GCF World Twenty20 Championship VII [everything thread]

[Liventia]

Matchday 3
Group A
Ko-oren 141/2 (19.5 overs)
Paymina 139/6 (20 overs)

Krytenia 152/6 (20 overs)
Apox 156/3 (18.2 overs)

Welwyn 104 (15.5 overs)
Sargossa 125/7 (20 overs)

Group A                                 Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Apox                                    3   3  0  0    6  +2.384
2 Ko-oren                                 3   2  0  1    4  +0.316
3 Welwyn                                  3   1  0  2    2  -0.374
4 Krytenia                                3   1  0  2    2  -0.501
5 Sargossa                                3   1  0  2    2  -0.695
6 Paymina                                 3   1  0  2    2  -0.956

Group B
Eura 141/8 (20 overs)
Eastfield Lodge 145/4 (19 overs)

The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 149/9 (20 overs)
Gruenberg 158/4 (20 overs)

Yttribia 127/6 (20 overs)
The Sword Bloke 132/9 (20 overs)

Group B                                 Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Gruenberg                               3   3  0  0    6  +0.806
2 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec             3   2  0  1    4  +1.066
3 Eura                                    3   1  0  2    2  +0.327
4 Eastfield Lodge                         3   1  0  2    2  -0.153
5 Yttribia                                3   1  0  2    2  -0.324
6 The Sword Bloke                         3   1  0  2    2  -1.662

Group C
San Jose Guayabal 135/6 (20 overs)
Marion Oaks 122/8 (20 overs)

The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis 117/5 (20 overs)
Barunia 119/6 (14.3 overs)

Kernansquillec 162/6 (20 overs)
Damukuni 156/5 (20 overs)

Group C                                 Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Barunia                                 3   3  0  0    6  +1.576
2 The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis      3   2  0  1    4  -0.546
3 Kernansquillec                          3   2  0  1    4  +0.231
4 Damukuni                                3   1  0  2    2  -0.035
5 San Jose Guayabal                       3   1  0  2    2  -0.357
6 Marion Oaks                             3   0  0  3    0  -0.738

Group D
Wray 134/9 (20 overs)
Sjovenia 138/8 (19.2 overs)

Britonisea 125/6 (20 overs)
The Jeckish Union 122/6 (20 overs)

Audioslavia 146/7 (20 overs)
Arabnesia 81 (12.5 overs)

Group D                                 Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Sjovenia                                3   3  0  0    6  +0.260
2 Britonisea                              3   3  0  0    6  +0.247
3 Wray                                    3   2  0  1    4  +0.012
4 Audioslavia                             3   1  0  2    2  +0.851
5 The Jeckish Union                       3   0  0  3    0  -0.147
6 Arabnesia                               3   0  0  3    0  -1.203

Group E
Patistan 148/4 (20 overs)
Democractic India 104 (15.4 overs)

United States of Devonta 138/6 (20 overs)
Liventia 139/3 (16.4 overs)

Elejamie 113/3 (20 overs)
Shtiar Bakal 114/6 (16 overs)

Group E                                 Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Liventia                                3   3  0  0    6  +2.325
2 Patistan                                3   2  0  1    4  +0.783
3 Shtiar Bakal                            3   2  0  1    4  +0.614
4 Elejamie                                3   2  0  1    4  -0.137
5 United States of Devonta                3   0  0  3    0  -1.237
6 Democractic India                       3   0  0  3    0  -2.123

Net run rate (NRR) is calculated as follows:
(Runs scored / overs batted) - (Runs allowed / overs bowled). If a team is all out, they are considered to have batted 20 overs (and the bowling side is considered to have bowled 20 overs).

Plate competition will be as follows:
After MD5, the top two in each group qualify for the main draw. All remaining 20 teams will then be ranked by points, matches won, and net run rate (in that order), taking no account of head-to-head results. The top two teams from this ranking will also qualify for the main draw, while the bottom two teams will be eliminated from the tournament.

The remaining 16 teams will then be sorted into two pots of eight and drawn randomly against a team from the opposite pot (i.e. teams ranked 3rd to 10th will play teams ranked from 11th to 18th). This is a single elimination through to the final, which will determine the winner of the plate competition (and as such 13th place overall in the tournament).

The plate competition will not count towards World T20 ranks.

[The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis]

The captain entered the locker room after a dejecting loss against the top of the table team - Barunia.

Barunia had limited the Zack team to only 117 runs which they managed to earn inside 15 overs. As soon as the 20 overs were up the UKZ knew that they wouldn't be able to hold up their 117 runs against a much more experienced Barunian team.

But the the ca[ptain had something to say, "So we lost our first match of the tournament. That's not too bad. What's important is that we have to stay in this tournament. That cup belongs to the UKZ and we are going to give it our very best to get it back home to the commonwealth"

While the captain tried to raise his team's spirits Zack fans bounced back soon from the sadness of the dissapointing loss as they're attention was diverted very soon from cricket to happenings in their parliament- The Zack Government had fallen with a vote of no confidence, the first time since 1912.

The ruling, largley socilaist colaition headed by the ZPP has fallen with a vote of no confidence against them and this was enough to distract the entire nation.

Zack sporting channels have predicted that the viwership of the T20 Champsionships are going to fall as the nation heads into elections.

[Apox]

Krytenia 152/6 (20 overs)
Apox 156/3 (18.2 overs)

Apox Bowling
Name             Overs  Maidens  Runs  Wickets  Economy
Sam Vernon         3.0    0       24      1        8.00
Lucia Swizzard     4.0    0       35      1        8.75
Miles Scott        4.0    0       32      0        8.00
Anyi Metrophanes   4.0    0       28      0        7.00
Bashar al Menzes   3.2    0       33      4        9.90

Apox Batting
Name              How Out              Runs  Balls  4's  6's SR
Sam Gugh          c Watson b Blix         7      9   1    0  77.78
James Hughes      c Volmer b Mahala      23     20   3    0 115.00
Jake Walters      NOT OUT                75     48   9    2 156.25
Fran Kane         c & b Rapheson         26     16   4    0 162.50
Bashar al Menzes  NOT OUT                17     17   2    1 100.00
Edgar Orbiton
Kelly Crookshaw
Anyi Metrophanes
Lucia Swizzard
Miles Scott
Sam Vernon
EXTRAS         2 wides, 5 byes, 1 lb      8
TOTAL                                   156

FOW
15  for 1 (Gugh)
58  for 2 (Hughes)
109 for 3 (Kane)

[Ko-oren]

Cyclonesville miracle /sɑɪkloʊnzvɪɫ mɪɹəkəɫ/, /sɑɪkləʊ̯nzvɪɫ mɪɹəkəɫ/

Noun. The Union of Ko-oren's narrow win over Paymina in the GCF World Twenty20 Championship VII. Seldanna batting a very powerful four for the Union's win 141-139 with one ball to be bowled.

Example sentences:
"Have you seen the Cyclonesville miracle yesterday?"

---

Seldanna, Foley, Dunn and Van Moor. That's all that took the Union to beat Paymina, but that is completely ignoring how close this match was. Instead of listing all four players to have bat for the Union, we could have said how many balls both teams faced: 120 for Paymina, 119 for Ko-oren. It was a match by the book for the Union, though they should have capitalised on mistakes during Paymina's innings, but Roberts' and Yoshimura's bowling wasn't exactly up to par either, both allowing five sixes for 30 out of Paymina's total of 139. The over of hell came with Yoshimura bowling: two sixes, three fours and after all that she finished with a very controversial call that was not ruled LBW after all. The very next inning, Doyle took over and immediately hit a wicket on the first ball and another on the fifth. Yoshimura would return for just one more over this match, yielding another six, another two fours and three ones to the opponents. She didn't get the opportunity to redeem herself with just four Ko-orenites batting: Foley and Dunn both got out after 47 and 5 runs respectively, and Van Moor had 35, and starter Seldanna had the remaining 54. Seldanna was the obvious MVP for playing all 19.5 overs and catching a Paymina player out.

