ZCCC win Gingins U15 Indoor Tournament (25th November)

The 2019 U15 Gingins tournament took place on 23/24 November and was won by Zurich Crickets. A strong team performance saw Vadim awarded best bowler for figures of 12-2-37-7 while Shankar was very close to winning the best batsman award with 115 runs avg 57.5, and Sasha (as keeper) was very close to the fielding award. Congratulations to the team and their coaches!          For full report click on this link

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ZCCC U11s unstoppable at Gingins Indoor Tournament! (12th November)

Gingins Indoor 2019 is the first indoor tournament of the cricketing season hosted by Gingins at College Madame de Staël Geneva. Four teams competed for the cup and three ZCCC players were playing for the first time in an indoor tournament. After the great performance in Romande Cup the team gave yet another complete package performance in the Gingins tournament. There were important contributions from every player including the debutants. Congratulations to all the team, and coach!

For the full match report click on this link

The scorecards are available at  https://www.crichq.com/competitions/9761/draws/45480/rounds

For further information click on this Cricket Switzerland link

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Zurich Crickets win U11 Romande Cup (28th September) 

Zurich Crickets CC beat Ecolint (La Chât) by 3 wickets in the final of the U11 Romande Cup held at La Chât on Saturday 28th September to win the last outdoor U11 match of the 2019 calendar season. 

Click on this link for the full report

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ZCCC U15s win the 2019 Romande Cup (13th October)
A beautiful autumn day saw the concluding day of outdoor cricket for 2019 at Bout-du-Monde for the U15 Romande Cup. A ZCCC-dominated U15 team lifted the trophy after emerging victorious in a thrilling final that went to the last ball!
Click on this link for the Cricket Switzerland report

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ZCCC U13 win the 2019 Romande Cup (5th October)

The event is the last opportunity for outdoor cricket in 2019. With four teams (Basel Dragons/GRYCC, Cossonay/Gingins, La Chat, Zurich Crickets) the format of the event was two regional semi-finals followed by a 3rd/4th play off and then a final. All matches were 16 overs, aside from the final which was 18.

Click on this link for the Cricket Switzerland report

Click on this link for coach's report

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Zurich Crickets CC 1st XI storm into the final! (29th September)

Winning the toss and opting to bat on a drying and slow outfield meant running hard and few boundaries. In the ZCCC innings six 4s and seven 6s were hit, just one 6 more than Geneva CC. Openers Baljit (18) and Noorkhan (26) put together a fine 50 before three wickets suddenly fell in quick succession with only 3 more runs on the board. Westy (39) and Nic (30) rebuilt, crafting 82 runs together. When they departed, it was left to Khawar and the bowlers to do as much damage as possible in the final 5 overs. 43 runs were hammered, beginning with Khawar’s huge 6 off the first ball he faced. His quick-fire 14 was followed by Wafadar’s 10 off five balls, including another wonderfully struck 6. But the biggest 6 of the day was struck sublimely by Latif way into the athletics stadium. The team knew 179 was a defendable total on the Deutweg ground.

Lavan dismissed opener Ali first ball caught behind, and in Lavan’s second over captain Anser followed in the same fashion. In the fifth over a mix-up led to a perfectly executed run-out between Noorkhan and Nic. Zurich Crickets had the momentum and Geneva needed to build a partnership. Vikram and Ashwin carefully accumulated 54 before a lightening run-out between Noorkhan and Nic removed Ashwin. Vikram followed an over later with the score still on 61 having skied a ball off Noorkhan (8-2-26-1) into the welcoming hands of the light-footed Baljit. With the danger men out wickets fell regularly, one to a very sharp and low slip catch by Westy off Lavan, who finished on an outstanding 8-2-16-3. Then Wafadar’s consistent line and length was rewarded with a regulation catch to Lavan. Wafadar then produced a second catch taken by the safe hands of Latif when Ashfaq tried to thump one to the boundary. Wafadar finished with superb figures of 8-2-29-2. Ruan was next in the mix with a wicket when Surya at square leg hung on to a catch much to the delight of his jubilant team mates. It was left to Nawroz to wrap up the proceedings. He clean-bowled Masood to finish on 1.2-0-1-1! Geneva CC were all out for 133, Zurich Crickets CC had won by 46 and booked their place in the final on Sunday 6th October in Cossonay. It had been a truly great team effort with the whole squad contributing to the win. 

Please see 'gallery' for photos of the match

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 Zurich Crickets defeat Berne CC by 61 runs in quarter-final! (22nd September)

Zurich Crickets put together a superb 269 to crush any hopes of Berne CC preventing them from reaching the semi-finals. Baljit struck an awesome 107, ably supported by Ruan’s wonderfully well-timed strokes and key contribution of 38 in a 2nd wicket stand of 69, before Westy joined him in a huge winning partnership of 145. Patience and good sense, and with ones and twos aplenty into the gaps these two batsmen ran the opposition ragged. The run-rate rose, heads dropped, while any room afforded to the batsmen gave opportunity to find the boundary. Westy’s wonderfully crafted 54 came to an end just 8 runs after Baljit succumbed. With 232 for 4 on the board and just 6 overs remaining the rest of the team pushed to surpass the 260 mark. Oli’s quick-fire 18 with a fine flurry of 4s in the closing overs was a fitting finish to our innings – and his ten years with Zurich Crickets.

