GardenBank Tri-Series (Cricket|Closed)

[Wray]

This thread is closed, and only Wray, Liventia and Gruenberg are allowed to post here. Oh, and Mods doing modly things.)

GardenBank Tri-Series

The three best teams in the multiverse (or so they say) meet together in Wray for the most prestigious One Day International competition in recent times. From Wray's pace batteries, to Liventia's batting prowess, to Gruenberg's mastery of the spinning ball, the series will showcase the very best of world cricket, coming from the shores of Western Esportiva, in Wray.

The tournament will be held at two stadiums, the hallowed Cartersburg Oval in the capital city of Cartersburg, and the TM Parker Bayside Stadium in Nelson's Bay.

Name: Cartersburg Oval
Location: Shorebrook, South Cartersburg
Capacity: 16,500 (Possible= 24,200)
Ends: Pavilion End, Shorebrook End
Pitch Condition: Hard and dry ptich resulting in hard hitting and good carry. Not much for spinners, though when cracks appear, they can prove tricky.

Bio: Built in 1975 for the Uitbregen Exiles Club, it hosted a mere 17 games over a 20 year period, mostly cup finals, because they couldn't fill the seats. It was then handed over to the Wray Cricket Board in 1995 where they played numerous fixtures against Invitational sides from Wray and Uitbregen clubs and touring teams. It underwent renovations in 2006 and 2007 in preparation for a test fixture, but it was not ready on time and the test was moved back to Uitbregen. Since Independence in 2013, it has played host to more games than during Colonial times, home of Central Districts and Central Lightning, as well as the Wray National Team and Board teams. It played home to the Wray's first Test match, where they overcome Uitbregen by 2 wickets, as well as Wray's shock innings victory over Liventia later that season, so it is already a hallowed ground.

It's Colonial pavillion is made of white stone from a nearby quarry and Oak wood from local forests. It has two changing rooms, two team rooms, a bar, a restaurant a gym and facilities for both players and spectators. The Stands (King Hamish, George Carter, South, West and Turner) all have a good view of the wicket, and are all equipped with bars, kiosks and restaurants. Behind the pavilion is the training pitch, complete with 20 all-weather nets and five practice squares. In the Western stand is the International Media Centre, with 23 Press Rooms for commentary, reporting etc., a Press Conference Centre and international media links and a general viewing area.

Name: TM Parker Bayside Stadium
Location: Willem's Point, Nelson's Bay
Capacity: 18,700
Ends: Bay End, Pavillion End
Pitch Condition: Spinner's pitch by every stretch of the imagination. Most domestic teams field two spinners. Pace is not rewarded much, with only the most talented able to eek out swing, but those who can move the ball about on the seam might have some luck. The outfield matches the wicket, and offers only lowish scores.

Bio: The oldest ground in the country, the TM Parker Bayside Stadium (formerly just the Bayside Stadium) was built in 1932 by Uitbregeni colonists, who wanted somewhere in the then main city of Nielsen's Baai to play cricket. However, they did not take into account the often severe weather conditions which buffeted the southern coastline, making cricket hard to play during the winter months. The wind and the dew in the air makes it tough for batsmen, and the records show this: In 107 First Class games held at the Bayside, 76 teams who batted second won, and the average innings score there for Twenty-Twenty is just 129. Underwent big renovations to put in stands and hospitality in 2002, and is now one of the most well-equipped grounds in the country.

It's new pavilion complex is the most up-to-date in the country, if not the world, complete with full fitness and strength gyms, indoor nets and 250 square metres of floor space to train in. It has two swimming pools, with ice baths and physio rooms. There are two team rooms, with state-of-the-art match technology, so coaches and analysts can see every aspect of play as the players are out on the pitch. For fans, there is a food court, large-screen viewing areas and a large grass bank to view the game from. The three stands (Nelson, Taylor and George) seat together 15,000 people, with a further 2,700 available to sit on the banks.

Schedule:

Sunday 27th July -Game 1: Wray beat Gruenberg by 2 wickets
Monday 28th July - Game 2: Liventia beat Gruenberg by 11 runs
Tuesday 29th July - Game 3: Wray beat Liventia by 28 runs
Wednesday 30th July - Game 4: Wray win by 91 runs
Thursday 31st July - Game 5: Gruenberg win by 8 wickets
Friday 1st August - Game 6: Wray vs Liventia @ Cartersburg Oval, 10:30 local time
Saturday 2nd August - Game 7: Gruenberg vs Wray @ TM Parker Bayside Stadium, 10:30 local time
Sunday 3rd August - Game 8: Liventia vs Gruenberg @ Cartersburg Oval, 14:30 local time (D/N)
Monday 4th August - Game 9: Wray vs Liventia @ TM Parker Bayside Stadium, 14:30 local time (D/N)

Wednesday 6th August - Final Game 1: TBA vs TBA @ Cartersburg Oval, 10:30 local time
Thursday 7th August - Final Game 2: TBA vs TBA @ Cartersburg Oval, 14:30 local time (D/N)
Friday 8th August - Final Game 3: TBA vs TBA @ Cartersburg Oval, 10:30 local time

Scorination

No rankings will be used as none are available for ODI cricket, so a 0.25 RP bonus is available each matchday (cumulative). Xkoranate will be used, home advantage is not in use, neither are skill mods.

Cut-off window will be between 5pm and 7pm BST, unless I specify earlier on (i.e. there is something IRL which is keeping me during these times, in which case I'll post either earlier of later. Again, this will be noted beforehand)

[Liventia]

Geach leads young squad to Wray
City Centre— Bowler Matt Geach will captain Liventia's One-Day International squad in the GardenBank Tri-Series in Wray.

Regular one-day and Test captain Max Finney has not been named in the 18-man tour party, and regular reserve wicketkeeper Garland Goudreau also misses out.

Instead, Mike Sarrin, who holds a CBA intermediate contract, has been named in the squad. Sarrin completed 15 dismissals last season in the Liventia Airways Trophy.

The side includes two players uncapped by Liventia in fast bowler Sean Finney and batsman Zac Owen, who have both impressed for the Liventia Tigers. Duncan Lewis, who burst onto the scene last domestic season and has since had a mixed time in the Test side, is also in line for his ODI debut.

Paul Jamieson has been recalled to the side after missing the last ODI Quad Series and the Test season, and there is also a return to Liventian limited overs colours for Thomas Jonsson, who missed the Quad Series after resigning the captaincy during Liventia's disastrous World Twenty20 campaign.

Daniel Quinn and Lewis will provide the team's spinning options, with Dylan Hennessey – known more for his explosive hitting ability – a likely third-choice part-time spinner if required.

Geach is expected to lead the attack, and in the absence of his regular opening partner Jonathan Adams is likely to share the new ball duties with Ollie Kerr.

Anthony Rodwell, who led Liventia's limited overs teams as head coach until the last Quad Series, has stepped down from his post to return to his role as bowling coach, allowing the CBA to unify the head coach position with the Test side.

Geach's father Tim, who was already Test head coach, will now have full control over all three Liventia teams.

Head coach: Tim (TJS) Geach
Bowling coach: Anthony (ASC) Rodwell
Batting coach: Dan (RDD) Blackburn
Other coaching staff: Sean (SEA) Deanston, Andrew (AL) Walley

NAME				AGE	TEAM	BATS	BOWL	LIVENTIA AIRWAYS TROPHY (LIST-A) STATS
								INN  NO  RUNS   HS     AVG  50+  4s  6s  Ct/S   OVERS  RUNS  WKTS    AVG   BBI   ECON