[Audioslavia]

Batsman			Info			Runs	Balls
RM Buttersworth		b Bowler c Slip		40	36
GWB Braithwaite		b Bowler c Keeper	20	12
J Siddle		b Bowler		14	10
LR Flitcroft		run out			18	12
W Scargill		NOT OUT			18	42
P Chivers		b Bowler c Keeper	6	2
H Carthurst		b Bowler		14	6
R Smith			b Bowler		3	2
J Smith			NOT OUT			1	2
X Etxehartzaren				
LR Fielding			
					Extras:  12
				         Score: 146/7

Bowler	Score
X Etxehartzaren:	1/14
J Smith:		2/15
R Smith:		2/18
LR Fielding:		5/23
W Scargill:		1/11

Fall of wickets: 24, 28, 48, 48, 48, 63, 75, 77, 80, 81

Grasshoppers Leap to Victory

After two close games without a win, Audioslavia skittled out third opponents Arabnesia for just 81 runs on Sunday, in what may prove to be a pivotal match for the men from the north-east.

Whereas previous matches had seen Audioslavia trying, and failing, to protect a modest score against superior opposition, Sunday's encounter saw their opponents blown away by a lethal bowling attack, with L.R. Fielding taking an impressive five wickets for just twenty-three runs.

Chasing Audioslavia's total of 146, Arabnesia were almost blown away before they'd even reached fifty as Fielding's unpredictable bowling bamboozled batsman after batsman, most of whom had already been scared half to death by Etxehartzaren's fast-paced bouncers.

And just when they thought it was safe, Scargill's fast and erratic bowling put the willies up them some more. He may have conceded two fours and a number of no-balls in his first five deliveries, but the captain was able to take down another wicket with his final ball, leaving Arabnesia on 63/6 and looking about to crumble. Less than twenty runs later, they would do exactly that.

The result gives Audioslavia a glimmer of hope going into the final two games. The Jeckish Union could provide a stern test as the highest-ranked team in the group, but the Jeckish have been poor thus far. Is an upset perhaps on the cards?

[Welwyn (Ancient)]

Welwyn will struggle to get out of Group A in the GCF World Twenty20 Championship despite a good start having lost two of the first three games.

It started really well against Krytenia as skipper Ray Cross made the interesting decision to open the bowling with the extra pace of Dominic Hopkins as opposed to Darren Lockley. This may have been due to two wickets in the first over from Chris Foster. He was proved right though as by the end of the powerplay, Krytenia had been reduced to 25-5.

The lower-middle order recovered the situation but the return of Foster saw Krytenia bowled out for just 101. Foster finished with figures of 4-17 and was the star man while Hopkins & Lloyd Cherill added two a-piece.

A couple of early wickets caused very little concern because of the sheer class of Matt Hill who anchored the innings with 47 off 32 balls.

However, chasing 167 to win in game two against Paymina was a different kettle of fish. Lacking the impetus of a quickfire knock from James White, Foster or Jon Davey, they will always struggle to score at above eight an over and that was the case here. Cross (34 off 30) and Connor Magee (38 off 40) were the highest scores but at nowhere near the rate required as they finished 28 short.

Matchday Three became crucial, with the decision to drop Lockley for the extra spinner in Alessandro Moralee proving right. Moralee combined with the other two spinners, Magee and Steve Moore, for overall figures of 6-55 off of their 10 overs, as they held Sargossa to 125-7.
Not bowling Magee out may prove the big tactical error of the tournament from Cross though as Welwyn proved that, as well as they can bowl spin, they struggle to play it well on these types of pitches. Matt Hill class stood out but he looked dazed and confused by the carnage happening at the other end, his second score in the forties (43 not out from 38) in just three games was almost half the score as Welwyn were bowled out for 104.

[Wray]

Article from cricketweek.co.wr

In a Spin

Shane Aguando was the second Wray bowler to take 100 test wickets

Interview by Craig Marling

So Shane, start us off, why left-arm chinaman?
Err, I don't know? *laughs* I always wanted to bowl spin, I guess, because I grew up in Western Provinces in the mid-90s when Grant Connors and Ryan Charleston were the most lethal spin combination in the country, taking, like 150 wickets in the season, with their off-spin leg-spin combination, as well as being just really cool blokes. That made me want to bowl spin, as like a seven or eight year old. I was left-handed, so the two options were to bowl left-arm orthodox, or chinaman. I initially started bowling left-arm orthodox, and to be honest, I succeeded with it. There are remarkably few left-arm spinners of any sort in youth cricket, so people had trouble playing me. When I was 11, I started playing for my District side, which is the level under Territory, and I took, I think, four wickets in my first game. The coaches suddenly looked up and said 'this kid's got something' and suddenly they were scrutinising my technique, telling me to do this, to do that, and I think overcoaching broke my technique. When I was 14, I just fell apart. I got the yips in a school game and just lost everything. I was really upset, I got pretty cross at my coaches. So I went my own way and began bowling chinamen, and it felt really good. I always felt that I was forcing it a bit bowling orthodox, but wrist spin felt really natural and I really enjoyed it. I had one coach, when I was sixteen with Western Provinces, Sam Neville, just told me to relax and enjoy myself as I bowled. I developed a new action, new run-up, everything, and got immediate results. I was inducted into the Western Provinces Academy and the coaches there all said it was the best thing for me, and I just went from there.

You mention coaches a lot, were they integral to your rise?
Definitely. We've got great coaches in every level of the game, from school to international level. At School, Seven Bays High School, which is renowned for it's cricket skill. They had a couple of ex-Territory Pros coaching the XI and other players. Off the top of my head, my coach back in SBHS was Milton Williams, who was part of the unbeaten One Day side from Western Provinces. Despite being a batsman, he knew the subtleties of the game and helped me develop as a player. On the flip side, as I got to Territory level, as a 16 year old at Ford Park, when the newest academy inductees are brought to the ground, they had two spin bowling coaches, and whilst I hold nothing against them, they went about me the wrong way. The youth selectors had told them 'this guy's really talented, but a bit raw', and they focused on trying to iron out the idiosyncrasies in my action. I didn't like being tinkered with but I was afraid of speaking out because I didn't want to be dropped from the Academy, because I was so gunned to be there. I saw myself collapsing from the outside, bowling worse and worse, for about a year. I somehow managed to take wickets so they didn't drop me, but I knew something was up. I was getting injured, shoulders mainly, but after a year, just before my 17th birthday, I pulled out of a District game because I knew I couldn't do it any more. I took a little break, but cricket was my calling, so I came back at the beginning of the summer and said 'I bowl differently now - take it or leave it'. They started me in a District game, early season, I bowled like a charm. Took, like, 4 wickets off my 10 overs at a really tight economy. It was upwards from there.

What, if you can remember, is your favourite international wicket?
Hmm - that's a tricky one. I've taken quite a few that I like, I always like a good stumping or getting a batsman with a variation. So I'd probably say my favourite was getting Benny Enchante at the TM Parker Bayside Stadium. It was the first test of the series, after we had squeaked through against Patistan, and we batted first, putting 450 on the board - Si Sterne made a century and I hit two fours - and Gruenberg had started OK. I'd got my first wicket, a quicker one pinning Pitkin Deisler LBW, and I started another over with Enchante on strike. He's a big guy, and a big presence at the crease. I have tons of respect for him, but we knew he was on a lean trot and we wanted to target him. We'd discussed plans in the hotel of me bowling variations to him first up, so first ball I bowled the top-spinner. He played it well enough, bunting it back up the pitch. Si[mon Sterne] came up to me and suggested I tried the wrong-un, you know, the googly. I said alright and I bowled it. It fizzed out of my hand and pitch on leg stump, drifting in. Enchante moved forward to play it down the leg-stump line, but it spat out of the footmark and turned sharply past his outside edge. It clipped the top of off-stump, turning from leg to off, which is every spinner's dream. I went pretty crazy after that. It was nominated for Dismissal of the Season, which was cool, but I liked it so much because it was a plan which had been executed perfectly, against such a quality batsman.

