.

Crucial match against Belgium.

At this stage of the Tournament, Gibraltar, Belgium and Israel had all won their three matches so that the next fixture, against the Belgians, was a crucial one.   The teams travelled to the picturesque village of Freuchie on a bitterly cold day, and once again Bacarese lost the toss and was asked to bat first.   Bacarese and Hazell gave the team a good start, putting on 45 runs in the opening twelve overs before Hazell had his stumps disturbed when on 14.   Phillips then joined his skipper and runs began to flow  as these two put on 98 runs for the second wicket.  In the 35^th. over Bacarese’s innings came to an end, bowled for 81, but Aswani kept the momentum going with a quick-fire 34 whilst Phillips moved into the seventies.   With seven overs remaining, both parted in quick succession but an undefeated 21 from Mirpuri off 24 balls raised the total to a very respectable 273/8 at the end of the allotted overs.

Belgium got off to an electric start, scoring 41 runs in the opening six overs, at which point their star batsman, Nirvam Shah, was brilliantly run out by Harkins, throwing in from the deep fine leg boundary, and another wicket fell on the same total as Aswani had Mark Wrigley caught behind.   Belgium lost a further two wickets with the total short of three figures and although Abisher Mehta scored an impressive 74 he could not find partners to stay with him for long, the whole side being eventually dismissed for 194 in 43 overs to give Gibraltar victory by 79 runs.     Akhil Viz, in one of his rare appearances, took 3/28 and Bacarese 2/34.

France next in line.

After three matches in as many days, Thursday came as a welcome rest day before the team travelled to Perth once again on yet another very cold and damp July day in Scotland.   Bacarese lost his fourth toss on the trot and was asked to bat first, he and Harkins giving the side an excellent start with a stand of 66 runs in the opening fourteen overs.    Gibraltar then lost the wickets of Bacarese and Aswani on that total and when Harkins finally departed for 61, the total had slumped to 90/3.   Phillips and Ferrary then consolidated the position and when rain interrupted proceedings the total had moved on to 126/3.      On resumption of play, these two continued to pile on the runs, two huge sixes from Ferrary standing out.   Phillips fell nine runs short of his half century, but this brought no respite for the French bowlers as Hazell helped Ferrary put on a further 95 runs for the fifth wicket.   Hazell went for 57 in the final over whilst Ferrary remained undefeated on 77 in a final total of 275/5.   

France’s openers, Arun Ayyavooraju and Solomon Terry, gave their side a solid start with a partnership of 61, but once these two had been dismissed there was little resistance to follow as the side was bundled out for 147 in 37 overs.    Phillips (3/21) and Mirpuri (2/21) were Gibraltar’s most successful bowlers.

And so to the Final!

With Israel having defeated Belgium on the previous day, the final match of the tournament between them and Gibraltar turned out to be the virtual championship decider.    The teams travelled to Forfar with patches of blue skies in evidence for the first time but with a cold northerly wind still blowing.   Bacarese made it fifth time lucky by winning his first toss of the week and chose to bat first.   Bacarese himself went with the total on 22 and Harkins followed him 25 runs later.    However, as had been evident throughout the week, when two of Gibraltar’s front line batsmen failed there were always two or three others to take on the mantle.    In this case it was Phillips and Aswani who gradually turned the game their side’s way with a partnership of 128 and with twenty overs still remaining Gibraltar seemed headed for a total in excess of 300.    Aswani then ran himself out when on 69 and Phillips was caught soon afterwards for 65, and this inevitably slowed down the run rate.   A flurry of wickets towards the end saw the whole side out for 234 in the 49^th. over.

Israel lost their first wicket with the total on 10 and half the side were back in the pavilion with only 75 runs on the board.      Some strokes of defiance from the late order batsmen jangled some Gibraltar nerves but in the end the victory margin was a comfortable 42 runs as Israel were dismissed for 192.   Aswani, Phillips, Bacarese and Peliza took two wickets apiece.

At the end of the match skipper Bacarese was presented with the Championship Shield and players and officials with their gold medals.    It was indeed a proud moment!

                                                                                                                        -TJF