Winter training in full flow since mid-October (20th November)
Zurich Crickets Colts and Senior groups are enjoying weekly batting net practice, fielding drills, the development of bowling skills, as well as match practice sessions.
The new Deutweg wicket is ready (12th November 2022)
The removal of the old mat and underlay from the Deutweg wicket required digging around the concrete slab to free up the mat, crowbarring the 300 nails out of the concrete and rolling up the 2 tons of carpeting. Without the use of a tractor and a fork-lift this would not have been possible.
With the help of three unemployed young men, the old mat in the net was cut up and disposed of. This 20-year-old mat had become brittle, and holes were appearing. Installing the ‘new’ mat in the net was done with the help of Deutweg’s groundsmen and their invaluable machinery.
Meanwhile, the new wicket first had to be partly resurfaced since the concrete slab was no longer level in places, especially by the batting crease. A self-levelling mortar was used. Afterwards, the shockpad underlay was installed and nailed in place. The mattting then had to be glued with a special adhesive and nailed down at one end. In order to ensure the matting was laid evenly, the carpet was pulled tight with the use of ratchet belts attached to a tractor. Nailing down the carpet on one side, the carpet was then stretched laterally using a special claw gripper in order to further level the matting and complete the nailing down of the carpet.
Our sincere thanks go to the Deutweg groundsmen Tino and Roli, without whose expertise and help we would not have been able to complete the work without incurring huge additional expense. We look forward to playing on the new surface in the 2023 season.
Patrick and Nic H
Premier League win over Power Winterthur CC could mean remaining in top flight (17th September)
Having lost two crucial fixtures to Cossonay and Zurich Lions, the 1st XI bounced back with an emphatic won over Power Winterthur, meaning the hope of staying in the Premier League will go down to the wire next Saturday when Bern comes to Embrach for the final match of the season.
Opting to bat, PWCC's openers put together 106 before the first wicket fell and the wheels started to come off. The two young spinners were outstanding, Zac (8-2-23-2) and Firdaws (8-47-1), and bowling economically in tandem removed the top order, hauling the team back into the match. Khalid's wicket then cheaply removed another dangerman with a catch to Nic. The two quicks, Wafadar and Abdullah did the rest. Wafadar's three wickets produced wonderful catches by Nawroz and Baljit, while Abdullah's 2 wickets forced a catch to Khalid, before he wrapped up PWCC's innings, all out for 248.
In reply, Baljit and Avneet got us off to a brisk start until Avneet fell after 6 overs had brought up the 50. Noorkhan (28) and Baljit added another 47 before the confident Khalid set about building a magnificent 124-run partnership with Baljit. When he departed on 44, just 28 runs were needed. Zac's 15-run cameo destroyed any hope of PWCC getting back into the match, and in the 36th over a quickly-run 2 by Nic brought up the winning run.
It had been a relentless run-chase led by Baljit. He batted through 40 overs, unbeaten on 97, three short of a century, hampered by a pulled leg muscle, in a superb display of discipline and experience, which had been a joy to watch. Congratulations to all XI!
1st XI team effort ensures comfortable win over Geneva CC in CSPL (6th August)
After a tough start with the ball, in spite of an excellent 4-19-0 from Keeran, ZCCC settled, stuck to the plan, and fought their way into the wickets. Two bowling changes in overs 8 and 9, Abdullah and Dayn generated catches to Navroz and Eden to remove the openers (71-2). Twenty runs later, the two bowlers struck again in tandem with Abdullah destroying the stumps of the captain and Dayn producing a fine edge to the keeper. Enter the spinners, Firdaws and Khalid. They were all over the opposition. During their nine overs 5 wickets fell for twenty-eight runs: 3 for Firdaws, and 2 for Khalid, whose bowling yielded catches for Firdaws and Noorkhan. Dayn was left to take the 10th wicket in the 27th over when a cut-shot was gobbled up by Noorkhan. Much of the fielding was outstanding with only 25 singles run and just 1 two. 148 all out!