How did you feel, being in the spotlight at such a young age?
It was a mixed experience. I made my debut when I was 21, which is a pretty young age, and I was in my third year at University. One Day, I was attending my Social History lectures, the next day I was e-mailed by the head coach at Western Provinces that I'd been selected in the national squad and was to report to the training camp in four days. I had to 'get my affairs in order', as it were, tell my lecturers, my mates, my parents that I'd been selected and had to go across the country, rent a flat on a short term basis and attend the camp. When I started playing test matches, I started opening the morning papers and I'd see my name, with pundits analysing every aspect of my game. Some was good, some was bad, but it was weird. Like, back at Ford Park, I'd open up the papers and have to go to the third page of the sports section where there'd be the Territory round-up, and there might be a short sentence about my performance, but on tour we'd receive the copy of the National Reporter or the Cartersburg Herald and there'd be a full page spread or whatever on how I played. There'd be a big picture of me, taken whilst I was on the pitch, and I'd have never seen the photographer. There'd be analysis from former players and journalists, guys I knew and admired, and sometimes it'd be spot on, I'd agree, but others, I felt like they didn't know what they were talking about.

I assume you're referring to the time when you took up an argument with Herald Cricket Analyst Chris Bryant?
Maybe. OK, yes. All it was, was that Bryant, after a game where perhaps I didn't play my best in Liventia, he basically suggested that I was a 'liability' in the side and that I had too many flaws, and therefore I should be dropped for a spinner with more control or another seamer. Despite never having played the game to a serious level he was criticising all these tiny elements of my game and technique, stuff like 'his wrist is too crooked' or 'he should stand stronger on his front foot', just stuff that was plainly not true. So I went to social media, which, in retrospect, was not a great way to handle things, I should have gone through the team's PR & Press Department. I just said 'Perhaps some people should educate themselves on the game they purport to know so much about before opening their mouths' and linked to the article. I got a slap on the wrists from our Press people, but Bryant eventually did apologise at a WCB function, so we cleared the air on that one.

As Wray's primary spinner in all formats, you are under constant pressure to succeed. Do you cope well with it?
I'm a professional cricketer, and I'm paid to bowl spin - so the responsibility and pressure is just part of the job description. Many people consider me to be one of the best spinners in the world, I'm not sure I agree *laughs*, so there's the added pressure of people always expecting me to take bags of wickets and be a super-star. Obviously I try to do that whenever I can but sometimes it just doesn't work, that's how spin works. Fans and journalists alike put me down as one of the players who will always perform for Wray, and sometime it's a bit straining when I don't perform, and people start to get on my back, despite the fact that my poor performance, as it were, is entirely created by them. On the other hand, on a number of occasions, the pressure has driven me to succeed. In the famous 1-run win over Patistan, when I took six wickets in the final innings including the winning wicket, the press had cottoned onto the idea that I was the key to victory on the day. Every paper ran the story, and a number of fans came up to me and said 'You've got this Aggie', 'It's all yours Shane'. Obviously there was the pressure, but it drove me to succeed, and I took six wickets. So it's a two sided thing - sometimes it affects me positively, other times it's a negative thing.

Coming back to your appearances in all three formats, do you ever find yourself tiring with all the matches?
Not really. The test season is probably the hardest on me physically, and I took a break on the advice of the medical staff over the tour of Jeckland. I was kind of 50-50 about it: on one side, I wanted to play - it was a new country, and I was looking forward to it, but on the other, I knew I have plenty of cricket left in me, and I didn't want to jeopardise it by picking up an injury in a minor test series. I take my fitness very seriously, and when I'm not in the nets I'm in the gym, either on the treadmill or with the weights. Most of our personal fitness is our responsibility, we have to pass two rudimentary fitness tests at the beginning and midway through the season so I make sure I'm in good shape for that. Most of the work we do with the physios and health guys is stuff particular to us - for example I've had a history of shoulder injuries so I work a lot on strengthening the muscles there. However, when it comes to playing in Gruenberg, where the temperatures are just unreal, we have to do a lot of extra work. We go out two weeks before the first game and just get used to the heat. Then we start exercising and playing cricket, so we're just about ready when we start to play. But nothing is worse than standing out in the field all day, bowling 30 overs with no reward whilst Gruenberg pile on the runs, and you have to go out there following morning and it's 35 degrees. Nightmare.

What's your favourite format to play?
Test matches. Whilst you can have a good time in limited overs games, it's just not quite the same as the highest peak of the game. To play for your country is such an honour, and in Test matches it is an immense privilege, something which I am extremely grateful for. The sheer mental and physical challenge presented by a five day match is one I love.

What's the secret to good spin bowling?
Can I say luck?

No.
OK, alright. It's all down to hard work, really. Now I know that might sound clichéd, but it's true. I wasn't the most talented kid at cricket - sure, I was alright, but I loved the game so I spent hours, days in the nets, just bowling balls. I tinkered with my action, tried different things, just to see what would work. I put in the time, and I got the reward. On the technical side, it's more subtle. For any young aspiring spinners out there, just make sure you keep your head upright, that'll stop the ball sliding down leg, which is a common ailment for young spinners, so you'll have your line sorted out. Secondly, make sure you give the ball a good rip. After all, you're a spinner, so you have to spin the ball. Work on turning the ball as much as possible, and then focus of the smaller stuff later.

You've taken 100 test wickets so far. Reflect on that for us.
It was actually a bit annoying, because Jackson [Storm] and I were having a little race to see who could get to 100 first. I was leading right the way till 99, when Jacko took a four-fer I think and got to 100 ahead of me. He then moved ahead to 109 because I missed the end of last season through injury, so I've got a bit of catch up to do. I got my first wicket against Uitbregen, and have since taken a bag against Liventia, Gruenberg and Chelta, as well as few against other sides. I've found that I tend to bowl better away from home, I think, where there's less pressure on me from the crowds and from the press, and I can just do my own thing. Probably because, as I've said, I play better when I'm relaxed...

Which explains your easy-going nature on the pitch.
Of course. I try and equalise every cricket game I play - it's just a sports match where, ultimately, the outcome doesn't really matter. There are far more pressing concerns in the real world than a sports match. I just like to enjoy myself on the pitch, and I think it's reflected in my performances.

We all remember from the broadcast of Wray's Debut Test, when you came on to bowl, you cracked a joke with Ed McCaughey at silly point. What was the joke?
Oh I can't remember - some inane inside garbage joke. Horrendously unfunny.

You've just turned 25, and you've played 29 test matches. What would like to have achieved by the time you retire?
A test century. With the bat.

Really?
Definitely. No, in all seriousness, I'd like to take Wray to the top of the world - that would require us to beat both Gruenberg and Liventia at home, which would be a very tricky task indeed, but it's doable with the players we've got, and for us to win and host the T20 World Cup - you yourself can decide which one is more possible. On a personal note, I'd like 300 test wickets. Preferably the only one, although I reckon Jacko & Blake [Matthews] might have something to say about that.

[Liventia]

Quick note to say MD4 will now be tomorrow (Wed 2/9) and MD5 will be Friday 4/9.