A brilliant running catch by Nawroz off the ever reliable Lavan (8-0-44-3) created the perfect start for ZCCC in defence of their 269. Zurich Crickets continued to blunt Berne’s attack by regularly dismissing batsmen to allow no one batsman to really settle (Wafadar 8-0-48-2, Noorkhan 8-0-52-2, Ruan 5.2-0-21-1, and one each to Dayn and Attaullah). The team worked hard in the field for the wickets, with all ten shared among the 6 bowlers. Despite several partnerships, none lasted long enough to really threaten a ZCCC win and in the 36th over Ruan upended the stumps for a 61-run win. The ZCCC players were jubilant.

The semi-final vs Geneva CC will take place on Sunday 29th at Deutweg.

80-run win over Aargau CC (24th August)

With the luck of the toss enabling us to bat first ZCCC got off to a perfect start with Baljit (35) only caught behind in the 14th over after a measured partnership of 84 with Noorkhan. The next ten overs with Ruan produced another 86 until the aggressive and innovative Noorkhan (95) was caught agonisingly short of his first century of the season. Westy (16) and Ruan piled on the pressure and 47 runs in just 6 overs, but hay was made in the final ten overs with Nic and Ruan putting together 78 more runs until Ruan (90) departed after a superbly confident innings and an array of shots around the ground. It was left to Nic (42*) and Lavan (6*) to club another 25 off the last two overs. The team had posted a massive 323 for 4, a new record for the club!

It was the turn of the bowlers and with Wafadar taking two in his first two overs, one a great take by Oli at gully, and Lavan another in his first over Aargau were wobbling precariously on 7-3 after 2.2 overs! The opposition, attempting to post runs quickly and stay in the game, inevitably gave us a flurry of catching opportunities. However, they were disappointingly not taken and we allowed Aargau to put together almost 200 runs! The onslaught was stopped by Noorkhan and Wafadar clean bowling the two hardest hitting batsmen, Ruan taking a catch off the skillfully consistent Wafadar (6-0-34-4) and Lavan one off Dayn. Attaullah’s spell (5.5-0-27-2) spilling catches to Noorkhan and Westy put an end to any further thoughts of resistance, while Man of the Match Ruan fittingly upended the stumps in the 37th over to take the final wicket and finish the match. ZCCC had won by 80 runs. 

ZCCC defeat Nomads CC by 4 wickets (11th August)

Losing the toss and put into the field, ZCCC could not have started better. Fall of wicket: 0-1, and 2-2. The two openers went to catches off the economic Lavan (8-2-19-2) who showed exceptional control: a sharp one to Simon and one to the long-reaching Oli. The third followed to the first of an outstanding Five-For spell by Noorkhan (8-1-38-5) who produced catches for the young rookie Aaditya, Wafadar, keeper Nic, Latif and a second for Oli. Both bowlers were perfectly supported by the equally tight and disciplined spells of Wafadar (6-2-21-0), Ruan (4-0-15-1) whose catch went to Attaullah, and Attaullah himself who continues to produce valuable wickets (2.2-0-11-2) with 2 catches to Man of the Match Noorkhan. Nomads were all out in the 29th over for 107. ZCCC had manoeuvred themselves into the perfect position.

 

As so often in the 40-over league the key was going to be the team’s ability to build partnerships. Unfortunately, our openers departed all too quickly with the score on 8 runs. However, Baljit (40) rebuilt with Nic, putting together 49 priceless runs, before a sharp catch undid Baljit’s fine flowing contribution. Another gritty 30 was added in the next 15 overs with Lavan and Ruan before the indomitable Nic (30) lost his wicket chasing a horrendously wide delivery with the score on 92. It was left to Oli and Wafadar to finish the job. Calm and determined, with level-headed cricket shots and balls to spare, the game was deservedly won by Zurich Crickets much to the delight of this young squad, and their coaches.

ZCCC move to 3rd in the table with two games in hand.

Essential win takes Zurich Crickets a step further (3rd August)

A comfortable win over Zug CC was vital to ZCCC’s 40-over campaign to make the quarter-finals in September.