Ruan’s 87 not out in reply was magnificent. Together with Noorkhan the 50 came up. Despite two quickly lost wickets, Lavan put on another 56 runs with Ruan, while Eden and Ruan finished the job with a further 28 runs in less than 4 overs.
Many thanks for the excellent food prepared by Abdullah and Noorkhan, which was enjoyed by both teams, and for the support from the spectators!
U17/19 cricket week (August 2nd - 5th)
Four days with six matches (one 35-over match, three T20s, one T10 and one 30-over match) saw 27 players come together in the sweltering heat at Embrach.
The players worked hard, learned to keep to a batting and bowling plan, played some excellent innings, were unrelenting in the field, and all had plenty of opportunity to work on their bowling with the three coaches present.
2nd XI further cement spot in CSNL quarter-finals with win over Winterthur CC (1st August)
Young talents, Shankar (36) and Abid (41) led the way with the bat to a decent 178 total, which we were confident of defending. Valuable additional contributions from Gokul, Saru, Akram and Kavi all helped us bat into the 38th over.
Our bowling reply began by Kavi and Farhad removing the two openers with catches to Vincent and keeper Abid. Wickets fell at regular intervals to keep WCC in check. A run-out by Sahil, as well as an excellent steepling skyer to Gokul, two more edges to Abid, one more to Vincent and a well-taken smash to square-leg by Farhad showed that the team were bowling to the plan. The bowlers (Kavi, Akram, Vincent 7-22-2, Ziaulhaq 3-10-1, Faisal, Farhad 7-23-3, and Saru) all bowled economically, and runs off the bat were hard to come by. This was another thoroughly deserved win, which displayed the team’s ability to fight hard and pull off closely contested matches.
ZCCC 2nd XI into the CSNL Quarter-finals after winning against St. Gallen (30th July)
Bowling St. Gallen out in 14 overs for 66 runs does not happen every day. The bowlers were magnificent. Kavi and Attaullah took three wickets each in their 13-over opening spell, Faisal followed with two wickets in one over, and Akram claimed the final wicket the first ball he bowled. It was also a brilliant piece of fielding by Akram that took out the dangerous opener with a direct hit to run him out early in the innings. The fielding has never been so good. Every catch was taken: Saru took four, Sankar and Akram one apiece, and only three boundaries were hit.
In reply, we struggled! Wickets fell and suddenly there was pressure. Low total – tough chase. Vincent and Saru settled and built. When they departed, it was Ziaulhaq who shone and got us over the line despite being 8 wickets down. Last week the team had shown they bat deep!
Congratulations everyone!
Heroic 112 runs in 7th wicket partnership by ZCCC 2nd XI bowlers! (23rd July)
Ziaulhaq Hotak, after taking 3 wickets, put on 112 runs with Akram Khader Khel in a valiant 7th wicket stand to lift the 2nd XI from 102-6 to 214-7. Zia scored 47 and Akram scored his first half century (55)!
Congratulations to both 17-year-old players.
ZCCC Colts often very good, sometimes outstanding and breathtaking (23rd July)
Losing the first T20 in wet dire conditions to St. Gallen never should have been. Farhad, as he so often does, took out the two openers in his first two overs. Three more followed from Firdaws, together with a run-out and a wicket of his own by Faisal courtesy of keeper Abid. At 79-6 the opposition was on the ropes. But then we all suddenly became guilty of gifting the wrong length, enabling weaker batsman to punch back hard. Despite great catches to the safe hands of Zahidullah, Firdaws (2) and Sasha in the deep off the bowling of Sahil (2) and Shankar (1), 50 runs too many had been handed out, but their I81 all out in 19th over was chaseable.
At 66-2 after 8 overs we were up and running but the early loss of Sahil hurt, and when Firdaws (18), Shankar, Abid, and Faisal departed for 40 runs with the job of staying with Westy (58), we were struggling. A rear-guard action, full of intent, by Arya (24*) and Sasha brought us finally to 138-7. The 55 dot-balls had hurt most, but here is the room for improvement. Man of the Match Firdaws, followed closely by Westy were deserved.
