CricSim Herald: Avo Lovers Cup Round 1

by Lloyd Townsend


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Knights vs Kings

Knights debutant Matthew Mitchell burst onto the ALC scene with two memorable overs that procured four wickets, in doing so squashing any hope victory for the Kings in what was always going to be an uphill battle. The Knights were eventually victorious by six wickets.

The big English fast bowler collected match figures of 7/96 along with his maiden second class five wicket haul, but it was not all easy - despite Chad Dyer's 5/76 forcing a low first innings total of 211 (Jey Shiva 55, JP Anraad 67*), the Kings fought hard in their second innings in reply to the Knights' 343 (Chris Kovas 49*, Jake Steele 48).

Kings batsmen Thad Bochat (107) and Adam Gloury (84) provided a 178-run stand to stabilise the innings after two early breakthroughs from Dyer and a disastrous run out that saw BMT Con heading back to the pavilion without facing a ball. ALC debutant Zinzan Brumby's accurate fast bowling was a huge positive for the Knights - initially extremely economical, he managed to pick up the two vital partnership wickets that made inroads for the irresistible Mitchell to steamroll his way through the fragile Kings tail, setting up a simple run chase of 143 for the Knights batsmen.

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Test Eagles vs Somestars

Jake Howe was simply unstoppable in the season-opening clash between the Test Eagles and the Allstars. Fresh out of a highly successful offseason in first class cricket, Howe was moved down into the lower leagues because of reasons relating to the Ravens pitch and proceeded to single-handedly obliterate his opposition.

A first ball wicket is about as ominous a sign as one can give - Howe did just that with a jaw-dropping in-dipper to Noah Smith, trapping the Eagles batsman plumb in front of his middle stump. Pretzel Spark managed to resist the onslaught with assistance from Crabs teammate Hal Teja, with the two batsmen adding an 80* and 59 respectively, but Howe's use of the old ball will go down as legend - his ability utilise reverse-swing was emphatically rewarded as he flattened the Somestars tail. ALC debutant Ryu Yamadera (1/33) plucked the last wicket from Howe's fingers, but the budding Allstars spearhead finished with staggering figures of 7/83.

In reply to the Eagles' 241, most of the 'Stars chipped in, in particular Samuel Vimes, who made a slow but impressive 95 before succumbing to the pressure of his approaching milestone. Jason Denton took four wickets, but the Somestars compiled a total of 389.

The Eagles were collectively better in the second innings, but Howe's talent and experience were once again far too much to handle. He took 5/78 this time around, with exciting prospect Yamadera taking 4/67 with his clinical line and length bowling. CC Classified was impressive, making 82 runs before going out to the bowling of Howe.

The Somestars chased a small total of 120 without much trouble - Classified took two wickets to round off a stellar all-round individual performance, but in the end it was a breezy 8 wicket victory.

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Fangs vs Cobras

The much-hyped Fangs looked a class outfit in their season-opening clash with the Cobras, with renowned talent Bruce Force hammering the bowling into oblivion on the back of an impressive first-innings five wicket haul to Ether Starris.

The relatively unknown spinner is a quiet presence in the world of CricSim, but his 5/69 was the primary reason the Cobras were bundled out for a measly total of 163. Lee Sweetman scored a vigilant 55 at the top of the order before being run out, with ER Witters the only other batsman to look comfortable in the middle, finishing unbeaten on 25.

The Fangs lost their second wicket on 116 runs after Carlton Ochinocho scored a dashing half-century, but if his innings was dashing, then Bruce Force's was a show-stopping sprint. He blazed away to 142 in no time, with Clayton Evans the ideal anchor at the other end. Force hit 13 fours and 4 sixes in his innings of 189 balls, whereas Evans went almost unnoticed at the other end during his 83.

Lloyd Townsend strode to the wicket confidently with the score sitting at 301, but he was unable to continue the destruction, to the disdain of the crowd. Uncontracted all-rounder Bob Borisc did continue it though, scoring an unbeaten 87 off 120 balls to see the Fangs amass 532 - Starris was again useful with his lower order contribution of 58.

The Cobras were again exposed by spin in their second innings, despite Sweetman's splendid 83 which earned him a standing ovation from the crowd - he scored nearly half of his team's runs in an impossible task, the Cobras wilting again, bowled out for 189. Borisc's star shone brightly again, taking 5/76.

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Brumbies vs Kittens

The Kittens toyed with their prey before killing them, cruising to an eight wicket victory.

Zac MacDonald regained his form after a relatively unsuccessful stint in first class cricket - his pestering medium-pace bowling netting five wickets in the first innings. The Brumbies did not struggle to score runs, but some lax batting saw five batsmen throw away starts.

The Kittens only just managed to outscore the Brumbies in the first innings, with 268 runs in reply to 246. Blake Quilty was influential at the top of the order with his 72 and DA Astele also scored a fluent half century.

The Kittens lost their last five wickets for 21 runs in a lower order collapse, but the Brumbies failed to take advantage of their chances, scoring an dismal 162 in their second innings. Nigel Hunt was superb, scoring an unbeaten 66, but his side collapsed around him.

Oz and Kaye took three wickets each and Astele was again influential, taking two wickets - his match figures of 5/95 and 50 showcasing his all-round talent.

Quilty's second innings 66 helped the Kittens breeze through the paltry run chase of 141.