Winning the toss and opting to bat the Crickets began confidently and untroubled until a disappointing run-out removed Noorkhan with the score on 29. Simon (29) and Nic added 34 before Simon edged behind just as we were gaining momentum. However, Lavan (23) kept the scoreboard moving to 108 with Nic before he was given out LBW. Five overs later Oli and Ruan lost their wickets in quick succession. ZCCC at 139 for 5 needed the tail to wag. It did, and with Khawar (11) and Nic putting together 48, and then Wafadar (17) and Nic another quick 31 in the final 3 overs, the team was confident that 218 for 6 could be defended. A well-crafted 81* from Nic had allowed the other batsmen to all play their roles.

Despite Zug’s first wicket stand of 42, Wafadar once again came up trumps when their opener was caught off a skier by Nic. The run chase stalled and only got going again once four wickets had fallen: a fine run out with Noorkhan and Nic combining, while Attaullah produced two wickets: both caught - a screamer in the slips by Oli and another regulation catch to the keeper. The score was on 62. Then a 58-run partnership and the momentum was moving back towards Zug until a top Noorkhan delivery generated another edge to keeper Nic. After that it was a case of squeezing for the final wickets. Some tighter bowling ensued and Wafadar obliged with a direct hit run-out while Ruan bowled superbly for his two wickets - one clean bowled and the other a simple catch into the safe hands of Latif. A sigh of relief and a 65-run win!

My first umpiring experience by Ryan Bosshard (aged 14) 

Ryan Bosshard is one of Switzerland's youngest qualified umpires, having passed his sFOCUS Introduction to Umpiring in June 2019 with top marks. He umpired his first game at the Swiss Junior Cricket Festival in Zuoz less than a month later.

Click on this link for the full article

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ZCCC returns to winning ways beating Zurich Lions by 72 runs (20th July)

Electing to bat first, openers Baljit and Noorkhan put together 43 in 7 overs before Noorkhan (15) was caught in the slips. Tight bowling restricted ZCCC batsmen to 5 an over and despite looking comfortable at the crease, Lions took their chances with Baljit (29) and Ruan (21) departing to catches. Continuing with a patient and calm approach, Lavan (27) and Nic’s (61) useful 55-run partnership took the score to 143 while Dayn’s (10) good start and some helpful runs from Surya and Nawroz pushed us to a competitive 194 for 7.

In the sweltering heat our bowlers from the start went about their business confidently with Wafadar dismissing Lions batsmen two and three in the second over with catches going to Lavan and keeper Nic. Any ideas of a recovery were emphatically put to rest when Ruan’s 3-over spell produced three wickets! At 54 for 5 the Lions were reeling, while ZCCC were jubilant over Dayn’s one-handed reflex slip catch, a sure contender for Catch-of-the-Season.

25 runs later, after 20 overs, it was time for a much needed drinks break. Bringing Wafadar back on yielded the key Lions wicket with his second ball of the over - clean bowled! It was time for Dayn’s spell, which almost immediately brought results. Bowling in tandem with Wafadar, and despite some hitting out, Dayn’s 3.1 overs were rewarded with three wickets, with catches going to Ruan and Nic. Meanwhile, Wafadar extended his haul to four wickets with Lavan snapping up another catch. Wafadar finished with superb figures of 8-0-27-4. Zurich Lions were all out for 123 in the 28th over. It had been a tremendous performance and effort all round against a side that bowled and fielded well and battled hard.

ZCCC is growing in maturity this season and reaping the rewards. Next week they have the chance to prove themselves again against Swiss United.

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ZCCC let Power Winterthur off the hook (17th August)

Zurich Crickets’ Lavan, as so often this season, took a key wicket in the first over, clean bowled. However, Power then proceeded to knock balls about with little regard for their wickets, and we, uncharacteristically, dropped catches. The score raced to 70 after eight overs but when Noorkhan removed both batsmen to catches (Attaullah and Nic), we had the opposition back on the hook and wickets fell at regular intervals, to Ruan, Noorkhan and Dayn (caught by Latif). And then there was another extraordinary 2.5 overs by Attaullah. In his 17-ball spell he removed 4 batsmen for 5 runs (two catches to Nic, one to Baljit and one to Dayn). He was well and truly on fire and Power Winterthur were all out for 166 after just 27.5 overs.

Confident that this was a total we could chase down we were, however, soon coming undone and after three overs at 9-2 we urgently needed to carefully rebuild. Noorkhan provided the safety net with his wonderful 64, but at 96-5 we were struggling. Lavan (23) and Khawar (18) then patiently accumulated and hopes were raised but when they departed, we collapsed and finished all out on a disappointing 147, nineteen runs short.

 

With too many of our batsmen unable to play their usual game we had let Power off the hook once again and had missed a chance that was clearly there for the taking. Nevertheless, every cloud has a silver lining and Zurich Crickets, still with one match in hand, qualified over the weekend for the league quarter-finals after other match results went our way. Congratulations to the whole squad on this achievement in our first 40-over league season!