The second match against Zug CC brought a huge change. Shankar marshalled his bowlers perfectly and they began to hit the rights lengths immediately, runs were hard to come by for Zug CC and once the opening stand was broken (66-1), wickets regularly fell. The collapse from 124-4 to 159-9 was an inspired performance. The fielding was spirited and sharp, producing two run-outs by Abid and Shankar. Catches were taken by Firdaws, Saifullrahman and Faisal off bowlers not prepared to offer much. And all the bowlers, Sahil, Farhad, Arya and Faisal took wickets, while Firdaws again bagged three.
160 to win and the start with Sahil (15) and Westy (22) taking us to 47-2 in 4.2 overs was blistering and confident. However, just 17 runs came from the next 5 overs (64-4). In the drinks break after over 10, a ‘storm began to brew’. 35 runs came in the next 4 overs, but Firdaws (28) suddenly holed out. At 92-5 with 13 overs gone, things looked different. But still 68 runs were needed. Enter Abid with the reliable Arya. Abid required 16 balls to hit 52 runs! It was an outstanding display, truly awesome. At 14, is he the youngest player to hit a 50 in the Swiss T20 league? Arya (20*) was the perfect partner, he ran hard, got himself off strike and fittingly hit the winning runs with a fine 4, and only 17.1 overs had been required!
Congratulations to a team that worked hard for each other, who all had their parts to play, and who show so much promise going forward.
Please note that after consulting the records, the youngest player to hit a half-century in the Swiss T20 league was ZCCC's Colt Avneet Singh, who hit 62 (in 38 balls) against Basel CC on 10th July 2022 aged 14 and 2 months. Congratulations on this outstanding achievement!
Cricket, and more cricket at Embrach (16th July)
Despite a number of players unavailable due to holidays, work and the senior national squad, there were enough players at Embrach to form three full teams, a Colts XI, a 2nd XI and a mixed 1st/2nd XI. Ten hours later, after three T20 matches, the exhausted players made their way home. Great to see so many faces, in particular those who have not had much opportunity lately to play in matches. There was some excellent talent on show by those coming to regular evening training, and competition for team places promises to be even fiercer in the 2nd half of the season.
Many thanks to the umpires Faisal and Shankar, Westy and Eden, and Sanjay and Ali for doing such a great job, as well as all the scorers. In early August, we look forward to the four days of U17/19 matches in Embrach when over 30 players will again be available.
2nd XI romp home in T20 vs Nomads (10th July)
Opening the batting, Vincent (25) and Gokul got off to a brisk start but with these two and Suleman losing their wickets suddenly, Kutty and Bilal took over. Playing their roles to perfection Kutty (85 off 43 balls) and Bilal (29), backed by Sarujan in the final overs, rocketed the score to 186 for 5.
In reply, all our bowlers were economical. Kavi and Akram removed the openers, while Suleman and Shahabuddin quickly followed with two more wickets and Nomads were 30-4. With all the catches being held, and the fielding sharp, the bowling was superb. While Krisna, Ziaulhaq and Sarujan squeezed hard and gave the batsmen no joy, Shahabuddin's excellent 2.2 overs produced two more wickets. He was matched by Bilal’s two overs at the death, which also produced three wickets for just 8 runs to reduce Nomads to 91 all out in the 18th over. All credit to the team that had executed the game plan to perfection. In this form they are looking formidable.
Zurich Crickets on international Duty for the Swiss U15 tour to Denmark. (2nd-5th July)
The Swiss Under 15s recorded a tour win. The team won 3 games, losing 2! (1-1 in ODIs and 2-1 in T20Is).
