GCC open gap at top of the Senior League


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GCCbwn maintain unbeaten record to open up gap at the top of the Senior League.

GCCbwin had a comfortable win over Mediterranean CC at Europa on Saturday to open up a clear lead at the top of the Senior League table, Kieron Ferrary scoring his third century in four matches for them. At the Victoria Stadium, Calpe CC triumphed over Combined Colleges to leap frog them into second place.

No stopping Ferrary!

GCC occupied the crease first at Europa and lost the early wicket of Rudi Phillips after which Ian Farrell and Steven Gonzalez put on 48 runs for the second wicket, maintaining a run rate of six an over. The latter went with the total on 75 which paved the way for Ferrary to come to the crease. He and Farrell continued to pay scant respect to the Mediterranean bowling as a further 87 runs accrued, both batsmen reaching their half centuries in the process. Farrell [74] duly departed with the total on 162 and Christian Rocca for once did not stay long at the crease. Chris Allan did, helping Ferrary pile on a further 76 runs before Ferrary’s long vigil at the crease finally came to an end, bowled by Shaun Ainsworth for 106. By then the GCCbwin total had passed the 250 mark and the side eventually ended on 285/7. For Mediterranean CC there were two wickets apiece for Ross Harkins, newcomer Norman, and Ainsworth.

Mediterranean CC suffered a mortal blow when they lost their skipper and top batsman, Chris Watkins, with only three runs on the board, and worse was to follow as Vikram Khatwani was bowled by Gonzalez with the total on 20. Sam Russell and Ross Harkins offered some resistance with a fourth wicket stand of 47, but by then their side was well behind the required run rate and the side was eventually dismissed for 148 to give GCCbwin victory by the massive margin of 137 runs. Paul Grant, Charlie Harrison and Adam Orfila tookj two wickets each for GCCbwin GCCbwin took 21 points from the game to Mediterranean’s three.

Calpe CC get home with 3.2 overs to spare.

The contest at the Victoria Stadium turned out to be a much closer affair. Combined Colleges won the toss, opted to bat first, and were given a slow but steady start by Mark Ward and Kevin Nolan, who put on 72 runs before being parted. Calpe CC were partly to blame for this as Karan Sadhwani dropped Ward when the batsman was on nine and Nolan survived a sharp chance behind the stumps. Chris Phillips broke through in the 17th. over, Karan Sadhwani making amends for his earlier miss by holding on to a catch to account for Nolan [29], but at the twenty overs stage the batting side’s total stood at a healthy 108/1. The mid-innings drinks break brought instant success for Calpe as Iain Latin had the dangerous Cliff Knezovich caught at backward point by Karan Aswani and the same bowler accounted for Ward who had just passed his half century. When Vivek Sadhwani accounted for Jason Wild and Latin enjoyed a third success to dismiss Nushan Alwis, the Combined Colleges innings some in some disarray with the total on 153/5, but Chris Harris and Mick Berger came to their rescue with a sixth wicket partnership of 52 runs. Berger was then bowled by Aswani, and Karan Sadhwani took a brilliant catch to get rid of Ashan Alwis. At the end of the allotted forty overs, the total stood on 216/7 with Harris undefeated on 33. For Calpe, Latin took 3/49 and Phillips 2/39.

Facing a run rate of just below five and a half runs an over, Mark Bacarese and Scott Chipolina took up where they had left off last week, defying all efforts to dislodge them, and at the twenty overs stage they had put on 96 runs with both batsmen approaching their half centuries. Bacarese was the first to achieve this as the partnership blossomed. Chipolina had just reached his half century when Bacarese holed out to mid wicket with his personal score on 86, and there were some nervous moments in the Calpe camp as the asking rate rose above six an over and both Chipolina (62) and Aswani were run out in rapid succession. However, Kabir Mirpuri and Iain Latin duly saw them home with twenty balls to spare. Calpe took sixteen points from the game to Combined Colleges’ four.