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Zurich Crickets so close to major upset of champions St. Gallen CC (29th June)

Winning the toss and electing to field proved a wise move. Within three overs Lavan had claimed both openers, one to a caught behind and the other cleaned bowled. Wickets continued to tumble with Wafadar’s spectacular reaction catch to add another wicket to Lavan's haul (4-1-19-3), a fine boundary catch by Simon off Noorkhan, then two more quick wickets – a run-out by Attaullah and another cathc by Simon off Nawroz’ bowling – and St. Gallen were reeling on 87 for 6! Then came the resistance that was broken when Wafadar’s economical bowling (4-0-27-1) produced a catch for Baljit, and Noorkhan’s spell (4-0-30-2) finished with a second catch to Wafadar. The final two wickets were wonderfully effected run-outs by Nic and then Nawroz and Wafadar combining well during a controlled spell by Ruan in the closing overs. ZCCC had dismissed St. Gallen for 154.

Good rotation of the strike and regular boundaries took openers Baljit (18) and Noorkhan to 62. Ruan and Noorkhan then added 42 before Noorkhan was bowled after an excellent 53. With the run rate rising steadily Simon hit a quick 14 before holing out going for the maximum. A six was needed but two more wickets fell and we finished on 149 for 6. Disappointment all round, but we can be proud of how far we have already come this season, build on that and look to perform even better in the 40-over cup.

Zuoz International Cricket Festival (22nd & 23rd June)

Zurich Crickets CC reached the final of the 2019 International Cricket Festival in Zuoz losing to Nomads CC.

Cold and wet weather on the Saturday meant that on Sunday 2 rounds of 4 ten-over simultaneous matches were played in fine weather. The final round was extended to 15-over matches.

ZCCC won against Milan CC in the first round with some strong bowling performances by Nawroz (2-6-3) and Noorkhan (2-3-1) after difficult conditions limited our batting to 71 for 7. In the end we scraped through, winning by 3 runs.

Noorkhan’s 75 not out against Winterthur was undoubtedly a highlight of the tournament and ZCCC posted a mighty 105 for one in ten overs. In reply, Winterthur started strongly but wickets then tumbled quickly as the pressure began to tell. Dayn’s two top-order wickets stopped the attack and Noorkhan’s 2 for 16 and Nawroz’s 2-12 ensured there was no recovery. ZCCC won by 14 runs.

In the final ZCCC bowled economically and restricted Nomads to 115 for 6 (Dayn 3-27-1, Lavan 3-27-1, 3-24-1). Noorkhan’s 3-6-3 was again outstanding. Unfortunately, our top order failed to fire and after Noorkhan (24) and Nic (19) departed we limped all too slowly to a disappointing 93 for 9.

Congratulations to the whole team for a successful weekend’s cricket and our first Zuoz tournament.

Table

1. Zurich Nomads                 2. Zurich Crickets                      3. Geneva CC                     4. Winterthur CC

5. Milan CC                             6. German CC                            7. Idle CC                            8. Lyceum Alpinum

Swiss Junior Cricket Festival Report (15th -16th June)

The middle weekend of June once again saw the Zuoz Junior Festival of cricket, hosted by the Lyceum Alpinum.

Recent storms unfortunately meant one of the pitches was out of use due to waterlogging, meaning the U11s had to contend with a temporary pitch.

 

Click on this link for the full report

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The Crickets overpower Swiss United by 8 wickets in T20 league (15th June)

Swiss United opted to bat and with a maiden over by Dayn first up the pressure was already on. Wafadar (3-20-3) took a wicket in each of his three overs with Dayn (3-10-0) piling on the pressure from the other end. Then came Lavan, whose four overs produced another 3 wickets for just 5 runs! Jakirshan (2-4-1) and Nawroz (1.2-9-2) mopped up and Swiss United were understandably disconsolate at 71 all out. With no dropped catches (Dayn 2, Nic 3, Noorkhan 1 and Lavan 1) a top fielding display capped what had been an exemplary bowling spectacle.

Noorkhan and Lavan opened the proceedings with the bat for ZCCC. Sticking to the plan, with hard running of singles and the occasional poor ball dispatched to the boundary, the first wicket with the score on 36 brought Nic to the crease. Noorkhan’s lively 37 before a direct hit run out had done the damage and it was left to Nic (17*) and Jakirshan (1*) to get over the line. A fine boundary after some patient waiting and ZCCC had posted another win, this time by 8 wickets in the 14th over.

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Last ball T20 win for ZCCC against Zurich Lions! (8th June)

Electing to bat the Lions were allowed to put 173 for 7 on the scoreboard through a combination of wayward bowling and an uncharacteristic epidemic of dropped catches. The tide was stemmed by Ruan’s excellent overs (4-21-1) and two tight overs by Jakirshan at the finish, but not before an alarming 39 extras had been recorded by the scorers.