The team included 5 Zurich Crickets CC players:
Captain Shankar led from the front with 97 runs and 9 wickets at 7.33
Keeper Sasha scored 68 runs including the only half-century on tour
Andreas took 7 wickets at 14.71 including his first 9 over spell out 26 overall
Avneet scored 54 runs at the highest strike rate and picked up a wicket
Ishaan came in at last minute as an U13 and looked well part of the team with 3 wickets at 7.67
Two clinical CSNL wins for 2nd XI vs CV Zurich and Nomads Embrach (2nd/3rd July)
On the Saturday against CV Zurich an outstanding bowling display saw left-armer Farhad return figures of 5-24-3, Kutty 8-18-3 and Faisal 3.1-6-4, while the experienced Attaullah and Suleman exerted pressure with their economy. Despite dropped catches allowing CV Zurich to progress to 116 before the second wicket was finally caught by Khaksar, once the spell was broken the floodgates opened. The remaining eight wickets fell for 12 runs with catches taken by Kutty (2), Suleman (2), Abid, Vincent and Sahil!
Our batsmen were clinical and played their assigned roles. Sahil rapidly punished wayward balls before he was caught on 42. Max anchored the batting with his 38*, putting together another 33 with Suleman before Gokul’s 27-run battering in 13 balls completed the 128 run-chase after just 16 overs.
Nomads met a similar fate. A quick wicket in the 2nd over by Farhad had the opposition on the back foot. Recovering, the batters progressed to 66 but that wicket sparked a steady flow of other wickets until Nomads reached 109 for 8. The tail wagged well and they finished on 152. Again, much of the bowling was outstanding, in particular Suleman’s five wicket haul (6.2-1-27-5), but also Farhad’s 8-2-21-1, Kutty’s 8-1-25-2, and Faisal’s 3.1-0-14-1. Akram also chipped in with a wicket. Some of the catching was exceptional: Abid’s reaction grasp diving low to his right in the slips, and Suleman’s leap in the slips to pluck one high over his head were dazzling. Others for Gokul, Max, Kutty, Kavi, two for Sahil and a second for Abid were perhaps more regulation but catches do win matches.
Our first wicket fell on 45 in the 5th over when Sahil (29), striking the balls with confidence, skied one. Max and Gokul (20) settled and calmly put together another 62 runs before Gokul nicked one behind in the 13th over. Kutty and Max, having scored a superb 54, soon followed. With the score on 119, Suleman (14) and Vincent (12*) were experienced enough to exercise patience and wait for the poor balls. Suleman’s 6 and 4, and Vincent’s two fours brought us the result in the 25th over.
Congratulations to all the players.
ZCCC seniors chalk up two T20 wins (25th June)
The 2nd XI, batting first against CC Wettingen, did well to post 152. They ran well between the wickets, were content to punish poor balls, but failed to find enough confidence to regularly find the boundaries. Max’s 46, Gokul’s 21 and Kutty’s 19, together with Vincent and Suleman’s productive finishing were the pick of the innings.
In the field, Attaullah and Suleman’s 8 overs for just 29 runs and three key wickets did the damage. However, a shower of dropped catches and some expensive wayward bowling enabled CCW to come dangerously close to winning a match that should long have been put to bed. ZCCC won by 11 runs.
In comparison, the 1st XI match vs Aargau CC was a stroll in the park. Aargau were all out for 83 with no batsman able to stem the flow of wickets. Lavan’s 4-wicket haul, with Keeran, Khalid, Eden and Wafadar chipping in one-a-piece, was also the result of some excellent catching (Noorkhan 3, Khalid 1), and sharp fielding producing a run-out and a stumping.
Openers Noorkhan and Ruan’s reply was a total assault producing 13 boundaries in just 7 overs to close the match. Ruan’s 37 off 17 balls and Noorkhan’s 45 off 27 was commanding as it was skilful. They never looked under threat and the 10-wicket win was well deserved. Congratulations to both teams!
ZCCC U15 undefeated at Zuoz Festival (11th/12th June)
The U15s won the Zuoz Festival of Junior Cricket going undefeated over the two days! The batters struggled to find timing on the bouncy pitch but found their rhythm
to set the biggest total of the tournament in the only game they batted first. Shankar (64 runs), Sasha (59) and Abid (55) led the team’s scoring.