Leo (LP) Cartwright		25	RWP	RHB	LF	  4   3    65   34*  65.00    0   8   1   2      84.4   361    21  17.19  5/14   4.26
Kevin (KSM) Christensen		21	NCE	LHB	RM	  9   6   123   48   41.00    0   8   1   0	 90.0	467    24  19.46  5/32   5.19
Arthur (AJ) Cunningham		26	RWP	RHB	RM	 10   4   921  141  153.50    9 103   3   1
Sean (SV) Finney		20	RWP	RHB	RF	 					  0	 10.0    42     4  10.50  4/42   4.20
Matt (MC) Geach *		25	DOV	LHB	RFM	  4   1    12    6*   4.00    0   1   0   2	 90.0   339    36   9.42  7/21   3.77
Dylan (DA) Hennessey		23	COR	LHB	LS	  7   2   796  208  159.20    5  88   7   2	  7.0    35	1  35.00  1/35   5.00
Duncan (DM) Lewis		22	TAL	LHB	LS	  9   3   530  115*  88.33    6  46   5   2	 89.5	359    13  27.62  4/30   4.00
Paul (PW) Jamieson		23	DOV	LHB	SLA	  9   2   486  120*  69.43    4  52   0   1	  1.0	  3	1   3.00  1/3	 3.00
Thomas (TD) Jonsson		23	COR	RHB	RMF	  9   4   534  126* 106.80    6  57   2   1	 90.0   438    12  36.50  3/36	 4.87
Ollie (OH) Kerr			22	RWP	LHB	LMF	  9   6   218   62*  72.67    2  18   0   0	 89.0	406    33  12.30  7/13	 4.56
John (JS) Millbank		20	CYC	LHB	LM	 10   3   301  112   43.00    1  32   2   1
Zac (WZ) Owen			19	NCE	RHB	RM	  9   1   648  121*  81.00    7  62   2   0
Daniel (DM) Quinn		24	RWP	RHB	OS	  2   1    11   11*  11.00    0   1   0   1	 90.0	398    14  28.43  4/22   4.42
James (JCA) Quinn		22	RWP	LHB	LM	 10   2   479  163*  59.88    4  43   3   2
Joe (JTE) Sanderson		23	FOL	LHB	LMF	  3   0	   37   37   12.33    0   3   0   0	 80.3   333    16  20.81  4/11   4.14
Mike (MQ) Sarrin +		21	NCE	RHB	RMF/WK	  9   4   450   92*  90.00    5  37   3  10/5	  1.0	  2	0		 2.00
Alex (AF) Williams		21	DOV	RHB	RMF	  9   0   302  101   33.56    2  30   0   1	 73.4	429	6  71.50  2/48	 5.82
Michael (MJ) Westley		23	CYC	RHB	RM	  7   1	  297  116   49.50    2  33   1   1	 85.0	386    27  14.30  6/56   4.54

The line-up to play Gruenberg in Liventia's opening match is as follows (yes, they bat deep):
PW Jamieson, JCA Quinn, AJ Cunningham, DA Hennessey, OH Kerr, WZ Owen, MQ Sarrin†, DM Lewis, KSM Christensen, MC Geach*, DM Quinn
(bowling: Geach, Kerr, Christensen, D Quinn, Lewis; Hennessey can fill in for a few overs with filthy legspin or medium-slow cutters
Promote Hennessey over Cunningham if a pinch-hitter needed)

[Wray]

State of Play
A man. Sports. Booze.

G'day, g'day folks. Wow it's been a long time since my blog had anything to do but sit in the nethersphere constantly churning out its own words over and over again until a sports event deemed itself important enough to be written about. And this sports event, the GardenBank (not a fan of spaces in Wray, are we?) Tri-Series between the cricketing titans of Wray (kinda), Liventia (pretty much) and Gruenberg (quite a lot), is certainly important enough. One Day cricket has always been the bogey format for Wray, possibly because there is so little of it, and when it comes along, we either have 'Test match block-fest' mode or 't20 slog-fest mode', nothing in between, so we don't know how to approach the game. Neither do we have players particularly suited to the one-day format. Players like Sterne, Colt and Macallister are too defensive, whilst Keillher, Mitchell and Stacey are far too aggressive to build an innings over 50 overs. This'll also be the first ODI game ever hosted in Wray, which is pretty neat. I'm looking forward to seeing Liventia vs Gruenberg at the Cartersburg Oval. I can close my eyes and pretend it's a World Cup final.

Batsmen

Chris Laughlin - 29 - RHB - RM - Opening Batsman - Eastern Highlanders
Jackson Colt - 31 - RHB - SLA - Opening Batsman - Northern Eagles
Ed McCaughey - 28 - RHB - OS - Opening batsman - Central Lightning
James Boswell - 21 - RHB - RM - Top order batsman - Northern Eagles
Glenn Mitchell - 27 - RHB - LM - Top order batsman - South-East Sharks
Callum Gatty - 21 - RHB - LS - Top order batsman - Northern Eagles
Jamie Jackson - 23 - LHB - SLA - Middle order batsman - Southern District Pines
Adam Mackie - 20 - LHB - LM - Middle order batsman - Western Tigers

All-rounders

Will Blackwood - 24 - LHB - LMF - All-rounder/Middle order batsman - Western Tigers
Jason Keillher - 29 - RHB - RF - All-rounder/Lower order batsman - Northern Eagles
Ashton Macallister - 26 - RHB - RMF - All rounder/Middle order batsman - Central Lightning
Jonathan Perry - 27 - RHB - OS - All rounder/Lower order batsman - South-Western Leopards

Wicket-keepers

Matt Wallace - 23 - LHB - n/a - Wicket keeper/Middle order batsman - South-East Sharks
Hayden Sleath - 21 - LHB - n/a - Wicket keeper/Middle order batsman - South-Western Leopards

Bowlers

Jackson Storm - 28 - RHB - RF - Opening bowler - Western Tigers
Blake Matthews - 20 - LHB - LF - 1st Change bowler - Central Lightning
Christian Dawson-Lane - 20 - LHB - LMF - Opening bowler - Northern Eagles
Dean George - 23 - RHB - RFM - 1st change bowler - Southern District Pines
Shane Aguando - 23 - RHB - SLC - Front-line spinner - South-Western Leopards
Nathan Gardiner - 24 - RHB - OS - Front-line spinner - Eastern Highlanders
Hayden Reveley - 28 - RHB - RMF - Fast bowler - South-East Sharks
Craig Bennett - 31 - RHB - RMF - Fast bowler - Southern District Pines

Wray XI to play Gruenberg, Cartersburg Oval

1. CJ Laughlin
2. JWO Colt
3. GPRJ Mitchell*
4. JW Jackson
5. JEN Boswell
6. HJ Sleath†
7. JMA Keillher
8. BRM Matthews
9. JS Storm
10. C Dawson-Lane
11. SG Aguando

Bowling: Storm, Dawson-Lane to open, Matthews & Keillher to share other seam bowling duties. Aguando to bowl 10 overs of spin. Mitchell (off-cutters) and Jackson (leg spin) to split a few overs if need be.

[Gruenberg]

Nation: The Holy Wenaist Sultanate of Gruenberg
TLA: None. Abbreviating "Gruenberg" is sacrilegious
Demonym: Gruenberger
Kit: Gruenberger pyjama kit is dark green with a purple star pattern on the front; helmets are golden

Squad: ST Juffwump (c, RHB, OB), PTS Bant (LHB, LFM), PA Deisler (LHB), BL Enchante (RHB, OB), K Gezzalqin (RHB), XTYV Gguddu (RHB, RM), BX Ningveil (LHB, SLA), EP Otterbiscuits (LHB, SLA), ALL Telliflikkiflarknon (LHB, RF), WH Tootash (RHB), PPPPPP Uglaxx (RHB, RFM), KZY Uvaevaluvae (LHB, WK), TQ Warax (RHB, RM), LEA Wuffan (LHB, LM), LCAS Yowoax (LHB, SLA), FFFFFFFF Yumbucket (RHB, RFM)

Expected batting order:

1. Eightyseven Otterbiscuits
2. Pitkin Deisler
3. Benny Enchante
4. Kakuwat Gezzalqin
5. Tchokoman Warax
6. Xxuddu Gguddu
7. Sprantothan Juffwump
8. Azzawozzawoowizzbitz Telliflikkiflarknon
9. Kahunk Uvaevaluvae
10. Bizzal Ningveil
11. iiPriyuff Uglaxx

5-8 can be rotated depending on match situation

Expected bowling

Gruenberg are playing five specialist bowlers, which should reduce their dependence on the part-time spin of Otterbiscuits and increasingly useless medium pace of Warax. Uglaxx and Telliflikkiflarknon will take the new ball ball and bowl at the death, with spinners Juffwump and Ningveil aiming to tie things down in the middle overs.

[Gruenberg]

Article posted on the GruenCric website.

Mixed fortunes for Juffwump brothers

Sprantothan Juffwump, long considered captain in waiting for the Gruenberger national cricket team, has been selected to lead a 16-man squad to Wray for the ODI Tri-Series*; but those 16 men do not include his brother, Surro Juffwump, who has been dropped after continued uninspiring performances at the international level. Reserve wicketkeeper Kahunk Uvaevaluvae will instead take the gloves, while promising batsman Whimwob Tootash has been called up to provide batting cover should Gruenberg require changes to their team balance.