[Patistan]

Patistan National Cricket Team
The Green Leafs

The Team

Pos    Name               Position       Bats         Bowling Style          Dometic Club
1  Danish Dar             Batsman        Right       Right-Arm Fast         Lukker Stallions 
2  Surgar Singhana        Batsman        left        Left-Arm Fast          Tachi Dolphins 
3  Rashid Danish          Batsman        Right       Right-Arm Medium Fast  Jalabad Eagles 
4  Fahad Dargir           Batsman,WK     Right        N/A                   Rangers Badshah
5  Jamil Khanzada         Batsman,       Right       Left-Arm Orthodox      Tayderabad Ravens
6  Gutar Fahad          All-rounder      Right       Right-Arm Fast         Tahore Lions
7  Perry Tahir            Bowler         left        Right-arm Orthodox     Lukker Stallions 
8  Rangola Dashir       All-rounder      Left        Left-arm Orthodox      Rangers Badshah
9  Rashid Hafeez          Bowler         Right       Right-Arm Fast         Tachi Dolphins 
10 Shaheer Arain          Bowler         Right       Right-Arm Medium Fast  Jalabad Eagles 
11 Hemal Lagos            Bowler         Right       Right-Arm Fast         Tashawar Wolves
12 Awais Zia              Batsman        Left        Left-Arm Orthodox      Toota Mountains
13 Valli Ahmed            Bowler         Right       Right-Arm Fast         Liarat Giants
14 Junaid Rasool          Batsman        Right       Right-Arm Spin         Rawabi Fields 
15 Akhtar Zera            Bowler         Left        Left-Arm Orthodox      Taydeabad Ravens

() <---Represents age
Team information:
Captain - Fahad Dargiz (30)
Star Batter - Danish Dar (27)
Most Wickets - Perry Tahir (25)

[Liventia]

Matchday 4
Group A
Paymina 118/9 (20 overs)
Sargossa 152/6 (20 overs)

Apox 174/8 (20 overs)
Welwyn 131/6 (20 overs)

Ko-oren 120/7 (20 overs)
Krytenia 112/6 (20 overs)

Group A                                 Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Apox                                    4   4  0  0    8  +2.317  Super 12s
2 Ko-oren                                 4   3  0  1    6  +0.329
3 Sargossa                                4   2  0  2    4  -0.067
4 Paymina                                 4   1  0  3    2  -1.142
5 Welwyn                                  4   1  0  3    2  -0.813
6 Krytenia                                4   1  0  3    2  -0.461

Group B
Eastfield Lodge 115/5 (11.4 overs)
The Sword Bloke 113/6 (20 overs)

Gruenberg 128/9 (17 overs)
Yttribia 125/5 (20 overs)

Eura 149/7 (18 overs)
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 145/8 (20 overs)

Group B                                 Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Gruenberg                               4   4  0  0    8  +0.938  Super 12s
2 Eastfield Lodge                         4   2  0  2    4  +0.721
3 Eura                                    4   2  0  2    4  +0.506
4 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec             4   2  0  2    4  -0.224
5 The Sword Bloke                         4   1  0  3    2  -2.172
6 Yttribia                                4   1  0  3    2  -0.552

Group C
Marion Oaks 136/4 (20 overs)
Damukuni 139/7 (19.5 overs)

Barunia 125/9 (12.2 overs)
Kernansquillec 123/5 (20 overs)

San Jose Guayabal 140/6 (18 overs)
The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis 137/9 (20 overs)

Group C                                 Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Barunia                                 4   4  0  0    8  +2.060  Super 12s
2 The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis      4   2  0  2    4  -0.765
3 Damukuni                                4   2  0  2    4  +0.026
4 San Jose Guayabal                       4   2  0  2    4  -0.063
5 Kernansquillec                          4   2  0  2    4  -0.570
6 Marion Oaks                             4   0  0  4    0  -0.607

Group D
Sjovenia 135/8 (20 overs)
Arabnesia 138/6 (19.3 overs)

The Jeckish Union 149/7 (20 overs)
Audioslavia 152/6 (19 overs)

Wray 163/3 (20 overs)
Britonisea 124/7 (20 overs)

Group D                                 Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Sjovenia                                4   3  0  1    6  +0.112
2 Wray                                    4   3  0  1    6  +0.501
3 Britonisea                              4   3  0  1    6  -0.304
4 Audioslavia                             4   2  0  2    4  +0.757
5 Arabnesia                               4   1  0  3    2  -0.826
6 The Jeckish Union                       4   0  0  4    0  -0.245

Group E
Democractic India 121/8 (20 overs)
Shtiar Bakal 192/7 (20 overs)

Liventia 156/6 (20 overs)
Elejamie 143/8 (20 overs)

Patistan 153/5 (20 overs)
United States of Devonta 118 (16.3 overs)

Group E                                 Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Liventia                                4   4  0  0    8  +1.888
2 Patistan                                4   3  0  1    6  +1.025
3 Shtiar Bakal                            4   3  0  1    6  +1.380
4 Elejamie                                4   2  0  2    4  -0.284
5 United States of Devonta                4   0  0  4    0  -1.370
6 Democractic India                       4   0  0  4    0  -2.563

Net run rate (NRR) is calculated as follows:
(Runs scored / overs batted) - (Runs allowed / overs bowled). If a team is all out, they are considered to have batted 20 overs (and the bowling side is considered to have bowled 20 overs).

After MD5, the top two in each group qualify for the main draw. All remaining 20 teams will then be ranked by points, matches won, and net run rate (in that order), taking no account of head-to-head results. The top two teams from this ranking will also qualify for the main draw, while the bottom two teams will be eliminated from the tournament.

The remaining 16 teams will then be sorted into two pots of eight and drawn randomly against a team from the opposite pot (i.e. teams ranked 3rd to 10th will play teams ranked from 11th to 18th). This is a single elimination through to the final, which will determine the winner of the plate competition (and as such 13th place overall in the tournament).

The plate competition will not count towards World T20 ranks.

[Liventia]

Matchday 5
Group A
Krytenia 108/6 (13.4 overs)
Paymina 104 (16.1 overs)

Welwyn 117 (15.1 overs)
Ko-oren 127/5 (20 overs)

Sargossa 142/7 (20 overs)
Apox 143/5 (17.1 overs)

Group A                                 Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Apox                                    5   5  0  0   10  +2.107  S12
2 Ko-oren                                 5   4  0  1    8  +0.362  S12
3 Krytenia                                5   2  0  3    4  +0.114
4 Sargossa                                5   2  0  3    4  -0.288
5 Paymina                                 5   1  0  4    2  -1.457
6 Welwyn                                  5   1  0  4    2  -0.754

Group B
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 125/9 (20 overs)
Eastfield Lodge 126/2 (16.1 overs)

Yttribia 155/3 (20 overs)
Eura 154/5 (20 overs)

The Sword Bloke 153/6 (20 overs)
Gruenberg 157/3 (18 overs)

Group B                                 Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Gruenberg                               5   5  0  0   10  +0.961  S12
2 Eastfield Lodge                         5   3  0  2    6  +0.885  S12
3 Eura                                    5   2  0  3    4  +0.388
4 Yttribia                                5   2  0  3    4  -0.438
5 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec             5   2  0  3    4  -0.454
6 The Sword Bloke                         5   1  0  4    2  -1.985

Group C
The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis 138/6 (16.5 overs)
Marion Oaks 136/9 (20 overs)

Kernansquillec 147/6 (20 overs)
San Jose Guayabal 158/6 (20 overs)

Damukuni 136/5 (20 overs)
Barunia 140/7 (18.2 overs)

Group C                                 Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Barunia                                 5   5  0  0   10  +1.800  S12
2 San Jose Guayabal                       5   3  0  2    6  +0.060  S12
3 The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis      5   3  0  2    6  -0.370
4 Kernansquillec                          5   2  0  3    4  -0.573
5 Damukuni                                5   2  0  3    4  -0.139
6 Marion Oaks                             5   0  0  5    0  -1.265

Group D
Britonisea 182/9 (20 overs)
Sjovenia 148/4 (20 overs)

Audioslavia 109/6 (20 overs)
Wray 134/4 (20 overs)

Arabnesia 121/5 (20 overs)
The Jeckish Union 123/4 (15.3 overs)

Group D                                 Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Wray                                    5   4  0  1    8  +0.652  S12
2 Britonisea                              5   4  0  1    8  +0.101  S12
3 Sjovenia                                5   3  0  2    6  -0.252
4 Audioslavia                             5   2  0  3    4  +0.351
5 The Jeckish Union                       5   1  0  4    2  +0.169
6 Arabnesia                               5   1  0  4    2  -1.005

Group E
United States of Devonta 137/8 (20 overs)
Democractic India 169/6 (20 overs)