The bowling was generally excellent and fielding at times was impressive too. For his explosive performance behind the stumps Abid was awarded the keeper of the
tournament! Austin took the fielder award for an important running, over-the-shoulder catch in the final. Zac (11-1-44-4), Lav (9-1-26-3) and Andreas (10-0-45-2) led the bowling
stats.
Well done to them, and thanks also to Jack, Tanish and Vishesh who played for the Swiss Romande team.
ZCCC 2nd XI lose bravely to Pakhtoon Zalmi CC in Uster (29th May)
With 7 regular team batsmen/bowlers unavailable this was always going to be tough. Nevertheless, some of the newly drafted in players look more than promising. But Man of the Match ‘on fire’ Attaullah stole the show with three catches, two run-outs with direct hits, four wonderfully economical overs and a 9th wicket fight with Akram to add 32 runs. Akram was not far behind with his 4-24-3, and he was ably supported by new men, Javed with 2 wickets, and Shahabuddin and Khaksar sharing one each. The energy and commitment in the field deserves due credit. It was good to watch and so was the support for one another. I83 for 9 was a gettable total on this ground.
However, our batting failed and losing heavily is never a good feeling, but we will pick ourselves up and look forward to the rest of the season with this growing pool of players.
ZCCC U15s win by 144 runs against Basel Dragons in the Catterfly Cup (May 21st)
Round 2 of the Catterfly Cup saw the Crickets hosting Basel Dragons at Embrach. Sasha won the toss and, despite the gloomy overhead conditions, was keen to bat first. (continued below)
Sasha and Avneet were watchful while both Basel opening bowlers found swing and seam. Avneet started to find the boundary and barely faced a dot, pushing on to his first outdoor 50 of the season. He looked well set for triple figures, but Nelson struck and he had to go for 68. Sasha’s (59*) fluency returned and, despite offering two chances, brought up a half century. Shankar and Zac kept the scoring going. Shankar found the mid-on boundary several times and Zac (51*) was brutal with only 8 overs to go. Shankar (51*) brought up his half century with only 2 overs to go and Austin (7) nonchalantly deposited his first ball over backward square for six. He sacrificed himself looking for a second run and the Crickets finished with a mammoth 286-2.
The opening bowlers Arya (4-0-22-0) and George gave little away. George (6-1-17-1) in particular got great movement and he was the first to strike with a great catch by Zac at gully. Andreas then had Connor caught in the same way! A fightback from Vignesh and Sai was ended when Lav (6-0-28-2) bowled both of them and Andreas (5-2-13-2) had Pratyush trapped in front. With the game won, everyone got a bowl and some late hitting meant a 144 run victory for the Crickets. Many thanks to Neil and Jack for the last minute call up. The team look forward to hosting Swiss Romande in 2 weeks.
Colts/2nd XI 40-over match (4th June)
24 players, 79.5 overs and 601 runs. Team B won with one ball remaining!
Blue skies all day at Deutweg saw some strong individual performances with bat, ball and in the field, which is making it a tough task to select the 2nd XI CSNL team that begins its campaign with back to back matches on 2nd/3rd July.
The 'Favotto Cup'
This cup is awarded each year to the player who has made the most significant contribution to the cricket played at the club over the course of the past year. The criteria for this cup are cricket ability/skill and match performance but also include overall contribution to the club (turning up regularly, responding to coaching, pleasant/positive attitude, contributing to the team however you can, playing regularly etc). Congratulations to Danyal Awan, who is a most deserving and worthy winner!
U15s win by 57 runs in Catterfly Cup against Swiss Romande (4th June)
Hot and humid conditions at Embrach saw the next Catterfly Cup home fixture against Swiss Romande (Cossonay/GRYCC). After being asked to bat first, the Crickets openers weren’t timing it as well as usual but Avneet (29) still managed five boundaries before getting caught. Shankar (41) was sparkling and found the boundary several times, and it was a surprise when he popped up the ball before drinks. Just before that, Sasha had retired hurt after being hit by a throw in. Arya (8) and George (6) couldn’t connect. Zac (27), however, was in great touch, with some crunched cover drives the shots of the day, until top-edging behind. Sasha returned and put in some hard running with Andreas. Both upped the aggression, finding the boundary. Sasha (50*) retired, while Lav (3) went a similar way to Zac. Andreas (19*) pushed Vishesh (1*) hard with four scampered byes off the last two balls to set a total of 218.