In reply openers Ruan (21) and Simon (7) began briskly, keeping pace with the required run rate. Two quick wickets then brought Noorkhan and Westy to the crease, who put together 69 runs to take us to 113 at the end of the 15th over. Noorkhan’s destructive 55 and Westy’s assured and calm rotating of the strike had kept us in the game. With 61 required off the final five overs Nic and Westy went about their business in clinical fashion, scoring off almost every ball, running hard for twos and adding boundaries off poor balls. When Nic (28) fell in the final over, Lavan’s vital, level-headed single meant two off the last ball were needed. Fittingly, Westy (41*) did exactly that. We had redeemed ourselves with the bat and secured a crucial win.

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Power Winterthur CC lose to ZCCC by 9 wickets (31st May)

A mature performance saw ZCCC cruise to victory in a 40-over friendly at Deutweg. Winning the toss Power Winterthur elected to bat. Wickets tumbled as ZCCC gave little room for the batsmen to manoeuvre and tight fielding brought three run outs. Uncharacteristically, several regulation catches went down otherwise the 160 all out in the 31st over might have been even lower. Wafadar again was superbly economical (8-2-16-1), Dayn returned 8-0-43-3, Noorkhan clean bowled two and Westy took the final one. Our openers stuck to their plan, running hard, playing groundshots and giving nothing away. Noorkhan struck a destructive 45, Westy crafted a fine 50* while Simon finished on 44* in the 21st over.

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Luxembourg U13s tournament report (18-19 May 2019)

In preparation for the upcoming tours to England, a team from the Swiss U13 squad was invited to Luxembourg to play a series of matches. Saturday would see two T20s and a 35-over match on the Sunday. As the first opportunity for competitive cricket for the Swiss players, it would be a vital warm up. Switzerland U13s won all three matches!

Click on this link for the full report

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ZCCC begin their 40-over league campaign with a win over Winterthur CC! (26th May)

Having been put into bat ZCCC struggled to 99 all out with only one partnership of 55 (Simon 30, Nic 19). Things did not look good.

However, if we had to lose, the team was determined it would not be without a fight and in style. The reply was not long in coming with WCC struggling to make runs against the excellent Dayn and Wafadar. The pressure began to tell and wickets then fell every two or three overs - Dayn 2, Ruan 3, Noorkhan 3, Lavan 2. The fielding was superb with energy and noise levels maintained throughout the 20.4 overs when WCC lost their final wicket on 81 runs. In the meantime 3 catches had gone to keeper Nic, 2 to Wafadar, and one each to Lavan, Simon and Ezatyar. The fight back had been complete and done in style with the whole team contributing! 

Please see Gallery for some photos

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Zurich Crickets CC defeat Aargau CC by 9 wickets in third T20 at Deutweg (18th May)

Right from the start ZCCC took control of this match with tight opening spells by Dayn P and Wafadar W, who took consecutive wickets in the second over with a fine catch by Dayn and one by keeper Nic H. At the first change Ruan K’s two overs produced two further wickets for just 8 runs, one of them a sharp catch by Aryan L in the covers. Aarau were then reeling on 42 for 5 after a superbly executed diving run out by Dayn P. A slight recovery took Aargau to 60 after 10 overs but with spells by Lavan S and Attaullah A runs dried up and the pressure began to tell when two more wickets fell, deservedly one each to the bowlers with another catch to Dayn and a stunningly athletic full-stretch leap by Noorkhan to dismiss Bharti (11), who top-scored for the visitors. After that with the scoreboard still only on 70-7, Dayn P returned to the attack to finish his spell with a wicket to return figures of 4-11-1. Wafadar cleaned bowled a tailender to claim his third wicket, while Noorkhan wrapped up Aargau’s innings when Ruan took a regulation catch at square leg. Aargau finished on 79. With no catches dropped, tight fielding and perfect bowling changes, one can only try to forget among so many positives that we conceded 27 wides, a third of Aargau’s total - definitely room for improvement!

After the break ZCCC got off to a brisk start with Ruan K and Simon H looking to take advantage of the powerplay. Losing Ruan in the third over brought Noorkhan to the crease, and together with Simon their aggressive approach to hit anything loose maintained a run rate of around 10 an over. They successfully chased down the score in the 9th over sharing 11 boundaries between them (Simon 43*, Noorkhan 27*).

Swiss U11 & U13 training weekend (27th & 28th April) 

Swiss U11 and U13 squad members gathered for a training weekend in Basel before their various tours and tournaments over the summer. This was one of the few opportunities for the national squads to come together before their tours and the players worked hard. On Saturday night a dinner was held at the Hotel Stücki where the players were awarded Cricket Switzerland hoodies.  Click on this link for the full report

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The Basel Under 15 Indoor Tournament (6th-7th April)

The tournament consisted of 5 teams, hosts Basel Dragons, Geneva Regional Youth Cricket Club (GRYCC), La Chat/Zurich combined, Swiss U13 and Zurich Sapphires (Ladies team) who competed over 2 days for the prestigious trophy in a new double elimination format that created the excitement of a knockout whilst giving all teams a “2nd chance”.