For once, it is Gruenberg's batting that is being called into question. Traditionally their strength, the decision to play Uvaevaluvae, a superior keeper but much inferior batsman to Juffwump, leaves their side without a genuine number 6, and Tchokoman Warax exposed at 5. On the other hand, the team has bowling resources in abundance with Azzawozzawoowizzbitz Telliflikkiflarknon finally available for ODI selection and expected to make his debut ahead of Gelzien seamer iiFobo Yumbucket.

Other new faces in the squad are allrounders Xxuxxu Gguddu and Laffphax Wuffan, and spinner Lemonzesty Yowoax, who if selected would be the first representative of the nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnGut hill people to play representative cricket for Gruenberg.

Posing for photographs before their departure for training camp in Cartersburg, Juffwump said the omission of his brother saddened him but that he was confident Surro would reclaim his place in time for the next season of Test cricket. He was cagy on Gruenberger ambitions for the ODI series given their mixed record against Liventia and Wray, but claimed that the almighty and most augustly goat-enabled ankles of Holy Mother Wena would surely deliver them to greatness.

Despite being a popular choice among the cricketing public, however, his appointment has been sharply criticised by religious and secular authorities alike for his insufficiently bearded appearance. While Juffwump has previously promised to attempt to grow a beard, his clean shaven appearance at the photo call has been taken by some as a terrible omen for the team's chances. Even some within the GCB have been critical, with one anonymous official saying: "We are very disappointing that Sprantothan has spent his offseason practising his batting, bowling and fielding - when he should have been concentrating on growing out some whiskers worthy of the Gruenberger captain."

* As with the InfoHub series, Gruenberger media will avoid using the sponsor's name.

[Wray]

That's the cut-off - scores immediately

[Wray]

GardenBank Tri-Series, Game 1, Cartersburg Oval, Cartersburg
Gruenberg 295/9 (50 overs)
Wray 298/8 (42.4 overs)

Wray win by 2 wickets

[Gruenberg]

(Provisional) match details as posted on the GruenCric website.

Gruenberg 295-9 (50 overs)
                                                   R    B   4/6
EP Otterbiscuits                   b Dawson-Lane   5  (11)  1/-
PA Deisler              c Jackson  b Dawson-Lane  11  (18)  1/-
BL Enchante             c Colt     b Storm       167 (146) 15/6
K Gezzalqin                    lbw b Keillher     14  (24)  1/-
ST Juffwump*            c Keillher b Matthews      5  (11)  -/-
TQ Warax                c Boswell  b Storm        33  (28)  3/1
XTYV Gguddu                    lbw b Mitchell      3   (6)  -/-
ALL Telliflikkiflarknon c Sleath+  b Mitchell     10  (10)  -/1
KZY Uvaevaluvae         c Mitchell b Aguando      32  (38)  2/1
BX Ningveil             NOT OUT                   11   (8)  1/-
Did not bat: PPPPPP Uglaxx
EXTRAS (1lb, 3wb)                                  4

FoW: 1: 5 (Otterbiscuits, 1.6 overs); 2: 24 (Deisler, 5.5 overs); 3: 82 (Gezzalqin, 16.2 overs); 4: 96 (Juffwump, 19.2 overs); 5: 154 (Warax, 27.6 overs); 6: 171 (Gguddu, 30.2 overs); 7: 203 (Telliflikkiflarknon, 34.4 overs); 8: 270 (Uvaevaluvae, 47.2 overs); 9: 295 (Enchante, 49.6 overs)

               O    M    R    W
Storm          9    0   52    2
Dawson-Lane    7    0   39    2
Matthews       7    0   52    1
Keillher       8    0   47    1
Aguando       10    0   55    1
Jackson        1    0   12    0
Mitchell       8    0   37    2

Wray 298-8 (42.4 overs)
                                                      R    B   4/6
CJ Laughlin    c Deisler      b Uglaxx                0   (4)  -/-
JWO Colt       c Uvaevaluvae+ b Telliflikkiflarknon  65  (93)  3/1
GPRJ Mitchell* c Warax        b Gguddu               28  (42)  5/-
JW Jackson                lbw b Warax                11   (9)  1/1
JEN Boswell    c Enchante     b Gguddu               83  (61)  7/6
HJ Sleath+     c Uvaevaluvae+ b Gguddu               10   (5)  2/-
JMA Keillher   NOT OUT                               80  (33)  3/8
BRM Matthews   c Uvaevaluvae+ b Ningveil              4   (5)  -/-
JS Storm       c Gguddu       b Telliflikkiflarknon   2   (3)  -/-
C Dawson-Lane  NOT OUT                                3   (3)  -/-
Did not bat: SG Aguando
EXTRAS (1lb, 9wb, 2nb)                               12

FoW: 1: 0 (Laughlin, 0.4 overs); 2: 39 (Mitchell, 10.2 overs); 3: 50 (Jackson, 11.6 overs); 4: 179 (Boswell, 30.3 overs); 5: 191 (Sleath, 32.1 overs); 6: 229 (Colt, 37.5 overs); 7: 257 (Matthews, 39.5 overs); 8: 260 (Storm, 40.3 overs)

                     O    M    R    W
Uglaxx               8    1   52    1
Telliflikkiflarknon  9.4  1   79    2
Gguddu               8    1   29    3
Warax                4    0   37    1
Ningveil             6    0   43    1
Juffwump             6    0   46    0
Enchante             1    0   11    0

Gruenberg innings
Powerplay 1: Overs 1 - 10 (45 runs, 2 wickets)
3rd wicket: 50 in 49 balls (Enchante 38, Gezzalqin 10)
BL Enchante: 50 in 41 balls, 7x4 1x6 (Gruenberg 82-2)
5th wicket: 50 in 48 balls (Warax 27, Enchante 24)
BL Enchante: 100 in 89 balls, 9x4 3x6 (Gruenberg 175-6)
Powerplay 2: Overs 36 - 40 (37 runs, 0 wickets)
8th wicket: 50 in 62 balls (Enchante 25, Uvaevaluvae 22)
BL Enchante: 150 in 138 balls, 15x4 5x6 (Gruenberg 266-7)

Wray innings
Powerplay 1: Overs 1 - 10 (39 runs, 1 wicket)
4th wicket: 50 in 47 balls (Boswell 25, Colt 19)
JEN Boswell: 50 in 42 balls, 5x4 3x6 (Wray 138-3)
4th wicket: 100 in 88 balls (Boswell 63, Colt 31)
JWO Colt: 50 in 78 balls, 2x4 (Wray 199-5)
Powerplay 2: Overs 36 - 40 (54 runs, 2 wickets)
JMA Keillher: 50 in 25 balls, 3x4 4x6 (Wray 266-8)

Match result: Wray win by 2 wickets

[Wray]

State of Play
A man. Sports. Booze.

Despite being the ground where weather was supposed to be favourable, Amy and I arrived at the Cartersburg Oval in considerable drizzle, but thanks to long overhanging sheets of plastic which they'd added to the end of the roofs in the main stands for situations like this. The ground itself was covered also largely in white plastic, with the weird floaty hover cover on the wicket itself.

Thankfully, the clouds parted shortly afterwards and we didn't lose any overs. Sprantothan Juffwump won the toss and after a considerable pause decided to bat first. The pitch had the odd patch of green, and the Cartersburg Oval is known for it's lightning quick outfields. The Gruenberg openers didn't appear to have too much trouble on the wicket, with Storm not quite up to his full pace and Christian Dawson-Lane struggling to extract any lateral movement from the pitch, but a rash shot down the wrong line from Otterbiscuits at the end of Dawson-Lane's first over saw the ball clip the top of off-stump to give Wray a great start.

Dawson-Lane struck again at the end of the 5th over, when he claimed the wicket of Pitkin Deisler. Deisler had been mixed at the crease, playing one very nice cover drive for four, but he got out when trying to repeat the shot, only picking out Jamie Jackson at short cover. Batting maestro Benny Enchante and Kakuwat Gezzalqin added fifty for the 3rd wicket, mainly led by Enchante, and Gezzalqin fell with the scores on 82, when a 50/50 call for a Jason Keillher LBW was given out by the umpire, only to be reviewed by the batsman. The BallTracker technology employed by the third umpire showed the ball to be clipping the bottom of leg stump, so it stayed with the umpires call. Enchante brought up his fifty off 41 balls with relative ease, occasionally exchanging eyes and words with Jackson Storm, who peppered him with perhaps one too many bouncers.