George and Arya were immediately tough to get away, finding swing. Arya struck first with a nick through to keeper Sasha. The next 10 overs saw chances fall short or just go over the fielders,, but without the score moving on quickly. A change to spin saw Zac pick up three wickets quickly, helped by Avneet’s and his own catching. New to GRYCC, Omar (49), however, showed some big hitting and suddenly the Crickets had to sharpen up. Zac got the break through with Omar skewing the ball to George at backward point. Similarly big hitting Abdul went in a similar way to Lav’s bowling, who also got a bowled. In his last over, Zac was denied a five-for with a put-down edge, but he finished with excellent figures of 4-23. Andreas took a sharp caught-and-bowled, and George removed the last wicket to finish the win by 57 runs.
Thanks to the three ZCCC U13s (Reeta, Furqan and Ishaan) who played for the Swiss Romande team to ensure they had a full XI.
ZCCC U15s off to a flyer in the Catterfly Cup (May 14th)
The new 30 over league for the U15s, the Catterfly Cup, kicked off with an away fixture in Basel. The sun was shining hard and Basel won the toss and chose to bat.
The opening spell was fairly economic although rustiness showed with some wides and byes. Shankar struck first, swinging one away and getting a caught behind. Zurich tightened the screws with a
change to spin from each end and Andreas (6-0-18-2) and Zac (5-0-12-1) removed most of the rest of the top order. The usual keeper, Abid (2-0-11-2), got into the act with his pace removing
two-in-two, the first one a great catch by Arya at slip. Jack held onto one to remove a stubborn Pratyush off Arya’s (4-0-6-1) bowling, and Shankar (5-1-5-2) finished things off with Sasha
running under a top edge and then a run out off the last ball, leaving a chase of 122.
The openers got going at a good rate, but Sasha (12) couldn’t resist taking on Pratyush and popped a catch to mid wicket. Avneet and Shankar (28*) however both hit
sixes as their first scoring shots and kept at it until Avneet, 4 shy of a half-century, ran past a ball from Aaron and was stumped. The big hitting didn’t let up however with Abid (26*) at the
crease, and he finished the game off with a massive straight six.
A great team performance to start things off, but the players also know they have things to work on to continue to improve. Great for Jack to get in the action with
some sharp fielding too. The Crickets look forward to their home fixture against Basel on Saturday.
ZCCC 2nd XI overpower CC Zurich by 7 wickets (May 14th)
ZCCC 2nd XI, missing several regular players, including the captain and vice-captain, won their second T20 of the season in style.
Opting to bat, CCZ lost three early wickets during the first 7 overs to some fine bowling by Kavi (4-18-2) aided by Suleman (4-22-0), and Krishna (3-21-1). However, dropped catches allowed CCZ’s captain to profit and runs resulted. A 75-run partnership, which never should have been, took the score to 112 in the 16th over. Kutty, introduced in the 14th over, produced some excellent overs (4-27-1) in tandem with Suleman, with a well-held catch to Akram and a run-out (Latif/Kutty). Some wayward bowling had gifted 22 extras but CCZ never really managed to get away and were limited to 146-5.
The reply was magnificent! Bilal (58) and Kutty (48) patiently and watchfully accumulated 34 runs during the powerplay before cutting loose in the next 7 overs to add another 86. Kutty fell with the score on 123. Stand-in captain Vincent’s unorthodox but effective first-ball scoop for 3 brought Bilal back on strike. After another fine boundary he finally succumbed with the scoreboard showing 146. The winning run in the 17th over was also the 34th extra.