Elejamie 94 (13.3 overs)
Patistan 98/7 (10.2 overs)

Shtiar Bakal 108/8 (20 overs)
Liventia 110/3 (15.2 overs)

Group E                                 Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Liventia                                5   5  0  0   10  +1.876  S12
2 Patistan                                5   4  0  1    8  +1.604  S12
3 Shtiar Bakal                            5   3  0  2    6  +0.756
4 Elejamie                                5   2  0  3    4  -0.962
5 Democractic India                       5   1  0  4    2  -1.701
6 United States of Devonta                5   0  0  5    0  -1.423

Teams placing 3rd to 6th

The Rest                              Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
Shtiar Bakal                            5   3  0  2    6  +0.756  S12
Sjovenia                                5   3  0  2    6  -0.252  S12
The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis      5   3  0  2    6  -0.370
Eura                                    5   2  0  3    4  +0.388
Audioslavia                             5   2  0  3    4  +0.351
Krytenia                                5   2  0  3    4  +0.114
Damukuni                                5   2  0  3    4  -0.139
Sargossa                                5   2  0  3    4  -0.288
Yttribia                                5   2  0  3    4  -0.438
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec             5   2  0  3    4  -0.454
Kernansquillec                          5   2  0  3    4  -0.573
Elejamie                                5   2  0  3    4  -0.962
The Jeckish Union                       5   1  0  4    2  +0.169
Welwyn                                  5   1  0  4    2  -0.754
Arabnesia                               5   1  0  4    2  -1.005
Paymina                                 5   1  0  4    2  -1.457
Democractic India                       5   1  0  4    2  -1.701
The Sword Bloke                         5   1  0  4    2  -1.985
Marion Oaks                             5   0  0  5    0  -1.265  E
United States of Devonta                5   0  0  5    0  -1.423  E

Net run rate (NRR) is calculated as follows:
(Runs scored / overs batted) - (Runs allowed / overs bowled). If a team is all out, they are considered to have batted 20 overs (and the bowling side is considered to have bowled 20 overs).

---

Super 12s draw
The teams have been sorted into four pots of three, based on first round performance. Each group will then be drawn, with one team from each pot in each group.

Pot 1: Apox, Liventia, Barunia
Pot 2: Gruenberg, Patistan, Wray
Pot 3: Britonisea, Eastfield Lodge, Ko-oren
Pot 4: Shtiar Bakal, San Jose Guayabal, Sjovenia

Group F
Barunia (3)
Patistan (12)
Britonisea (25)
Shtiar Bakal (UR)

Group G
Apox (1)
Wray (8)
Eastfield Lodge (UR)
San Jose Guayabal (10)

Group H
Liventia (2)
Gruenberg (5)
Ko-oren (14)
Sjovenia (UR)

Plate competition round of 16 draw
The 16 teams moving into the Plate competition have been seeded according to their finish in the first stage of the tournament. Teams from the same groups have been prevented from being drawn against each other.

Seeded teams: The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis, Eura, Audioslavia, Krytenia, Damukuni, Sargossa, Yttribia, The Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Unseeded teams: Kernansquillec, Elejamie, The Jeckish Union, Welwyn, Arabnesia, Paymina, Democractic India, The Sword Bloke

Yttribia v Democractic India (at Racecourse Ground, Talbott. Start time 2:30 pm day/night)
The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis [31] v Arabnesia (at Lewes Park, Neverend. Start time 2:30 pm D/N)
Eura [19] v Elejamie (at Broadham Green, Orean. Start time 2:30 pm D/N)
Krytenia v The Jeckish Union [7] (at The Manor, City Centre. Start time 2:30 pm D/N)
Audioslavia v Welwyn (at Racecourse Ground. Start time 6:30 pm floodlit)
Sargossa v Kernansquillec (at Lewes Park. Start time 6:30 pm F)
Damukuni v The Sword Bloke (at Broadham Green. Start time 6:30 pm F)
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec [53] v Paymina (at The Manor. Start time 6:30 pm F)

[Ko-oren]

Aggressive bowling wins the match

The Welwyn eleven took the field against the first Ko-orenite duo, Seldanna and Foley. Welwyn was just on one win with no chance to advance, while the Atlantian Oceanians had only their seeding for the Super 12 to improve. The stakes weren't as high as just a few days prior when the Union was still trying to secure a Super 12 spot. The Welwynners had three main bowlers, who weren't known for getting the pace up. Especially Lockley in his overs, while Hopkins was visibly irritated with this. Hopkins' bowling is a much more paced procedure, and he doesn't like to take too long between bowls. This again was not to the taste of Lockley again, and the two slowly became each other's biggest mental obstruction this game. Meanwhile Seldanna and Foley launched a couple fours and sixes over the two bowlers, and Moore came in as the third Welwyn bowler just to break the cycle of Hopkins and Lockley. Tensions were reduced with him at the reins, and Welwyn started to make up lost territory quickly. Seldanna fell at 74 runs, Foley followed quicly after at 78, Dunn went at 95, Van Moor at 98. Exactly what sets the Unionite eleven apart from most other nations was lost, and instead of Welwyn with their backs against the wall now it was Ko-orenite batters falling quickly after another, and once one of a pair fell, the other's wicket would fall after. West and Kerr came in at 95 and 98 runs, survived three overs of aggressive bowling, and made it all the way through. Kerr was caught with his pants down on a lazy run for 127 and 19.4 overs. Doyle came in, but neither West nor Doyle sought to change much in the last two balls.

Welwyn took up the bat, and now it was a question of which team could straighten up first. Both teams suffered from a poor mental game. Welwyn players were agitated against each other over pace disputes, while the Ko-orenite batters just couldn't get it right either. The wondering ended quicly with Rhain Roberts, who didn't bat earlier, bowling for 4/2 in two overs. He sent two prime Welwyn batters home early, and from here on out the stage was set. The Welwynners recovered fantastically, with the next two (White and Matt Hill) going for fifty runs together (54/2). Foster and Cherrill also put up a hell of a fight with 35 runs together, but the tank was empty after that. Lockley, Moore and Hopkins are the last three on the sheet and all three are, frankly, terrible as batsmen. Scott and Yoshimura were the big bowlers on Ko-orenite side who took care of the majority of the quick falling batsmen in the middle, never allowing the Welwyn duo to get accustomed to each other. They kept the pace up and the ball lightning fast: their offensive and confident bowling saved the game for us.

Immediately after the game, the draw for Super 12 was completed, putting the Union with Liventia, Gruenberg and Sjovenia. Liventia are hosting the tournament, obviously, but their team is not to be underestimated at second in the overall rankings. Gruenberg is slightly more of a dark horse, but still an excellent team at 5th overall. Sjovenia has never competed before. Basically, Ko-oren has a big challenge ahead. Apox was put with Wray, Eastfield Lodge and San Jose Guayabal in the second second round group and the remaining group is Barunia, Patistan, Britonisea and the new Shtiar Bakal.