Wray almost got a key break off the bowling of Aguando the over afterwards. The quicker ball from the chinaman hurried Enchante backwards and the ball slid past his bat and into the gloves of Hayden Sleath behind the sticks. Sleath went up immediately, as well as Glenn Mitchell at slip. Aguando joined in shortly afterwards, as if he didn't think it were a wicket. The umpire raised his finger, and Enchante made the review sign with his arm and his bat. Following replays seemed to suggest that the ball had nicked the top of his thigh pad, at the same time the bat had hit the ground, and this came up on the infra-red scan and Enchante was give a correct reprieve. Captain Juffwump was dismissed by a prime example of the term 'bounced out'. Matthews pinged it in short round the wicket to the captain, and the ball steepled up towards the awkward ribcage area of the captain, who could only fend at the ball, and it looped up into the air, where Keillher took a tumbling catch coming in from square leg.

Tchokoman Warax and Enchante came together and added a fluent fifty, and Enchante really began to hit his stride with a crunching pull off Blake Matthews and a punishing cut shot off the part-time medium pace of Glenn Mitchell. Warax hit Storm for a four over extra-cover, before hoicking him over midwicket for a six. Storm went down to fine leg fuming, but came back, and with the second ball of his next over, had Warax caught out cutting by Boswell at point. I don't have to tell you that Storm sent him on his way with his fair share of words. Probably more than his fair share. Might be a fine in there.

Enchante continued slashing away, but the other Gruenberger bats struggled to stay with him. Xxuxxu Gguddu (is it zuk-zu-zuk-zu? I reckon it is)
was outfoxed by a Glenn Mitchell delivery which kept low and thudded into his back pad. The umpire had no hesitation and Gruenberg were in trouble at 171-6. Enchante brought up his hundred with a two down to midwicket, coming of 89 balls, looking in total control whilst the rest of the team struggled on the surface. Telliflikkiflarknon unfurled the slog sweep against Aguando, hitting him for six, but despite looking fairly comfortable against the world class spin of Aguando, he managed to get himself in all sorts of trouble against the dobblers of Glenn Mitchell. First he was dropped at deep point and then, with all the subtle dexterity of a tail-ender, backed away to the leg side to try and swat Mitchell over cover, but instead only succeeded in edging it through to Sleath.

Kahunk Uvaevaluvae finally offered Enchante a safe platform to express himself, and they put on a 67 run partnership in 13 overs. Uvaevaluvae played aggressively, but within himself, limiting himself to the odd attacking shot, but always looking for a single here or there. He fell to the hard-working Aguando, attempting to sweep but top-edged into the hands of Mitchell at slip. Enchante went on the offensive in the final overs, hitting three sixes in the last two overs off Matthews and Storm. After carving him for two further boundaries in the last over, Storm had the last laugh when Enchante holed out to Jackson Colt at deep mid-off for a magnificent 167 off just 145 balls. He'd led Gruenberg, despite regular wicket losses, to a very strong 295-9.

Things did not get off to a good start for Wray. Chris Laughlin, whom I'd billed to have a good series, was dismissed for a duck, poking awkwardly at a swinging delivery from Uglaxxx and nicking off to Pitkin Deisler at second slip. Mitchell came together with Colt and began to build the chase, with both the players playing some sweet drives, shots which always reward you on Wrayian pitches. But Mitchell fell just when he got comfortable, playing a rather odd chip shot off of the medium pace of Gguddu (Guh-guh-oodoo?) straight to Warax at mid-on. The delivery just held up in the pitch slightly, and Mitchell got a huge leading edge straight to the fielder.

Jamie Jackson was immediately aggressive, depositing Gguddu into the stands over midwicket and then hammering him through cover for a four. But this aggression, alas, was short lived. He played and missed and two deliveries before missing the inswinger and being left dead in the water, plumb LBW. James Boswell came in and him and Colt began to buckle down to scoring some serious runs. The 4th wicket 50 came up in 47 balls, and Boswell was not afraid to combat the excellent spin of the Gruenbergers, regularly making forays down the track to play over the straight boundaries. Boswell's personal 50 came up off 42 balls, with a smoked 6 over long-off off Ningveil. The pair kept up the strike rate, and the partnership reached 100 off just 88 balls, but Boswell couldn't push onto make a first ODI hundred, falling on 83, edging to Enchante at first slip of Gguddu.

Hayden Sleath, the much talked about young wicket-keeper batsman who's signed a deal to go and play First-Class cricket in Liventia next season, making his first international appearance (he's been dubbed the new Julian Stacey), didn't totally impress, at least in his ability to stay at the crease. He flashed a wide delivery over the slips, then placed quite a nice drive down the ground, before playing wide again, but only managing to find the gloves of Uvaevaluvae.

That bought Jason Keillher to the crease. Keillher was always billed as a slogger, capable of blowing away opposition attacks with raw power. If he hadn't done it before, he certainly proved that tag tonight. With Wray on 191-5, still requiring 105 to win, he had to play a big hand, because Storm and Matthews couldn't really be expected to make telling contributions. Colt finally rolled along to his 50, with just 2 fours, still observing the time-honoured tradition of making a measured, calm ODI 50, but then he fell with 67 still required, and Gruenberg were into the tail. But Matthews, Storm and Dawson-Lane needed to only face 11 balls between them, and Keillher only 33.

Keillher got to work against Juffwump, first hacking him backward of point for four, before charging him twice and flaying him over mid-off then mid-on, before a muscled slap brought up a one-bounce four. Against Ningveil, he slog-swept him for a four and six, but Blake Matthews managed to nick through on the final ball of the Ningveil over. Storm went three balls later, trying to emulate Keillher but instead picking out deep square.

But that didn't discourage Keillher, who continued his onslaught, now totally abandoning the ground route. Another six off Uglaxx brought up his fifty, with a 200.00 strike rate, as the target hurtled every closer. He thwacked Telliflikkiflarknon for a six over cow corner, before Warax fell apart against the onslaught, getting hammered for three sixes as the game was closing out. He finished the game off with a final straight drive off Telliflikkiflarknon, which flew over the sight-screen for his 8th six. 80 runs off just 33 balls. Brutal.

EDIT: And that's your cut-off - scores imminently

[Wray]

GardenBank Tri-Series, Game 2, TM Parker Bayside Stadium
Liventia 245 (45.2 overs)
Gruenberg 234/9 (50 overs)

Liventia win by 11 runs

OOC: I'll produce a table when every team has played twice

[Liventia]

(OOC: Don't have time for a full RP, so a scorecard will have to do for this game.)

GardenBank Tri-Series — Match 2 (Liventia ODI no. 23)
Played at TM Parker Bayside Stadium, Nelson's Bay (50-over match)
Liventia v Gruenberg
Liventia won the toss and elected to bat
Liventia won by 11 runs
Man of the match: MC Geach (Liventia)

Liventia innings (50 overs maximum)
Batsman						     R   B  4s  6s   SR
PW Jamieson		c Ningveil b Gguddu	     9  36   1   0   25.00
JCA Quinn		c Juffwump b Gguddu	    62  38  11   0  163.15
AJ Cunningham		st †Uvaevaluvae b Ningveil  11  25   1   0   44.00
DA Hennessey		c & b Ningveil		     7  10   0   0   70.00
OH Kerr			c Ningveil b Juffwump	    25  35   2   0   71.43
WZ Owen			c †Uvaevaluvae b Juffwump   16  32   0   0   50.00
MQ Sarrin†		c Deisler b Ningveil	     7  15   1   0   46.67
DM Lewis		lbw b Juffwump		     9  16   0   0   56.25
KSM Christensen		c Juffwump b Uglaxx	    29  28   3   1  103.57
MC Geach*		b Telliflikkiflarknon	    47  36   3   3  130.56
DM Quinn		not out			     7   4   1   0  175.00
  EXTRAS		(2lb, 11wd, 3nb)	    16
  TOTAL			all out			   245 (45.2 ov; 5.40 rpo)