The players all know there is much to improve and work to be done, but great to see the depth of this squad. With so many more matches to come this season, this depth will be a wonderful asset.
Zurich Crickets 1st XI dominate Winterthur CC (8th May)
Winterthur opted to bat on a wicket that had been drenched by rain with a very slow outfield on a day with very little sun. The first wicket fell to Abdullah in the first over. Despite some resilience among the top order, wickets fell as regular intervals to prevent any real danger of a large total. At 36-2 it was Keeran who struck (4-20-1), followed by Khalid running out the other opener on 63-3. Then the flood gates opened with 5 more wickets added for just 45 runs. WCC finished on 108-9. The bowlers had done a great job with Lavan 3-16-2, Dayn 4-20-1 while Khalid’s 3-8-2 was excellent, added to which he produced another run-out with Nic.
Our batting reply faltered worryingly despite some fine shots from Ruan. However, at 20-3 Prafull was steadily accumulating and patiently picking off the poor balls in his anchoring role. He steadied the boat until Wafadar departed on 49-4 in the 10th over. 60 runs were then put together by Prafull (47) with Nic (27), who both ran well and hard between the wickets and whose shot selection grew in confidence. At the end of the 17th over proceedings were concluded.
1st XI vs Wettingen CC – ZCCC win first T20 of the season by 6 wickets (3rd May)
It was a difficult wicket, with a slow outfield and huge boundaries. In a low-scoring match ZCCC, despite a spate of extras, produced some inspired bowling (Khalid 4-10-2, Dayn 1.2-3-2. Keeran 4-16-2), two fine run-outs, and a flurry of excellent catches. Wettingen were all out for 89.
In answer, ZCCC stumbled with the top order removed for 31 runs. However, the middle order demonstrated stability and grit. Noorkhan top-scored with a valuable 23. Dayn and Lavan then battled hard and wisely for their 45 winning partnership.
All credit to the team for a hard-fought win.
A tale of squandered opportunities and unrelenting rain (30th April)
The 2nd XI’s first T20 of the season looked so promising. Up against the strong Olten CC we bowled well, Suleman removing both openers cheaply. However, expensive misfielding and a bucketful of dropped catches turned the match and the batsmen took full advantage. 195 for 4! Adding to our woes, thunder clouds loomed ever closer and after 4.4 overs of our innings, just two balls shy of the minimum required for the match to stand, thunder, lightning and heavy rain sent the players scrambling for cover. During a lull in the rain, in desperately poor conditions, we resumed until 5.5 overs had been bowled before the players were called off the field. Officially, ZCCC lost by 60 runs (D/L method).
ZCCC 2nd XI's mixed bag on rain-affected day (30th April)
ZCCC deservedly won their second T10 qualifying match vs CV Zug. Batting first, CV Zug steadily accumulated 72 runs. A stream of 5 late wickets from Akram, Kutty and Firdaws, including two vital run-outs by Sahil and Attaullah prevented any last-minute charge and restricted Zug to 18 runs off the final 4 overs and a total of 90. Max and Gokul's positive, confident approach with the bat led us to 31 after 2.3 overs when Max was caught. Gokul was relentless and his superb 45 accompanied by Latif’s 17 comfortably got us over the line in the 9th over.
In the third group match vs Power Winterthur we restricted the opposition to 81 in 7.2 overs before the rain set in. With the ZCCC's innings reduced to 5 overs and requiring 68 runs, Duckworth-Lewis mathematics was definitely not on our side! Despite a 16-run first over, batsmen began to depart alarmingly quickly in an attempt to maintain the required run rate and we fell 34 runs short.
ZCCC 2nd XI lose their first T10 despite huge chase (24th April)
Struggling with the ball ZCCC ended up facing a daunting chase of 166 to win. And, determined to make amends, they fought hard. In 5.3 overs Max (53) and Gokul (25) had amassed a huge 90 runs! Firdaws (23*) and Sahil (23*) put together another impressive 50 but this was always going to be an uphill battle. We finished on 140 for 3.