[Liventia]

Super 12s Matchday 1
Group F
Barunia 181/5 (20 overs)
Shtiar Bakal 129/6 (20 overs)

Patistan 144/5 (20 overs)
Britonisea 110 (15.1 overs)

Group F                Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Barunia                1   1  0  0    2  +2.600
2 Patistan               1   1  0  0    2  +1.700
3 Britonisea             1   0  0  1    0  -1.700
4 Shtiar Bakal           1   0  0  1    0  -2.600

Group G
Apox 193/6 (20 overs)
San Jose Guayabal 124/7 (20 overs)

Wray 173/3 (20 overs)
Eastfield Lodge 129/6 (20 overs)

Group G                Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Apox                   1   1  0  0    2  +3.450
2 Wray                   1   1  0  0    2  +2.200
3 Eastfield Lodge        1   0  0  1    0  -2.200
4 San Jose Guayabal      1   0  0  1    0  -3.450

Group H
Liventia 145/5 (18.2 overs)
Sjovenia 141/8 (20 overs)

Gruenberg 153/8 (20 overs)
Ko-oren 154/5 (19.1 overs)

Group H                Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Liventia               1   1  0  0    2  +0.859
2 Ko-oren                1   1  0  0    2  +0.385
3 Gruenberg              1   0  0  1    0  -0.385
4 Sjovenia               1   0  0  1    0  -0.859

---

Plate competition
Round of 16
Yttribia 145/3 (20 overs)
Democractic India 131/6 (20 overs)
Yttribia win by 14 runs

The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis 117/6 (16.3 overs)
Arabnesia 115/5 (20 overs)
The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis win by four wickets

Eura 139/4 (20 overs)
Elejamie 121/7 (20 overs)
Eura win by 18 runs

Krytenia 137/8 (20 overs)
The Jeckish Union 117/6 (20 overs)
Krytenia win by 20 runs

Audioslavia 139/8 (20 overs)
Welwyn 120/8 (20 overs)
Audioslavia win by 19 runs

Sargossa 161/4 (19.4 overs)
Kernansquillec 160/6 (20 overs)
Sargossa win by six wickets

Damukuni 173/3 (20 overs)
The Sword Bloke 158/6 (20 overs)
Damukuni win by 15 runs

The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 142/6 (16.3 overs)
Paymina 140/7 (20 overs)
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec win by four wickets

Plate quarter final draw
At Park Central Oval, Orean:
Yttribia v Eura (start time 1 pm)
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec v Sargossa (start time 5:30 pm D/N)

At NCE Oval, City Centre:
Damukuni v The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis (start time 1 pm)
Audioslavia v Krytenia (start time 5:30 pm D/N)

[Wray]

Wray Innings
		How Out			Runs	Balls	4s	6s	SR
BK Milson	b. Gibson		15	18	1	0	83.33
CJ Laughlin	c. Glen b. Lanisan	37	29	4	0	127.58
JWO Colt	not out			69	48	5	4	143.75
GPRJ Mitchell	lbw Kaber		11	 7	1	0	157.14
TJP Sutcliffe	not out			37	18	2	2	205.55
173/3 (20 overs)

Did Not Bat: JMA Keillher, HJ Sleath, SF Bentley, JS Storm, BR Matthews, SG Aguando

Eastfield Lodge Bowling
Bowling		Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets	Econ.
Gibson		4	0	30	1	7.5
Quiroga		4	0	36	0	9
Kaber		3	0	19	1	6.3
Lanisan		4	0	46	1	11.5
Braithwaite	1	0	22	0	22
Glen		2	0	9	1	4.5
Jaffer		2	0	11	0	5.5

Eastfield Lodge Innings

		How out				Runs	Balls	4s	6s	SR
L Armitage	lbw Bentley			35	32	5	0	109.37
A Lindstrom	c. Keillher b. Storm		 3	 5	0	0	60
C. Glen		b. Bentley			22	19	2	0	115.78
D. Moran	c. Colt b. Aguando		17	22	1	0	77.27
Q. Parsons	c. +Sleath b. Bentley		11	14	1	0	78.57
M. Jaffer	run out (Mitchell/Sleath)	27	11	0	3	245.45
I. Braithwaite	not out				 5	10	0	0	50
R. Gibson	not out				 6	 7	0	0	85.71
129/6 (20 overs)

Did Not Bat: R Quiroga, M Kaber, A Lanisan

Wray Bowling

Bowling		Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets	Econ.
Aguando		4	0	21	1	5.25
Storm		4	0	38	1	9.5
Matthews	4	0	26	0	6.5
Bentley		4	0	19	3	4.75
Keillher	4	0	25	0	6.25

[Liventia]

Super 12s Matchday 2
Group F
Shtiar Bakal 123/6 (20 overs)
Britonisea 134/5 (20 overs)

Barunia 142/4 (20 overs)
Patistan 140/3 (20 overs)

Group F                Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Barunia                2   2  0  0    4  +1.350  Q
2 Patistan               2   1  0  1    2  +0.800
3 Britonisea             2   1  0  1    2  -0.575
4 Shtiar Bakal           2   0  0  2    0  -1.575

Group G
San Jose Guayabal 125/6 (20 overs)
Eastfield Lodge 127/6 (13.5 overs)

Apox 151/3 (20 overs)
Wray 149/2 (20 overs)

Group G                Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Apox                   2   2  0  0    4  +1.775  Q
2 Wray                   2   1  0  1    2  +1.050
3 Eastfield Lodge        2   1  0  1    2  +0.117
4 San Jose Guayabal      2   0  0  2    0  -3.233

Group H
Sjovenia 158/5 (19.3 overs)
Ko-oren 154/5 (20 overs)

Liventia 182/4 (20 overs)
Gruenberg 187/7 (20 overs)

Group H                Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Liventia               2   1  0  1    2  +0.330
2 Ko-oren                2   1  0  1    2  -0.010
3 Gruenberg              2   1  0  1    2  -0.079
4 Sjovenia               2   1  0  1    2  -0.230

---

Plate competition
Quarterfinals
Yttribia 104 (19.3 overs)
Eura 134/3 (20 overs)
Eura win by 30 runs

The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 129/4 (20 overs)
Sargossa 131/6 (12.5 overs)
Sargossa win by four wickets

Damukuni 110/9 (13.1 overs)
The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis 109 (15.5 overs)
Damukuni win by one wicket

Audioslavia 143/5 (18.2 overs)
Krytenia 141/8 (20 overs)
Audioslavia win by five wickets

Semifinal draw
At Cyclonesville Stadium:
PSF1 Damukuni v Eura (start time 1:30pm)
PSF2 Sargossa v Audioslavia (start time 6pm D/N)

[Liventia]

OOC: Today's scorination is pushed back to tomorrow. No change to rest of schedule. Ta.

[Ko-oren]

Down to the wire in match three
While half of the Union is losing sleep over how tense the IBC got and how close Ko-oren is to another final spot (with just Quebec in their way of the big game), the other half is losing sleep over the kind of task ahead of the Greenblues. Group H couldn't be more tense ahead of the final group match. Gruenberg and Sjovenia take on each other, and so are the Union of Ko-oren and Liventia. Based on the results so far (a win and a loss for each team), the winning teams on day three will take the top two spots. In a sense, the knockouts have already started.

First, the Greenblues chased the Gruenbergers for 19.1 overs until finally going for the win with five balls left. Gruenberg posted 153, exhausting all 20 overs, and then took the field to wind down the Union and trying to have them face 120 balls without going over 153. They allowed all defensive batsmen to stay in: Seldanna fell early, while Foley stayed in. Dunn was quickly caught out, and Foley and Van Moor were artificially kept alive for a long time. Gruenberg's eleven had the opportunity to get them out repeatedly, but doing that meant that Virgil West would come in. West is 'only' a mid-match batsman, but has saved the Union on a couple occasions by simply posting a massive score by himself. Eventually Van Moor slipped up with an LBW and West came on. He did exactly as expected and made up a lot of ground, with the 153 posted earlier coming closer and closer. Foley was caught out in the middle of a great streak by West, and Kerr came in. Kerr, not a great batsman, lost his wicket and Doyle came on, while West kept hitting and hitting, untouchable for the Gruenberg defence. With five balls to go, West sent a ball flying into an empty part of the stands for six points, going from 148 to 153. Ko-oren wins, but it was close. Day two was as much of a nailbiter as day one.

This day, the Union came short. Ironically, it went almost exactly the same as the Gruenberg match: 5 for 154, with West and Doyle at the crease at the end of 20 overs. Sjovenia came close, seemed to fail with the finish in sight, but still overtook us: 5 for 158. The difference was even closer than earlier: they had exactly three balls left. Liventia fell short of Gruenberg, and that sums it up: four teams, all about as good as any other, and it's to the Greenblues to keep Liventia down on their own soil.

[Wray]

(Sorry for brevity, I've been extremely busy.)

