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GCC STROLL TO LEAGUE TITLE.

What promised to be a week-end of tension at the Europa Oval turned out to be something of an anti-climax as GCC swept aside the challenge of UKCCC on the Saturday, thereby making the result of the Sunday game largely irrelevant.    Sunday’s game itself was also something of a damp squid as Grammarians made short shrift of Calpe CC’s by now depleted ranks.

UKCCC batting collapse makes things easy for GCC.

UKCCC won the toss, opted to bat first and began brightly, thirty runs coming off the opening six overs.  Then, in the space of two overs, Rudi Phillips had Chris Watkins caught in the gully by Bob Brooks, and Steve Martin holed out to Andrew Chipolina off the bowling of Adrian Hewitt.   Will Gilbert and Roy Rodgers then put up some resistance, adding 33 runs for the third wicket, before Kieron Ferrary, with a smart stumping, accounted for the latter, and when Gilbert himself edged Brooks to Ferrary for 31, there followed little resistance from the middle and lower order.   At the end of the allotted forty overs, the total had crawled to a paltry 132/9.

The game was as well as over as a contest when Chipolina and Ferrary hit 75 runs off the opening twelve overs, most of these coming off the bat of the former, whose 54 off 40 balls included twelve fours.   At this stage Chipolina had to leave due to a family engagement, Christian Rocca taking his place.    He went cheaply with the total on 97, but Ferrary and Rudi Phillips then saw their side home with 20.3 overs to spare; Ferrary ended on 49 not out.  GCC took eighteen points from the game to UKCCC’s solitary bowling point.

All too easy for Grammarians.

Calpe CC won the toss on Sunday, chose to bat first and began slowly, only thirteen runs coming off the opening five overs.   In the sixth over, Kabir Mirpuri bowled Akhil Viz, but at the other end Ross Harkins was being very severe on any loose deliveries.   With the total on 51, Mirpuri held on to a good catch in the slips off the bowling of Neil Emerson to dispose of Vivek Sadhwani, and Calpe suffered a severe blow when Raj Kochhar trapped Steven Gonzalez leg before.   After that it became the Harkins show as he raced past his century, and his final contribution was 151 out of a total of 187/7!    For Grammarians, Charlie Harrison chipped in with three late wickets at a personal cost of 25.

Grammarians began their reply in express fashion 58 runs coming in the opening six overs before Gonzalez had Harrison caught behind.   This brought George Shacaluga to the crease and the assault on Calpe’s weak bowling attack continued unabated.    Mirpuri duly completed his century, his second in as many matches, before falling leg before to Robbie Skinner but by then only ten runs were required for victory.   Shacaluga duly completed his half century as Grammarians wrapped up the game in the 22^nd. over.   Grammarians CC took sixteen points from the game to clinch the runners-up spot, whilst Calpe CC’s four points moved them into third place above UKCCC.

And so another cricket season came to a close in Gibraltar with the continued development of many youngsters, under the eagle eye of Development Officer, David Young.   Perhaps the happiest memories come from the Under Nineteens’ magnificent performances at the European Championships ‘B’ Division in July.

The final facts and figures for the season will appear shortly as has been the case for some years now.