Click on this link for the full report

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Zurich Crickets CC vs Power Winterthur CC (22nd April)

Some impressions by Keeran of the 25-over friendly match day during the Hampshire camp. Power Winterthur 228 for 8 won against Zurich Crickets 162 for 8.

Basel Under 13 indoor tournament (30/31 March)

Hosted at Bäumlihof (Saturday) and Pfaffenholz (both days), teams from Gingins, Lâ Chat, Luxembourg, Swiss U11s, Zurich and a combined Basel/Cossonay side competed for the trophy. The format was a 9- or 10-a-side, 20 overs pool competition. Zurich were joined by two players from GRYCC. Zurich were drawn into a tough pool with the finalists from the Gingins U13 tournament, Lâ Chat and Luxembourg.

Click on this link for the full report

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On Saturday 30th & Sunday 31st March 2019, Basel hosted the U13 Basel indoor tournament, where six teams from Switzerland &  from Luxembourg competed for the prestigious trophy.

Click on this link for the full report

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Colts outdoors again for second 30-over match at Deutweg (30th March)

Two well-matched teams fought out a closely contested game in warm sunshine at the Winterthur ground. An excellent 47 by Ruan, with a patient first 50* by Dayn, who was forced to re-build after Surya helped take three quick wickets, set up the batting team before some hard-hitting by Nawroz and Noorkhan  pushed the score to 217. In reply, despite losing early wickets, there were some fine moments with the bat by Surya, Latif and Attaullah, before Lavan's 56* and Nic (35) took the score to 212. However, the batting team, having lost 9 wickets, fell at the final hurdle with overs to spare to some very fine bowling by Ruan.

Colts 30-over match at Deutweg showcases a number of fine performances (23rd March)

It was our first cricket of the year outdoors at Deutweg. Cloudless, very blue sunny skies accompanied us the whole day, and there were a number of highlights. Openers Ruan (21* retired hurt) and Dayn (13) put on 50 together. A fine partnership of 80 between Nic (41*) and Simon (35*), who made way for Aryan (14), Keeran (21) and Eden (12) boosted the score to a very respectable 222 for 5 after 30 overs. Too many extras did not help the cause of the fielding team, although fine spells by Wafadar (5-21-1) and Surya (5-34-2) were encouraging.

In reply, Lavan (16) tried to steady the ship, but batsmen fell too regularly to a very vocal, far tighter bowling-fielding unit, with the exception of Nawroz' patiently-crafted 56, and some good fight by Wafadar (14) and Sai (14) in the last few overs. Dayn’s bowling figures (5-12-2), as well as those of Keeran (3-9-1), Eden (5-38-3) and Ruan (5-21-2), proved too much and 11 wickets fell for 151 in their 30 overs.

Zurich Crickets vs Basel Dragons U13/U15 Friendly (16th March)

 Match 1: ZCCC 177-4 (Sasha 30*, Roshan 29, Roshanth 21*; Alex 1-18, Zack 1-20, Ray 1-23) bt BDJCC 82 all out (Ross 16, Connor 14; Sasha 2-9, Shankar 1-1) by 95 runs

ZCCC started well, batting first with the openers putting on a 79 run partnership before retiring. After this the four wickets started to fall every few overs, but a lower order resurgence from Roshan and Arkan (14) meant an imposing 177-4 was set. The BDJCC reply was hampered by Roshanth bowling Ali first ball. Ross and Connor consolidated and by the 5th over the scores were pretty level. Sasha then took both of them in consecutive overs with identical in-swinging balls through the gate. This seemed to rattle the side and Ray (10) was the only one to get to double figures, Shankar bowling him to leave BDJCC on 82 all out.

 

Match 2: BDJCC 163-4 (Greg 37*, Ray 33*; Arkan 1-6, Sasha 1-18) bt ZCCC 137-7 (Shankar 17, Sasha 15, Roshan 14; Ross 2-16, Ali 2-16, Alex 2-17) by 26 runs

This time ZCCC fielded first, and the BDJCC reply got off to a better start with Ross (16) and Connor (13) putting on a 46 run opening partnership. Sasha opened the wickets, once again bowling Connor in identical style as the first game. Ross went soon after with Hayden’s quick hands stumping him off Arkan. Ali (6) fell to Roshan as he drove him to Roshanth on the boundary. Panic did not set in this time however with Ray and, in particular, Greg playing sensible low risk cricket and BDJCC put on 163-4 in their 16 overs. This time it was Roshanth to go early with Ross bowling him round the gate. A mini-collapse followed, Sasha chipping to Alex trying to force the pace. Shankar, Arkan and Roshan all batted sensibly to put on a respectable total but the game had already gone by this point.