FoW 1/47 Jamieson 9.4, 2/85 JCA Quinn 15.4, 3/87 Cunningham 16.6,
4/102 Hennessey 20.2, 5/135 Kerr 27.6, 6/144 Owen 31.1, 7/149 Sarrin 32.2,
8/169 Lewis 35.4, 9/228 Christensen 42.4, 10/245 Geach 45.2

Gruenberg bowling
Bowler		 	   Ov   M   R   W   Econ  Ext
PPPPPP Uglaxx		  8.0   0  63   1   7.88  (3wd)
ALL Telliflikkiflarknon	  8.2   1  53   1   6.36
XTYV Gguddu		  7.0   1  21   2   3.00
BX Ningveil		 10.0   0  37   3   3.70  (3wd)
TQ Warax		  3.0   0  11   0   3.67  (3wd)
ST Juffwump		  6.0   0  29   3   4.83  (3nb, 1wd)
BL Enchante		  3.0   0  29   0   9.67


Gruenberg innings (target 246 from 50 overs)
Batsman						     R   B  4s  6s   SR
EP Otterbiscuits       	c †Sarrin b Geach	     0   1   0   0    0.00
PA Deisler             	b Kerr			    12  22   0   1   54.55
BL Enchante            	b Geach			     0   1   0   0    0.00
K Gezzalqin            	c †Sarrin b Lewis	    75 108   5   0   69.44
ST Juffwump*           	c †Sarrin b Kerr	     1   3   0   0   33.33
TQ Warax               	lbw b Lewis		    67  77   7   0   87.01
XTYV Gguddu            	c Geach b Lewis		    11  20   0   0   55.00
ALL Telliflikkiflarknon	not out			    25  35   2   0   71.43
KZY Uvaevaluvae†        b Geach			    18  22   3   0   81.82
BX Ningveil            	b Kerr			     9   9   1   0  100.00
PPPPPP Uglaxx		not out			     5   2   1   0  250.00
  EXTRAS		(2lb, 9wd)		    11
  TOTAL			for 9 wickets		   234 (50.0 ov; 4.68 rpo)

FoW 0/1 Otterbiscuits 0.1, 0/2 Enchante 0.2, 3/34 Deisler 9.1, 
4/38 Juffwump 9.6, 5/153 Warax 33.3, 6/170 Gezzalqin 37.3, 7/177 Gguddu 39.4,
8/207 Uvaevaluvae 46.5, 9/221 Ningveil 49.1

Liventia bowling
Bowler			  Ov   M   R   W   Econ  Ext
MC Geach		 9.0   0  46   3   5.11  (2wd)
OH Kerr			 9.0   2  45   3   5.00  (1wd)
DM Quinn		10.0   0  40   0   4.00
DA Hennessey		 4.0   0  16   0   4.00
DM Lewis		10.0   0  42   3   4.20  (1wd)
KSM Christensen		 8.0   0  43   0   5.37  (1wd)

Liventia ODI debuts: WZ Owen, DM Lewis

Liventia side to face Wray at the Cartersburg Oval:
PW Jamieson, JCA Quinn, AJ Cunningham, DA Hennessey, OH Kerr, TD Jonsson, MQ Sarrin+, LP Cartwright, DM Lewis, MC Geach*, SV Finney
(bowling attack: Geach and Kerr to take new balls. Cartwright, Jonsson, Finney will all provide fast bowling – Cartwright and Finney near 90 mph, Jonsson nearer 80 mph. Lewis to provide a few overs of spin; if more spin is needed Hennessey will bowl. Finney will bowl no more than 5 overs.)

[Wray]

Sorry for the delay, results coming up very shortly...

[Wray]

GardenBank Tri-Series, Game 3, Cartersburg Oval

Wray 254/6 (50 overs)
Liventia 226 (47.5 overs)

Wray win by 28 runs

Standings after 3 games

-                      Pld   W  D  L   Pts 
1 Wray                   2   2  0  0    4
2 Liventia               2   1  0  1    2
3 Gruenberg              2   0  0  2    0

[Wray]

Wray Innings (50 overs)
Batsman
	        How Out	               Runs Balls 4s  6s  SR
CJ Laughlin 	Run out (Kerr/Sarrin)	57   85   4   0   67.05
JWO Colt	lbw Geach	        24   39   2   0   61.53
GPRJ Mitchell*	c. Jonsson b. Finney	22   34   1   0   64.70
JW Jackson	c. Quinn b. Cartwright	40   56   3   0   71.42
JEN Boswell	b. Cartwright	         2    4   0   0   50.00
HJ Sleath+	c. Geach b. Cartwright	43   30   2   2  143.33
JMA Keillher	not out			48   39   1   3  123.07
BRM Matthews	not out			15   13   2   0  115.30
Did not bat: JS Storm, C Dawson-Lane, SG Aguando
EXTRAS: 3 (2w, 1nb)
254-6

Bowling       O   M   R  W
Geach	      10  0  63  1
Kerr	      10  1  47  0
Finney	       5  0  24  1
Jonsson	       9  0  49  0
Cartwright    10  1  40  3
Lewis	       6  0  31  0

Liventia Innings (47.5 overs)
Batsmen
	        How Out	                  Runs Balls  4s  6s  SR
PW Jamieson	c. +Sleath b. Keillher	    68   104   6   1  65.38
JCA Quinn	lbw Storm		    23   35    2   0  65.71
AJ Cunningham	c. Mitchell b. Storm	    30   49    4   0  61.22
DA Hennessey	st. +Sleath b. Aguando	     5   12    0   0  41.67
OH Kerr	        c. Matthews b. Dawson-Lane  38   20    3   1 190.00
TD Jonsson	b. Aguando		    27   23    4   0 117.39
MQ Sarrin	lbw Storm		     5   10    0   0  50.00
LP Cartwright	b. Aguando		     0    2    0   0   0.00
DM Lewis	c. Boswell b. Matthews	    21   17    1   1 123.52
MC Geach	lbw Aguando		     3    7    0   0  42.85
SV Finney	not out			     1    8    0   0   12.5
EXTRAS: 5 (4w, 1nb)

Bowling	         O  M   R  W
Storm	        10  1  53  3
Dawson-Lane	10  0  46  1
Keillher	 8  0  39  1
Aguando	        10  2  37  4
Matthews       8.5  1  40  1
Mitchell	 1  0  11  0

MotM: Shane Aguando (Wray)

[Liventia]

Geach masterclass secures close win
Nelson's Bay— Captain Matt Geach ensured Liventia's GardenBank Tri-Series campaign got off to a winning start by smashing his ODI batting high score before reducing Gruenberg to 0/2 in his first over.

Geach won the toss and elected to bat on a wicket that was expected to spin, with Paul Jamieson restored to the national side to open in place of Max Finney.

Jamieson played counterfoil to the attacking James Quinn, but was caught in the last over of the powerplay for just nine runs.

Quinn smashed 62 runs off just 38 deliveries with 11 fours before he was caught at mid-on by Gruenberger captain Surro Juffwump having top-edged an attempted pull shot to a bouncer.

Arthur Cunningham was stumped just eight balls later facing the slow left arm spin of Bizzal Ningveil and Dylan Hennessey chipped a tame return catch to the same bowler a few overs later to reduce Liventia to 102/4.

Ollie Kerr and debutant Zac Owen added 33 runs in the next 7.4 overs as they attempted to rebuild the innings, but Kerr was caught by Ningveil at short leg to Juffwump before Owen snicked behind off the Gruenberg captain.

Michael Sarrin's dismissal, caught at slip by Pitkin Deisler off Ningveil's bowling, completed a mini-collapse of 3/14 in 26 balls shortly after as Liventia found themselves at a perilous 149/7.

Owen's fellow debutant, Duncan Lewis, has never enjoyed batting at eight — he bats at three or four for Talbott Downs, but has been shunted into the Liventia side wherever a space has developed — and it showed as he made a scratchy nine runs in partnership with Kevin Christensen before he was leg before wicket to Juffwump.

Lewis reviewed the decision, feeling that the ball hit him too high on the knee roll, but the Decision Review System showed an umpire's call on the ball taking the bails off.

This brought captain Geach — previous ODI high score 15 — to the crease with just under 15 overs of the innings still left to play.

The numbers nine and ten batsmen added a 59-run stand in just seven overs, dispatching the Gruenberger bowling to all parts of the Bayside Stadium with Geach romping past his previous career best at a run a ball.