Keillher to remain with Wray squad amongst fracas

The WCB Press Officer, Lindsay Madigan, announced today at a make-shift press conference held at the Wray Team Hotel in Folenisa that star all-rounder Jason Keillher will remain with the Wray squad to see out the competition, as opposed to returning home to deal with a brewing social-pages storm regarding his relationship with socialite and fashion model Ellyse Waterman-Lewis.

The situation first emerged in the weekly social magazine Weekly Star, based in Nelson's Bay, which published paparazzi photos of Keillher's wife of several months, on two separate nights-out with Hardingher Hurricanes (Rugby Union) star Jackson Leaty, one set of which purported to be taken before Keillher and Waterman-Lewis were married, but after their engagement, and concluded in a kiss between Waterman-Lewis and Leaty.

The photos were first published in the edition of the magazine put out before Wray's group game against Audioslavia. The news filtered down to Keillher who was fielding at the time, and after the match concluded, Keillher remained in the dressing room for several hours, apparently fielding several phone calls back to Wray, with unconfirmed reports of a shouting match between Keillher and Waterman-Lewis.

Waterman-Lewis, whom Keillher described as 'the love of his life' on numerous occasions, had declined to come out to Liventia for the tournament, instead remaining behind to work on a new project. This raised questions about the stability of the pair's marriage, although Keillher said he 'fully understood' why she declined to come.

Since the pictures were first published, several tabloid newspapers and social magazines have taken up the story, with it being the cover article on many magazines over the last week. The news had filtered through to Liventian crowds, who let Keillher, frankly, know their opinions on him and his personal life. According to Madigan the whole saga had 'profoundly affected' Keillher, but he was a 'consummate professional' and 'would not let his emotions cloud his judgement'.

Rumours had been abound that, if Wray had secured qualification through to the semi finals by beating Apox in the previous matchday, then Keillher would fly home, thereby missing the final Super12 fixture against San Jose Guayabal in order to tend to the situation in person, but as the team lost the fixture, management thought it would be wise if Keillher helped the team secure qualification and then was given the choice as to whether to return home or stay on. Keillher decided in a team meeting that he would remain with the squad until eliminated from the competition.

Keillher has been in strong form this competition, in seven games, scoring 156 runs at an average of 31.2, with two not outs, as well as 8 wickets with the ball and one particularly outstanding catch against Apox, where he leapt across the boundary rope and flicked the ball back into play, where he caught it on the rebound to dismiss captain Jake Walters.

Unsurprisingly, Waterman-Lewis declined to comment.

[Liventia]

Super 12s Matchday 3
Group F
Patistan 106/7 (13.1 overs)
Shtiar Bakal 105/6 (20 overs)

Britonisea 95 (13 overs)
Barunia 152/7 (20 overs)

Group F                Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Barunia                3   3  0  0    6  +1.049  Q
2 Patistan               3   2  0  1    4  +1.385  PlSF
3 Britonisea             3   1  0  2    2  -0.587
4 Shtiar Bakal           3   0  0  3    0  -1.968

Group G
Wray 151/6 (20 overs)
San Jose Guayabal 129/8 (20 overs)

Eastfield Lodge 144/8 (20 overs)
Apox 176/4 (20 overs)

Group G                Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Apox                   3   3  0  0    6  +1.717  Q
2 Wray                   3   2  0  1    4  +1.067  PlSF
3 Eastfield Lodge        3   1  0  2    2  -0.896
4 San Jose Guayabal      3   0  0  3    0  -2.449

Group H
Gruenberg 144/7 (16.5 overs)
Sjovenia 141/7 (20 overs)

Ko-oren 96/9 (20 overs)
Liventia 98/6 (11.2 overs)

Group H                Pld   W  T  L  Pts   NRR
1 Gruenberg              3   2  0  1    4  +0.454  Q
2 Liventia               3   2  0  1    4  +1.490  PlF
3 Sjovenia               3   1  0  2    2  -0.635
4 Ko-oren                3   1  0  2    2  -1.218

Playoff semi-final: Patistan v Wray
Playoff final: Patistan/Wray v Liventia
Semifinal 1: Apox v Patistan/Wray/Liventia
Semifinal 2: Barunia v Gruenberg

[Barunia]

Barunia have secured their place in the World Cup Semi-finals after destroying Britonisea at the Island Cricket Arena. Batting first, Barunia looked a little shaky in the first few overs, with Barrie nicking an edge to first slip after facing just four balls. Ben Price came to the crease all-guns blazing, smashing two sixes in a row off his opening deliveries, before a third attempt fell short, straight into the hands of the fielder.

With the score at 2/30, the Blues needed a steady hand, and it came in the form of a fantastic 56-run partnership between Long and Doveson. The two batted through to the halfway mark, when Doveson was trapped lbw on 45. Walker made a short appearance before dragging on to his stumps to be dismissed for 14, and Lewis followed him next ball. Long carried on though, passing the half-century mark as he built a partnership with Casey Williams. Long was eventually bowled in the 18th over, but by that time the damage was done. Long's innings of 59 runs left Barunia in a commanding position, with Willams and Rickards cruising at the end to a score of 7/152, Rickards last-ball run-out being the final wicket.

Batsman  Dismissal             Runs
Doveson  lbw. Gimmeaname        45
Barrie   c.Slipp b. Bauler       8
Price    c. Felder. b. Anibahdi 12
Long     b. Anibahdi            59
Walker   b. Bauler              14
Lewis    c. Keep b. Bauler       0
Williams not out                 5
Rickards run out (Gimmeaname)    2
Morgan   DNB
Jones    DNB
Noble    DNB

Extras: 7 (2nb, 4b)          7/152

Chasing down a formidable total, Britonisea's batsmen knew they needed to take the Barunian bowlers on. However, it was Nick Jones who won the opening salvo, claiming the scalp of the Britonish opener for a duck in the first over. His opening partner went soon after, courtesy of Colin Morgan's pace and a blinder of a catch from Henry Lewis. Diving full stretch to his right, Lewis took a one-handed snatch centimetres off the turf.

The Britonisea team rallied, showing some resistance as they pushed the score from 2/9 to a more respectable 2/47, before confusion over a potential second run gave Barunia's wicketkeeper the chance to run-out his Britonish counterpart.

Casey Williams' only over saw Britonisea pass fifty as he was smashed around the ground, and over it, with the only 6 of the Britonish innings. However, any ideas of a Britonish counter-attack were shattered next over, when James Rickards took a hat trick to put the score at 6/71. Rickards took his first wicket with an in-swinger that missed the batsman's half-defensive stroke and clattered into the stumps. The next batsman got similar treatment, only this time he managed to get his pads in the path of the ball. The third batsman to face Rickards in as many balls might have expected a third in-swinger, but instead it was an outswinger down the top-and-off corridor, luring the batsman into playing a stroke and taking a thick edge into the safe hands of Williams at fourth slip.

With the utter destruction wrought by Rickards, the Britonisea team were in disarray. In just 7 overs, they'd lost all their recognised batsmen for less than half the Barunian total. Sensing an imminent victory, Barunian captain Jon Doveson reintroduced Nick Jones in to the attack. An edge to Ben Price at first slip in the tenth over gave Jones his second wicket, and reduced Britonisea to 7/83. Two overs later, Rickards picked up his fourth after Anibahdi skied a bouncer. It went so high that Walker had enough time to run thirty metres, position himself, and let the ball just drop into his gloves.

With eight wickets down, and the score at 91, would Britonisea be able to save some face and at least reach triple figures? It all hinged on the next over, which proved to be a dramatic one.

With off-spinner David Noble bowling well, a single was all that could be squeezed from the first two balls. On the third, Gimmeaname struck to mid wicket and set off hurriedly, but Morgan fielded brilliantly. With both batsmen down the non-striker's end, it could have been an easy run-out, but Morgan threw to the bowler. As Gimmeaname sprinted back to his crease, Noble threw the ball at the far stumps and caught the batsman short by a whisker, the third umpire debating for several minutes before delivering his verdict of out. The last Britonisea batsman managed a two and a one off Noble, before the sly off-spinner bowled him with a straighter ball, wrapping up the match and handing Barunia a 57-run victory. With that, Barunia complete the Super 12 stage with the maximum possible six points.