Two great games with plenty of runs, with very similar results depending on who batted first! Great warm up for the coming tournaments and thanks to Pete of BDJCC for organising. Special mention must go to Connor, who as an U11 put his hand up to open and face the pace of Roshanth, and showed great skill and application in doing so.

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The inaugural Crickets-Dragons Trophy (2nd March)

Thirteen ZCCC players and seven BDJCC convened at ZIS Adliswil for the home leg of the inaugural Crickets-Dragons Trophy. The most recent matches all going to the last over it promised to be another thriller. Shankar, Andreas and Jake all graciously agreed to play for Basel. ZCCC batted first and Sasha (54), Arkan (35*), Avneet (34) and Hayden (26) all contributed to an imposing 248 off 26.2 overs. For Basel all three ZCCC players took wickets: Andreas (2-26), Shankar (1-18) and Jake (1-22). In reply Basel showed aggressive batting and took advantage of a weaker fielding and bowling display to chase it down in 19.2 overs, Shankar (32*) and Andreas (19*) contributing to the Basel run chase. Of the bowlers only Austin (1-27) and Vedant (1-18) took wickets. With the series 1-1, the result went to net-run rate and so the trophy went home with Basel… for now! We look forward to the next match and winning it back!

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Colts match day at the ZIS sports hall in Adliswil (3rd March) 

The first of two indoor match days in March saw three teams battle it out in what were all surprisingly close 18-over contests.

 

It is difficult to take wickets in indoor halls and with runs easy enough to score with only 6 in the field teams were too often guilty of wayward bowling that gifted runs to the opposition. Despite that, newcomer Attaullah did well with the ball, Aaditya was economical throughout, Lavan’s second spell was excellent, Noorkhan showed great control in his second match, the experience of Brijesh claimed 4 wickets as well as two catches, while Ezatyar clearly enjoyed being back with both bat and ball after such a long break. Wafadar, Westy, Lavan, Nicolas and Dayn all showed positive consistency with the bat, and Latif crunched a healthy score in the final match to give his team a fighting chance.

 

Team A

Team B

Team C

Nicolas Henderson  wk

Nawroz Jabarkheel  wk

Sai Balaji  wk

Aaditya Pradeep

Khawar Awan

Keeran Raveendran

Lavan Santhirasekeram

Ezatyar Zazai

Wafadar Wahidzai

Brijesh Luthra

Dayn Pariaug

James West

Simon Henderson

Noorkhan Ahmadi

Eden Wardle

Attaullah Ahmadzai

Keeran R (1) and Nicolas H (2)

Latif Safi

 

Match 1: Team A lost to Team B

Team B: 125 for 3 (Dayn 24, Khawar 16, Nawroz 15, Brijesh 3-12-2, Attaullah 4-25-2, Simon 2-13-1) won against Team B: 120 for 4 (Lavan 13, Simon 29, Nicolas 11*, Ezatyar 4-28-2) by 6 runs.

 

Match 2: Team B won against Team C

Team B: 174 for 3 (Ezatyar 50*, Dayn 38, Noorkhan 12, Nicolas 13*, Westy 4-33-2) won against Team C: 154 for 4 (Westy 79*, Wafadar 17, Noorkhan 5-23-2) by 20 runs.

 

Match 3: Team A won against Team C

Team C: 144 for 5 (Wafadar 42, Westy 48, Latif 29, Lavan 2-12-2) lost to Team A: 146 (Lavan 40, Nicolas 32*, Wafadar 2.4-29-1) by 2 wickets.

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The Crickets-Dragons Trophy - ZCCC wins the first leg! (23rd February)

The inaugural match of the Crickets-Dragons Trophy (a bilateral competition between Zurich Crickets and Basel Dragons) went to a last over thriller with the Crickets prevailing, winning by 4 wickets. They chased down Basel’s 170-4 with 4 balls to spare. Andreas was the leading bowler with figures of 4-1-8-1, and Sasha (25*), Ben (21*) and Shankar (20*) all retired not out in the run chase.

The Cricket’s home match is next weekend. 2nd March, and is sure to be another thriller!

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Basel Dragons Junior Cricket Club hosted their annual U11 Basel Indoor Tournament at Sportzentrum Pfaffenholz (2nd & 3rd February 2019)

Three Swiss teams and 2 Luxembourg teams competed in the touranment with 12 of the 40 players playing in their first ever cricket match, and a number of U9s playing.