The partnership finally came to an end when Christensen was held by Juffwump for 29 with seven overs left.

Geach went on the attack, stroking three fine sixes in the process, while Daniel Quinn — who has an ODI best of 39* — provided the balance at the other end, as they added another 27 to the score before Geach was bowled through the gate three shy of his maiden fifty in any professional cricket.

Liventia had set Gruenberg an under-par 246, but Geach ensured Gruenberg got off to the worst possible start.

Eightyseven Otterbiscuits played at a low bouncer and got an inside edge which missed his stumps but was taken low by Sarrin with the first ball of the innings, bringing Benny Enchante to the crease.

But Geach worked his magic again, bowling round the wicket, getting Enchante to leave one that jagged back in and took the bail off off-stump to reduce Greunberg to 0/2 from the first two deliveries of their reply.

Deisler and Kakuwat Gezzalqin then put on 34 for the third wicket in just under nine overs before Ollie Kerr got the former to chop one on back into his stumps for 22.

His replacement at the crease, Surro Juffwump, got off the mark with a single first ball, but back on strike later in the same over he could only glove a catch behind for Sarrin as Gruenberg fell to 38/4 as the powerplay came to an end.

Gezzalqin (75) and Tchokoman Warax then rebuilt the innings well, adding the only century stand of the match as they took the score to 153 before Warax was pinned in front by Lewis for an impressive 67.

Xxuddu Gguddu fell for 11 and wicketkeeper Kahunk Uvaevaluvae was bowled by Geach for 18, leaving Azzawozzawoowizzbitz Telliflikkiflarknon at the crease with Ningveil.

Needing 25 off the last over, Ningveil went down the pitch for a big swing against Kerr but missed, only for the ball to clip his back pad and roll into the stumps.

Last man iiPriyuff Uglaxx and Telliflikkiflarknon added a further 13 runs but Gruenberg fell short.


Liventia squad to play Gruenberg on MD5:
PW Jamieson, JCA Quinn, AJ Cunningham, DA Hennessey, OH Kerr, TD Jonsson, DM Lewis, MQ Sarrin+, MC Geach*, DM Quinn, SV Finney
(Geach/Kerr new balls, Lewis/D Quinn for spin, Jonsson/Finney remaining overs – Finney no more than five)

[Wray]

That's the cut-off - scores v. soon.

[Wray]

GardenBank Tri-Series, Game 4, TM Parker Bayside Stadium

Wray 310/9 (50 overs)
Gruenberg 219 (49.3 overs)

Wray win by 91 runs

[Gruenberg]

(Provisional) match details as posted on the GruenCric website.

Wray 310-9 (50 overs)
                                                      R    B   4/6
CJ Laughlin    c Yumbucket    b Telliflikkiflarknon  32  (25)  7/-
JWO Colt                      b Gguddu                9  (25)  -/-
GPRJ Mitchell*            lbw b Yumbucket             1   (4)  -/-
JW Jackson     c Warax        b Yumbucket            54  (69)  5/-
JEN Boswell    run out (Gezzalqin)                    3   (4)  -/-
HJ Sleath+     c Gezzalqin    b Ningveil              5   (9)  -/-
JMA Keillher   NOT OUT                              149 (112) 12/8
NJ Gardiner    c Enchante     b Gguddu               24  (13)  3/1
JS Storm       c Juffwump     b Otterbiscuits         4  (11)  -/-
C Dawson-Lane  c Yumbucket    b Gguddu               10  (24)  -/-
SG Aguando     NOT OUT                                2   (4)  -/-
EXTRAS (6lb, 11wb)                                   17

FoW: 1: 39 (Laughlin, 4.6 overs); 2: 45 (Mitchell, 5.6 overs); 3: 58 (Colt, 9.6 overs); 4: 68 (Boswell, 11.3 overs); 5: 77 (Sleath, 14.4 overs); 6: 169 (Jackson, 30.2 overs); 7: 209 (Gardiner, 34.5 overs); 8: 229 (Storm, 39.6 overs); 9: 287 (Dawson-Lane, 47.6 overs)

                     O    M    R    W
Telliflikkiflarknon  9    0   61    1
Yumbucket            9    0   68    2
Gguddu               8    0   57    3
Ningveil            10    0   43    1
Juffwump            10    0   48    0
Enchante             2    0   13    0
Otterbiscuits        2    0   14    1

Gruenberg 219 all out (49.3 overs)
                                                   R    B   4/6
PA Deisler              c Mitchell b Jackson      63 (103)  6/-
EP Otterbiscuits        c Sleath+  b Storm        17  (28)  3/-
BL Enchante             run out (Storm)            2  (11)  -/-
K Gezzalqin                    c & b Keillher      6  (20)  -/-
TQ Warax                       lbw b Aguando      13  (38)  1/-
ST Juffwump*                       b Gardiner     38  (55)  3/1
XTYV Gguddu             st Sleath+ b Jackson       0   (1)  -/-
ALL Telliflikkiflarknon NOT OUT                   46  (31)  5/2
KZY Uvaevaluvae                c & b Aguando       5   (4)  1/-
BX Ningveil             c Mitchell b Aguando       0   (1)  -/-
FFFFFFFF Yumbucket      c Sleath+  b Gardiner      8   (4)  -/1
EXTRAS (21wb)                                     21

FoW: 1: 27 (Otterbiscuits, 9.3 overs); 2: 39 (Enchante, 13.6 overs); 3: 60 (Gezzalqin, 19.6 overs); 4: 99 (Warax, 30.2 overs); 5: 126 (Deisler, 37.2 overs); 6: 127 (Gguddu, 37.5 overs); 7: 178 (Juffwump, 46.3 overs); 8: 184 (Uvaevaluvae, 47.2 overs); 9: 184 (Ningveil, 47.3 overs); 10: 219 (Yumbucket, 49.3 overs)

               O    M    R    W
Storm          9    1   34    1
Dawson-Lane    8    1   38    0
Gardiner       8.3  1   39    2
Keillher       4    0   14    1
Aguando       10    0   49    3
Mitchell       2    0   10    0
Jackson        8    1   35    2

Wray innings
Powerplay 1: Overs 1 - 10 (58 runs, 3 wickets)
6th wicket: 50 in 58 balls (Keillher 28, Boswell 22)
JMA Keillher: 50 in 43 balls, 4x4 1x6 (Wray 163-5)
JW Jackson: 50 in 67 balls, 4x4 (Wray 165-5)
Powerplay 2: Overs 36 - 40 (20 runs, 1 wicket)
JMA Keillher: 100 in 88 balls, 9x4 4x6 (Wray 255-8)
9th wicket: 50 in 26 balls (Keillher 43, Dawson-Lane 6)

Gruenberg innings
Powerplay 1: Overs 1 - 10 (28 runs, 1 wicket)
PA Deisler: 50 in 77 balls, 6x4 (Gruenberg 83-3)
Powerplay 2: Overs 36 - 40 (16 runs, 2 wickets)
7th wicket: 50 in 51 balls (Telliflikkiflarknon 28, Juffwump 20)

Match result: Wray win by 91 runs

[Gruenberg]

(Once more I may be unable to roleplay; if so, team for the next game will be: 1. PA Deisler, 2. WH Tootash, 3. BL Enchante, 4. K Gezzalqin, 5. ST Juffwump*, 6. ALL Telliflikkiflarknon, 7. XTYV Gguddu, 8. LEA Wuffan, 9. KZY Uvaevaluvae+, 10. BX Ningveil, 11. FFFFFFFF Yumbucket)

[Wray]

Cut-off - really sorry about the lateness

[Wray]

GardenBank Tri-Series, Game 5, TM Parker Bayside Stadium

Gruenberg 187/2 (40.2 overs)
Liventia 185 (38.4 overs)

Gruenberg win by 8 wickets

[Liventia]

GardenBank Tri-Series — Match 5 (Liventia ODI no. 25)
Played at TM Parker Bayside Stadium, Nelson's Bay (50-over match)
Gruenberg v Liventia
Liventia won the toss and elected to bat
Gruenberg won by eight wickets
Man of the match: PA Deisler (Gruenberg)