With the rain coming down hard, the other two matches were postponed to next Saturday when there is still all to play for.
ZCCC 1st XI win both their T10 group matches (23rd April)
ZCCC's match vs Winterthur saw us bat first. Ruan's fluent and fiery 48* off 21 balls helped us to a modest 102 (Prafull 14/Nic 22*). The bowling (Abdullah 2-9-3, Dayn 2-7-3) and fielding (7 catches and a run-out) were excellent, though, and WCC finished on 69 for 8.
The second match vs Basel CC was carnage! Baljit's 62* off 32 and Ruan's awesome 81* off 28 propelled us to a massive156 for no wicket after 10 overs. In reply, Basel's 61 for 3 (Lavan 2-7-1, Khalid 2-6-2) means that ZCCC travel to Zuoz in early June for the main T10 tournament as one of the top seeded teams.
ZCCC Under 9s and Hampshire (15th-18th April)
The u-9’s benefitted from 4 solid days coaching from the Hampshire CCC coaches. Key skills and game situations were worked on and the team spent a good amount of time on the bowling machines. The practice should position the team well for Zuoz in early June.
Five new ICC coaches for Zurich Crickets (16th/17th April)
During the Easter weekend Zurich Crickets CC hosted an ICC Level 1 Coaching Course. John Cook, Hampshire County Cricket Club Development Manager, who has been associated with Zurich Crickets CC and Cricket Switzerland since 2010, was the course tutor.
Together with 5 other candidates, Chris Coulson, Nilesh Chorvada, Abdullah Zahir, Noorkhan Ahmedi and Lavan Santhirasekeram all successfully completed the course.Congratulations to them all and we wish them all the best for their continued work with the different age groups.
Hampshire sessions the perfect preparation for the 2022 outdoor season (15th-18th April)
Over 30 Zurich Crickets seniors had the opportunity and privilege of working with three Hampshire County Cricket Board coaches over the Easter weekend break at the Embrach ground.
The 6-hour sessions with the senior teams included fitness, agility and teamwork drills and exercises and warm-ups before work began on strategies guided towards the shorter forms of the game. This work revolved around implementing team tactics and understanding how to use these tactics to change a game in our favour. This included learning to understand the roles each player has in the team and what the team expects from the players that take on these roles. This understanding will help the senior teams in the coming season and hopefully be a key part in our success.
Many thanks to Cookie, Rob and Sam for all their input and we look forward to having them back again soon. Nic H
Zurich Crickets CC Under 15s win Basel Indoor Tournament (2nd/3rd April)
The healthy growth of junior cricket in Switzerland reflected itself in the Basel Dragons U15 Indoor Tournament, with seven teams causing some head-scratching moments for the tournament organiser. With 20 players entered across Zurich Crickets 1st, 2nd, Gingins and the Swiss U13 sides it also reflected on the continuing growth of the club. The tournament was played out as two pools competing on Saturday for seeding in a knockout on the Sunday. ZCCC 1st and 2nds were drawn in the same pool.
Click on the link for the full report See the Gallery for photos
Future stars light up inaugural U9 indoor tournament in Basel (April 1)
There was much excitement as young players from the Luxembourg, Basel, Zurich, Gingins, and GRYCC clubs all participated in the very first Basel U9 tournament at the beginning of April.
Zurich Crickets win inaugural U17 Basel Dragons Indoor Tournament (31st March)
“We all speak the same language”. That was the sentiment after the Basel Indoor Tournament for the U17 age group (26 and 27 March 2022), organised by the Basel Dragons Junior Cricket Club, wrapped up proceedings on another successful tournament on Sunday. And there were plenty of languages on show: English, German, French, Pashto and Hindi – but only one that really mattered – Cricket.
Teams from Bayern in Germany and the Swiss clubs from Basel, Zurich, Cossonay and Geneva battled it out over two days to see who would take home the coveted trophy. Zurich Crickets remained unbeaten and in the final overcame a spirited fight by the Swiss U15 team.