The final lived up to what has become the norm in recent years with an extremely close final between Basel Dragons Junior CC and Zurich Crickets CC, with Zurich winning with three balls to spare in the last over. It was a great weekend for cricket development.     Click on this link to read the full report 

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Colts players met at the Leonhard sports hall in Basel to form three 6-a-side teams and play three T20 matches. (9th February)

Team A

Team B

Team C

Nicolas Henderson  wk

Francis Lewis  wk

Sai Balaji wk

Amogh Rathi

Ruan Kruger

Aaditya Pradeep

Max Lightowlers

Elankeeran Raveendran

Lavan Santhirasekeram

Adil Tunda

Anshak Mallik

Nawroz Jabarkheel 

Nikhilesh Archarja

Noorkhan Ahmadi

Jimmy Atkinson

Simon Henderson

Latif Safi

Wafadar Wahidzai

 

Match 1: Team C vs Team B

Team C: 130 for 8 (Lavan 23*, Nawroz 18, Keeran 5-0-20-1, Wafadar 5-1-20-3) lost by 39 runs against Team B: 169 for 4 (Ruan 24, Francis 25, Wafadar 30*, Lavan 4-0-27-1, Noorkhan 5-0-29-0).

 

Match 2: Team A vs Team C

Team C: 162 for 4 (Noorkhan 17, Lavan 36, Nawroz 20, Aaditya 33, Adil 5-0-27-0) won by 27 runs against Team A: 135 for 5 (Adil 24, Simon 36, Noorkhan 4-0-17-1, Lavan 3.2-0-30-2).

 

Match 3: Team A vs Team B

Team A: 130 for 5 (Amogh 28, Adil 22, Nicolas 19*, Ruan 4-0-19-1, Keeran 4-0-24-1, Latif 2-0-17-1) lost by 81 runs to Team B: 211 for 4 (Ruan 50*, Anshak 47, Wafadar 21, Keeran 19)

 

Many thanks once again to Basel Dragons for organising the hall and to all the players for making the journey to play 3 matches. Six-a-side in a large hall means bowlers are pushed to prevent runs flowing as there are so many gaps in the field. A number of batsmen cleverly took advantage of this, such as Ruan, Adil, Francis, Lavan, Amogh, Simon, Anshak, Noorkhan, Aaditya and Nicolas. However, there are now also several bowlers (Wafadar, Nawroz, and Keeran) beginning to regularly produce valuable runs with the bat. Fielding was at times very sharp and there were a total of 10 runouts, including a couple of particularly quick-witted reactions by Max and Nikhil. Congratulations to Sai, who kept wicket for the first time and did a great job. There were also some outstanding catches, in particular those by Latif and Simon, but catch of the day without a doubt was Francis’ brilliant full-stretch take to dismiss Team A in their 18th over.

We look forward to meeting again on March 3rd in the ZIS hall in Adliswil. 

The unbeaten Zurich Crickets Under 11 team lifts the Basel Indoor trophy! ( 2nd/3rd February)

The U11s had a great tournament in Basel, winning all four games including two thrillers – a 1 wicket win against Basel Dragons with three balls to spare, and a 1 run win against the combined Gingns/Cossonay team.

Click on this link to read the full report 

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Colts players met at the Leonhard sports hall in Basel on 19th January to form three 7-a-side teams and play three T20 matches.

Team A        

Team B

Team C

James West (BDCC)

Jakirshan Shivaneshvaran (ZCCC)

Nawroz Jabarkheel wk (ZCCC)

Eden Wardle (BDCC)

Nicolas Henderson wk (ZCCC)

Nikhil Archarja (GRYCC)              

Francis Lewis wk (BDCC)

Wafadar Wahidzai (ZCCC)          

Ismail Zaidi (Cossonay CC)          

Dayn Pariaug (ZCCC)

Latif Safi (ZCCC)              

Khawar Awan (ZCCC)   

Lavan Santhirasekeram (ZCCC)

Ruan Kruger (ZCCC)      

Noorkhan Ahmadi (ZCCC)

Sai Balaji (ZCCC)              

Simon Henderson (ZCCC)

Srisham Hemachandra wk (GRYCC)

Anshak Mallik (BDCC)

Keeran Raveendran (ZCCC)       

Adil Tunda (GRYCC)       

Match 1: Team A vs Team B

Team B: 179 for 5 (Ruan K 66*, Simon H 36, Nic H 15*, Sai B 4-43-2) won by 24 runs against Team A: 155 for 5 (Lavan S 40, James W 35, Ruan 4-24-2, Jakirshan 4-25-1).

 

Match 2: Team B vs Team C

Team C: 135 for 5 (Noorkhan A 29, Ismail Z 20, Nawroz J 13*, Simon H 4-15-2, Ruan 4-19-0) lost by 3 wickets to Team B: 137 for 3 (Ruan 51*, Keeran 15, Noorkhan 3-31-2).

 

Match 3: Team A vs Team C

Team A: 155 for 4 (Dayn P 52*, James W 32, Adil T 4-31-1, Ismail Z 4-28-1) lost by 6 wickets to Team C (Noorkhan A 54*, Adil T 51*, Khawar A 15*)

 

Many thanks to Basel Dragons for organising the hall and to all the players for 3 entertaining, hard-fought matches that produced a number of first-class batting displays (at least two in every innings), some outstanding performances in the field leading to half a dozen run outs, six catches and several stumpings, as well as some commendable individual bowling.