Liventia innings (50 overs maximum)
Batsman						     R   B  4s  6s   SR
PW Jamieson		lbw b Telliflikkiflarknon    5  16   1   0   31.25
JCA Quinn		c †Uvaevaluvae b Yumbucket   0   3   0   0    0.00
AJ Cunningham		c Gezzalqin b Wuffan	    29  47   1   1   61.70
DA Hennessey		c †Uvaevaluvae b Wuffan	    84  82  10   3  102.43
OH Kerr			c Juffwump b Ningveil	    37  44   1   1   84.09
TD Jonsson		run out (Tootash)	     2   7   0   0   28.57
DM Lewis		c Deisler b Ningveil	     1   5   0   0   20.00
MQ Sarrin†		c Tootash b Enchante	     6  13   0   0   46.15
MC Geach*		b Juffwump		     2   5   0   0   40.00
DM Quinn		b Juffwump		     4   5   0   0   80.00
SV Finney		not out			     5   5   1   0  100.00
  EXTRAS		(3lb, 7wd)		    10
  TOTAL			all out			   185 (38.4 ov; 4.78 rpo)

FoW 1/5 JCA Quinn 2.2, 2/7 Jamieson 3.6, 3/80 Cunningham 19.3, 4/161 Hennessey 31.1,
5/165 Jonsson 32.4, 6/166 Kerr 33.2, 7/171 Lewis 35.3, 8/175 Geach 36.5, 9/175 Sarrin 37.1,
10/185 DM Quinn 38.4

Gruenberg bowling
Bowler		 	   Ov   M   R   W   Econ  Ext
FFFFFFFF Yumbucket	  7.0   0  25   1   3.57
ALL Telliflikkiflarknon	  7.0   1  26   1   3.71  (1wd)
LEA Wuffan		  7.0   0  27   2   3.85  (2wd)
BX Ningveil		  8.0   0  40   2   5.00
ST Juffwump		  6.4   0  42   2   6.30  (3wd)
BL Enchante		  3.0   0  22   1   7.33  (1wd)

Gruenberg innings (target 186 from 50 overs)
Batsman						     R   B  4s  6s   SR
PA Deisler		lbw b Geach		    99 133  14   0   74.44
WH Tootash		c JCA Quinn b Geach	    10  25   2   0   40.00
BL Enchante		not out			    58  79   3   1   73.42
K Gezzalqin		not out			     9   6   1   0  150.00
  EXTRAS		(10wd, 1nb)		    11
  TOTAL			for 2 wickets		   187 (40.2 ov; 4.64 rpo)
Did not bat ST Juffwump*, ALL Telliflikkiflarknon, XTYV Gguddu, LEA Wuffan, 
KZY Uvaevaluvae†, BX Ningveil, FFFFFFFF Yumbucket

FoW 1/31 Tootash 8.5, 2/163 Deisler 38.3

Liventia bowling
Bowler			  Ov   M   R   W   Econ  Ext
MC Geach		10.0   2  35   2   3.50  (1nb, 1wd)
OH Kerr			 8.2   0  46   0   5.52  (2wd)
DM Quinn		10.0   1  32   0   3.20
SV Finney		 3.0   0   9   0   3.00
TD Jonsson		 2.0   0  17   0   8.50  (2wd)
DM Lewis		 7.0   0  48   0   6.86  (1wd)

Liventia side to play Wray: PW Jamieson, JCA Quinn, AJ Cunningham, DA Hennessey, LP Cartwright, AF Williams, MJ Westley, MQ Sarrin†, MC Geach, DM Quinn, SV Finney (bowling: Geach/Cartwright to open, Westley, D Quinn, Finney and Williams splitting the other overs – no more than 6 for Finney/4 for Williams)

[Wray]

State of Play
A man. Sports. Booze.

I'm sorry Jase, I really am. For those of you who are not regular followers of the blog, you may not be aware that Jason Keillher and I are the same age. Even more so, we were born in the same district of Cartersburg, Vareny. Even more than that, we went to the same High School. St Lawrence's District High School. We played cricket together at the school, him in the 1st XI for three years, captain for two, me, scraping in the last year. Him, the big-hitting-fast-bowling superstar, me, the slightly tubby wrist-spinner who spent the majority of his time either on the fine leg boundary or back in the pavilllion. Whilst he was chatting up all the girls post-game, I was, well, not. But the fact that he's come into a vein of form richer than Croesus makes me slightly less jealous of him. I mean, when he's whacking Gruenberger bowlers over the fence, I forget the times when he made me look like an idiot in front of Cynthia McConnell.

Anyway, I'm ranting. Jason Keillher came through for us once again, after his 33-ball 80 against Gruenberg the first time, and his 39-ball 48 against Liventia, he outdid himself with a mesmerising 149* off just 112 deliveries, the highest ODI score by a Wrayian (I don't know what the highest is of all time, the GCF is remarkably poor at record-keeping).

Wray won the toss and elected to bat on the crystal white track of the TM Parker Bayside Stadium. A cool bloody f***ing freezing ocean breeze blew off the Hollander Sea, and both teams came out wearing their thick cricket sweaters, which I'd never seen Wray wearing before, and frankly they look ridiculous. Apparently, they got some fashion designer to design it, and it somehow incorporates the pine tree, but neither Amy or I could figure out for our lives how it fit in. Was it that white wispy swirl, or perhaps those green stars? I didn't know.

Once again, Wray accelerated early on, but also lost wickets. Chris Laughlin was in an aggressive mood, opening proceedings with a lofted drive off Telliflikkiflarknon and two cuts off Yumbucket. But his aggression, once again, didn't materialise into proper runs, he tried to slog-drive (that's a new term I'm coining) Telliflikkiflarknon over mid-off, but got a massive toe on the ball and it sailed to Yumbucket in the field. After Colt's stoic 60 last time round, he batted sluggishly again, this time making just 9 off 25 balls without a boundary before chopping on against Gguddu. Glenn Mitchell was dropped first ball, rather worryingly. He spied a short and wide one off Yumbucket and flashed hard at it, but only managed to pick out backward point. The ball screamed towards Warax, and the ball thudded into his hands as he fell backwards. It would have been a sensational catch, if he hadn't spilt the ball on landing. Getting Wray's captain first ball would've been very beneficial indeed. Fortunately for Gruenberg, he was dismissed just three balls later, pinned by Yumbucket going forward to a ball that kept low and getting hit on the front pad. He was given, and after a short chat with Chris Laughlin, went back to the shed.

Wray slipped to a rather ungainly 68-4 off just 11 overs when James Boswell was run out. Jamie Jackson dropped it into the off-side and Boswell was very slow to react, slipping almost in the crease as he tried to scramble down the other end. Jackson was set on the run, so they were both mid-pitch when the throw came back in and Uvaevaluvae knocked the bails off. Things started to look really down when Hayden Sleath, a noted player of spin, danced down the track and tried to play Ningveil over cover, but skewed it straight into the hands of Gezzalqin at cover. 77-5, with only Jackson and Keillher left with any batting talent (Nathan Gardiner had been bought in for Blake Matthews because the Bayside pitch was turning square). Keillher instantly went on the attack to stem the tide of wickets, but very nearly saw himself caught on 16 when he went for a slog to midwicket. The fielder, Otterbiscuits, flung himself full length across the turf to try and pluck it out of the air, but despite getting two fingers two it, he just couldn't hold on.

Keillher was anything but clean or neat during his opening 50. He edged several deliveries, was almost run-out and was generally very lucky. His 50 came off 43 balls, including a huge top-edge off Gguddu which flew over the slip cordon, and over the boundary rope. Jackson bought up his own 50 shortly afterwards, but he couldn't stay to press on, this time Warax managed to hold onto the catch at backward point, albeit it this was a much simpler catch when Jackson got a leading edge trying to work it square on the leg side off Yumbucket.

Keillher, joined at the crease by debutant Nathan Gardiner, began his onslaught against the Gruenberger bowling attack. They'd seen Keillher before, and had been hurt by him before. In the last game, when he'd smashed 80 off just 33 balls, they'd bowled way too full - in the slot, and Jason just opened up his stance and swung through the line - there is no more destructive player in the world when Jason has a licence to just hit the ball. In this case, actually, he didn't really have a licence, but hey, who cares. After his 50, he really began to hit the ball hard, and long. Gardiner also joined in with the stirking, hitting four boundaries in his 13-ball tenure, including a crouched pull off Ningveil that travelled so fast that the fielder at deep midwicket, whom Gardiner had picked out perfectly, didn't have time to even spot the ball before it crashed into the boundary rope.

