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GCC MAINTAIN UNBEATEN RECORD.

GCC maintained their unbeaten record and top place in the Caleta Hotel League as a result of a closely fought victory over Grammarians CC at the Victoria Stadium on Saturday.   At Europa on the same day, Calpe CC gained a resounding nine wicket victory over PGCC to move off the bottom of the table.   Outstanding features of the week-end’s action were a match-winning fourth wicket stand for GCC by Rudi Phillips and Adrian Hewitt, a fine century from Steven Gonzalez of Calpe CC and a five wicket haul by Akhil Viz of the same club.

Fine contest at the Stadium.

The match at the Victoria Stadium turned out to be a fine contest with the final outcome in doubt until the very end.    Grammarians won the toss, inserted their opponents and achieved a major breakthrough when Christian Rocca (21) was well caught by Sebastian Suarez at backward point off the bowling of Kayne Peliza with the total on 31.  Andrew Chipolina then joined Kieron Ferrary and these two pushed the score along to 67 before they both departed in rapid succession, both victims of Nicky Gordon, and at 78/3 and twenty one of the forty overs gone, GCC were struggling.   All that changed in the next hour or so as Phillips and Hewitt set about the bowling in no uncertain manner, adding 101 runs before Mohammed Usman rattled Hewitt’s stumps when the batsman was just nine runs short of his half century.   Phillips had already reached his half century when Usman struck again getting him caught behind and in a dramatic collapse GCC then lost a further four wickets for the addition of only six runs.   Usman picked up a couple more wickets to end with figures of 4/27 as GCC ended on 187/9 off their allotted overs.

Grammarians CC lost the wicket of Vikram Khatwani with only 13 runs on the board, after which Mark Bacarese and Mohammed Usman put on 71 runs for the second wicket.     When Bacarese was caught by Chipolina off the bowling of Paul Grant for 23, and Mark Garratt  accounted for Usman (34) and Richard Buzaglo (3), GCC were suddenly facing defeat in the face, but George Shacaluga then struck some lusty blows and he was ably supported by Kabir Mirpuri as 53 runs accrued for the fifth wicket.   With six overs remaining and Grammarians requiring just 27 runs for victory, the return of Chris Allan to the attack brought yet another dramatic turn to the game.   He finally accounted for Shacaluga for 45, and picked up a further two wickets as Grammarians ended on 175/9, thirteen runs short of their target.    Allan returned figures of 4/28.    GCC thus maintained their unbeaten record in all competitions so far this season and went home with sixteen points to Grammarians’ six.

Viz and Gonzalez dominant.

PGCC batted first at Europa and lost two wickets with 41 runs on the board in the opening eight overs of their innings, before Hetal Shah and Manish Grover came to their rescue with a third wicket stand of 77.   The entry of Akhil Viz into the Calpe attack then proved decisive as he first of all bowled Grover for 30 then dismissed Subramanian for a duck, and followed this up by bowling Shah for 65.   When he followed this up with two further wickets, the PGCCC innings was tottering on 137/7, and only an undefeated 52 from Aldrin D’Silva enabled his side to reach a total of 188/9 at the end of the allotted forty overs.   Viz finished with figures of 5/31 off his eight overs.

Gonzalez and Paul Buttigieg started off as if they were in a hurry to go home, putting on 92 runs in the opening ten overs before the latter was caught for 35.   Chris Phillips then joined Gonzalez and the assault on the bowling continued, Gonzalez reaching his century with only five runs needed for victory.   He then fell, leg before to Phil Langley, but Phillips remained undefeated on 24 as PGCC’s total was passed in the 24^th. over.    It is as well to draw a evil over PGCC’s bowling figures!    Calpe took eighteen points from the game to PGCC’s three.

Next Week.

With Gibraltar’s under fifteens away in Rome, there is only one Caleta Hotel League match scheduled for next Saturday, Grammarians CC and Calpe CC doing battle at Europa.    The game commences at 11.30am.

-TJF