What can
I say? All of you guys deserved to be player of the tournament. After our dismal performance
against TCA on Saturday morning where we lost by40-odd runs... We turned it on - and
turned it around!
On Saturday evening under lights
we tried our hearts out with our fielding, bowling and batting. We stepped up a gear when required.
The bowling
from everyone was superb with Sunnie picking up 3/5 (all bowled), Charl and Salim all doing their jobs. The fielding was great
from everyone with Tom, Manish and MVP brilliant.
After restricting the CCC to 68 we had 69 to win. Keeping our heads in difficult conditions, the FCC
brought up the winning runs in the final over with just two wickets down
to earn a bonus point. All
batsmen Salim, Sunnie and
Vishwa supported DB as we ground out a calculated victory.
On Sunday it was all class. FCC HAD to beat KCCC to make it to the final against a rejuvenated TCA who had completed
Saturday with two comprehensive victories.
With tight
bowling and excellent fielding the FCC kept KCCC down to just 53 off their 12 overs. This was
despite dropping Jon and Andy. But with this frustration, we didn't give up... we persisted.
Requiring just 4.5 per over to win the FCC were
never in trouble with new opener Eddie (flying in for the
Sunday
game) cracking the KCCC boys all over the park to score 26 while DB and Sunnie finished them off in the 11th over to win by
nine wickets. One more bonus point!
FINAL...
a crushing victory
Playing back-to-back games
the boys were fired up and focused! DB won the toss and sent the TCA boys in to bat.
Once again it was Sunnie and Salim in tandem who opened the bowling, with the big
man Charl reserved to
bowl out the overs with Vishwa and
DB. It was a struggle for the TCA boys to get any continuity with the FCC bowling excellent line and length and taking
wickets at key intervals.
A combination
of great bowling and fielding made them question EVERY run with the FCC
effecting 2 run outs.
At the end of their 12 overs
the TCA had scored just 54 runs.
With the sun
shining and full of confidence, Eddie and DB went out and easily brought up the runs for no
loss in the 8th over. An emphatic victory!
It was a great come back from what the big man called "a wake up call" on Saturday
morning. Once again, with our backs to the wall we dug deep as a team and played as a team.
I was reminded of Al Pacino's "inch-by-inch"
motivational speech in the movie Any Given Sunday. We
do or die for the guy standing next to us, batting with us, bowling for us. We have this spirit running
through our veins.
What a team, what a club!!!!!!!!! The ensuing Braii was sweet the following Saturday!