Gardiner fell by the wayside, nicking to slip off an expansive drive, but Keillher kept going. A drive here, a pull there, several powerful cut shots and Juffwump was out of ideas. He brought his main bowlers back on, but Keillher just whacked them about. Eightyseven Otterbiscuits was brought on and managed to prise out Jackson Storm, a rank long-hop ended up in the hands of the captain and short midwicket. Keillher's century came up off 88 balls, with 9 4s and 4 6s, with Gruenberg's opening seamers bearing the brunt of the assault (Telliflikkiflarknon ended with figures of 9-0-61-1, and Yumbucket with 9-0-68-2.). Wray's tail did another good job of letting Keillher keep the strike, and he blasted his way to 149* off 112 balls, with eight sixes and twelve fours, an assault more brutal than his last against the Gruenbergers.

Set a tricky 311 for victory on a Bayside wicket crumbling more than my grandmum's rock-cake, Otterbiscuits and Deisler began the chase apprehensively. Jackson Storm looked revved up and was bowling well into the 90s, with some deliveries causing the tell-tale puff of dust. The pair were looking like surviving the opening burst from Storm and Dawson-Lane when Otterbiscuits fiddled at one outside off, perhaps one he could have left, and nicked through to Sleath behind the stumps.

Benny Enchante, who held the key to Gruenberg succeeding on this difficult track, was then dismissed in the most unfortunate, yet amusing way possible (at least for Wray fans). Pitkin Deisler was on strike against Storm, and he drove the ball hard back to the bowler. Storm stuck out a hand to catch it, but instead flicked it onto the stumps, leaving Enchante stranded some way down the wicket backing up. Storm looked at the umpire, who nodded, before being embraced by his team-mates. Enchante could do nothing but look disconsolately at Deisler and trudge off the pitch. 39-2. Kakuwat Gezzalqin was another in the long line of Gruenberger batsmen who found it plain sailing against the grippy off-spin of Nathan Gardiner and the mystery spin of Shane Aguando, but then came unstuck against the more sedate, regular bowling of Wray's reserve seamers. This time, he managed to bunt a low full toss off Jason Keillher straight back into his hands. He wasn't expecting it, and he juggled it once, twice, before finally clasping it against his chest and claiming the catch. He did a legendary job with the bat, and was now chipping in with the ball. Tchokoman Warax committed the greatest sin any batsman can commit in the Bayside Stadium: getting bogged down against the spinners. Aguando and Gardiner were bowling together, interspersed with overs from the wonderfully dodgy leg-spin of Jamie Jackson. When you play spinners on the Bayside, you have to constantly be looking for singles, and if you can't get a single, move around your crease and play different strokes. There's nothing a spinner loves more than to get into his rhythm and pin you down, and that's exactly what Aguando, Gardiner and Jackson did to Warax. After a very painful 38 balls, he failed to read the Aguando wrong-un and was stuck back in his crease. Easiest lbw decision of the umpires life.

Captain Surro Juffwump managed to stick around for a bit, but soon after reaching his fifty, opener Deisler was dismissed by an absolute jaffa of a delivery from who of all people? Jamie Jackson, with his penny-a-dozen leggies. This was an absolute dream of a delivery. Earlier in his overs, he'd bowled a mixture of decent length deliveries and long-hops and full tosses. But this ball would be one Shane Aguando would be proud of (if, of course, he bowled leg spin). Delivered with a more round-arm action than your conventional leg-spinner, the bowl fizzed out of his hand, pitch on a good length and spun massively away from Deisler. He threw his bat at the ball, nicking it and sending a low catch to Glenn Mitchell at slip, who snaffled it low to his right. A great catch to round off a great ball. Jackson was ecstatic. He has just 4 senior career wickets to his name, so to get a Gruenberger opening batsman, supposedly the greatest players of spin in the world must've been a great feeling. The celebrations certainly showed that.

Then, just 3 balls later, he had another wicket, albeit with a slightly less decent ball. This time it was a short-of-a-length delivery, very short of a length in fact, and Gguddu stepped some way down to try and hoick it over midwicket, but the ball spat out of the turf, turned way inside Gguddu's bat and Sleath did the rest. 2 wickets in the over for the part-time Jackson and Gruenberg were teetering at 127-6. Juffwump and Telliflikkiflarknon put 50 on together in a scrappy partnership, but it was never going to be enough to put them in with a serious shout of winning the game, and when Juffwump played inside the line of an off-break from Nathan Gardiner you knew it was all just a matter of time. Telliflikkiflarknon kept swinging and played a decent knock considering the conditions. Uvaevaluvae popped an easy return catch back to Aggie, and Ningveil went the very next ball, poking forward at the wider delivery and edging to slip. Nathan Gardiner wrapped up a very decent performance from the Green Caps when Yumbucket nicked behind to Sleath.

Cut-off

[Wray]

GardenBank Tri-Series, Game 6, Cartersburg Oval

Liventia 272/1 (44.1 overs)
Wray 268/2 (50 overs)

Liventia win by 9 wickets

Going into the last round of matches, these are the standings

                       Pld   W  D  L Pts 
1 Wray                   4   3  0  1  6
2 Liventia               4   2  0  2  4
3 Gruenberg              4   1  0  3  2

[Liventia]

GardenBank Tri-Series — Match 6 (Liventia ODI no. 26)
Played at Cartersburg Oval, Cartersburg (50-over match)
Liventia v Wray
Liventia won the toss and elected to bowl
Liventia won by nine wickets
Man of the match: JWO Colt (Wray)

Wray innings (50 overs maximum)
Batsman					  R   B  4s  6s   SR
CJ Laughlin	c Cartwright b Geach	106 146   9   1   72.60
JWO Colt	c & b Westley		129 133  15   3   96.99
GPRJ Mitchell*	not out			 15  15   0   0  100.00
JW Jackson	not out			  5   6   0   0   83.33
  EXTRAS	(1lb, 12wd)		 13
  TOTAL		for 2 wickets		268 (50.0 ov; 5.36 rpo)
Did not bat JEN Boswell, HJ Sleath†, JMA Keillher, NJ Gardiner, JS Storm,
C Dawson-Lane, SG Aguando

FoW 1/231 Colt 44.4, 2/254 Laughlin 47.3

Liventia bowling
Bowler		  Ov   M   R   W   Econ  Ext
MC Geach	 7.0   0  44   1   6.29
AF Williams	 3.0   0  29   0   9.67  (5wd)
SV Finney	 6.0   0  41   0   6.83  (2wd)
MJ Westley	 9.0   1  43   1   4.77
LP Cartwright	10.0   1  46   0   4.60  (1wd)
DM Quinn	10.0   0  42   0   4.20  (3wd)
DA Hennessey	 5.0   0  22   0   4.40

Liventia innings (target 269 from 50 overs)
Batsman					  R   B  4s  6s   SR
PW Jamieson	retired hurt		 80  76   8   1  105.26
JCA Quinn	c Boswell b Storm	106 119  10   0   89.08
AJ Cunningham	not out			 49  56   5   0   87.50
DA Hennessey	not out			 17  17   2   0  100.00
  EXTRAS	(4b, 4lb, 9wd, 3nb)	 20
  TOTAL		for 1 wicket		272 (44.1 ov; 6.16 rpo)
Did not bat LP Cartwright, AF Williams, MJ Westley, MQ Sarrin†, MC Geach*,
DM Quinn, SV Finney

FoW 0/179* Jamieson 27.1 retd, 1/234 JCA Quinn 38.2

Wray bowling
Bowler		  Ov   M   R   W   Econ  Ext
JS Storm	 8.0   1  41   0   5.12  (3wd)
C Dawson-Lane	 9.0   0  51   0   5.67  (1nb)
NJ Gardiner	 8.0   1  45   1   5.63  (2nb, 3wd)
JMA Keillher	 9.0   0  55   0   6.11
SG Aguando	 4.0   0  29   0   7.25
GPRJ Mitchell	 1.0   0   8   0   8.00  (1wd)
JW Jackson	 5.1   0  35   0   6.77

Liventia side to play Gruenberg, Day 8:
AF Williams, JCA Quinn, AJ Cunningham, DA Hennessey, OH Kerr, TD Jonsson, MQ Sarrin+, DM Lewis, MC Geach*, JTE Sanderson, SV Finney
(bowling: Geach/Kerr to open, Finney/Sanderson/Jonsson for pace, Lewis/Hennessey for spin)