Bowler   Over W
Williams 1.0  0
Rickards 3.0  4
Morgan   2.0  1
Jones    4.0  2
Noble    3.0  1

The victory is another dominant performance for Jon Doveson's Blues. Remarkably, the captain did not feature at all in the strong bowling attack, electing not to bowl himself despite being the nation's all-time leading wicket-taker. When asked why he did not bowl, Doveson simply replied, "There was no reason too. I might have had a bowl if we'd gone the full twenty, but pace was working so I stuck with it… I don't think I should stop bowling, just because we did well without me. We have a lot of good bowlers on this team, I'm one of them but I'm not the only one, and any of the players are capable of pulling this victory off." When asked to comment on the team's performance so far, Doveson said "We've had a pretty good run. In the Super 12's we've had a dominant bowling performance here, we dominated against Shtiar Bakal with the bat, and we saw off Patistan, just. So the team have pulled together, one way or another, to get the job done each time, and I think we've got a real chance heading in to the finals here."

Today's victory is only marginally larger than the 52-run win over Shtiar Bakal on the first day of the Super 12 stage. There it was the batsmen who were the real stars, with Ben Price making 92 and falling just short of a maiden T20 century, and Doveson contributing a quick half-century to the pile. Nick Jones and Mitchell Smith were the pick of the bowlers, with Jones taking 3 wickets and Smith giving up just 14 runs for his four overs, as well as a picking up a wicket. Barunia's bowlers keep Shtiar Bakal to just 129 at the end of their 20 overs.

Against Patistan it was a very different story. Barunia made a reasonable 142 for the loss of just four, with James Walker's 36 off 12 balls a standout. Patistan stepped up to the challenge, taking on the Barunian bowlers. Doveson was the best of them, ending with 1 wicket and 9 runs conceded. He also bowled the final over, which saw Patistan land on 139 with one ball to face. With Patistan needing a four and a power-play in effect, Doveson selected a slightly unorthodox field. Placing his two outfielders at midwicket and long on, Doveson stocked the leg side with his fielders, leaving just three on the off side. Bowling down the leg side, the tactic proved effective, with the batsman picking out Gilhaus at square leg and keeping Patistan to a single and a total of 3/140 for their 20 overs, ensuring another Barunian victory by two runs.

Next for the Blues is Gruenberg, who made up for a first game loss in the Super 12's by dispatching hosts Liventia and ensuring their direct advancement on the head to head rule. Known for their spin bowling, Gruenberg are a known powerhouse of the game. Doveson however, is confident. "Over the last couple of games, we've really come together as a team. We've got the capability of big scores with the bat, we've got the capability to keep scores down with the ball. And we can pull through when the going gets tough. I couldn't ask for anymore from this team than what they've achieved over the last couple of weeks, except for more of the same."

[Wray]

'We can win World Championships' declares Mitchell

In the final press conference before Wray face Patistan in the Playoff Semi-Final at the Park Central Oval, Orean, Glenn Mitchell said he 'could not see any reason' why Wray could not lift the World Championship trophy.

The team captain, who has scored 206 runs at 28 this tournament, including a key knock of 45 which helped Wray rebuild after losing three quick wickets against San Jose Guayabal in their final Super12 match, fielded several questions from members of the assembled media, from both Wray and other nations.

The first question asked, unsurprisingly, by the National Enquirer, how far Mitchell thought the team could go in the competition. He responded that 'all the blocks were in place to mount a serious charge on the trophy' and that the team 'had built up confidence' ahead of their key Semi-Final Fixture against Patistan. 'We've got all the tools we need to win the competition, we've played and beaten every team left in the competition before, so it's not as if there is anyone new and unpredictable. We just have to dig deep and find that extra yard.'

Mitchell indicated that he and the selectors would make two changes to the side that overcame San Jose Guayabal by 22 runs, with Adam Mackie coming in for the misfiring Callum Gatty at the top of the order, and Ashton Livingstone-Learmoth making way for Ashton Macallister 'Macks [Mackie] has been in good nick in practice and has been smiting them in the nets, so we thought it would be good if he got a run-out, and Livingstone-Learmoth is replaced because we want the experience of Macallister as well as his variations, as Patistan are good players of spin and might struggle against him."

He also added that Shane Aguando had passed a fitness test and was good to play, and confirmed that Jason Keillher would remain with the squad until Wray exited the tournament, stating that 'all of [us] are with him'.

When questioned on the somewhat convoluted format of the competition, with Wray facing two extra games to reach the final than other countries purely by virtue of Net Run Rate, he smiled and said 'Look, it's up to them [The LCBA] on how they want to schedule it. The TV money's got a lot to do with it, but it's a bit of a hassle, the extra strain on the boys is a bit of an inconvenience. If we hosted it, it'd be a lot more straightforward, that's for sure'.

Wray have poor memories of the Park Central Oval, where they will take the field at 11:30am WCT to face off against Patistan, as their Test fixture there in GCF 5 saw them routed by nine wickets by the hosts, driven by centuries from Arthur Cunningham and Dylan Hennessey.

(Again, sorry for brevity and lack of scores etc., I just haven't had the time)

[Liventia]

Plate/Playoff semifinals
Plate competition
Damukuni 142/6 (20 overs)
Eura 143/6 (17.3 overs)
Eura win by four wickets

Sargossa 159 (17.3 overs)
Audioslavia 166/6 (19.2 overs)
Audioslavia win by seven runs

Playoff
Patistan 157/8 (20 overs)
Wray 158/8 (17.3 overs)
Wray win by two wickets

[Wray]

'Emotional' Wray geared up for Liventia clash

Glenn Mitchell has described his squad as 'pretty emotional' as they prepare to face Liventia in the Play-Off final at the VII Twenty20 World Championships, after his side narrowly triumphed over Patistan.

A relatively simple run-chase was almost derailed when a run-out of Mitchell led to the fall of three wickets for just one run to leave Wray teetering at 140-8, still requiring 18 runs to win. Jackson Storm and Blake Matthews came together at the crease, the latter having batted just once in the competition, but he smote a huge six off Akhtar Zera from just his third ball at the crease to settle nerves. He then clubbed another delivery to the leg-side, which was spilled by Danish Dar on the deep-midwicket boundary and rolled away for four. Storm then edged a four down to third man, and then won it with a surprisingly well-executed chip over the infield for another boundary, sparking passionate celebrations on the Wray balcony at the Park Central Oval.

Mitchell and the coaching staff then held a 20-minute team meeting on the outfield at the Oval, and whilst the press were deliberately not privy to the words that were said, it was clear that Mitchell was geeing his team up for what was surely going to be an exciting clash between two of cricket's less amicable teams, Wray and Liventia. As part of his media commitments, Mitchell and Shane Bentley then faced up the press, the captain allowing the younger Bentley to field most of the questions - perhaps an early stage of the captaincy-grooming process - which he handled with the calm and consummate ease which has become known for in his fledgling career. When asked whether there would be an extra level of 'spice' to the occasion when the sides meet tomorrow at the NCE Oval in City Centre, Bentley shrugged and added 'I haven't played in a Wray vs Liventia fixture before, so for me, there's nothing there. Whether the other, more experienced guys, might have an axe to grind, well that's up to them.' Wisely, Mitchell refused to get drawn into a slagging match over relations with Liventia, refusing to answer any further questions between the two sides and their respective boards, simply responding "Consult our Press Officer for the official line on that, we're saying nothing.'

When asked on the mental state of the players going into the game, Mitchell simply said that "they [the team] are emotional. With the business with Jason [Keillher], the narrow victory over Patistan and the prospect of a semi-final place, we're all pumped up and ready to go."

Wray travelled to City Centre in the morning after the Patistan game, and had a relaxed training session in the afternoon. A number of Wray players were seen conversing peaceably enough with Liventian members of the public who were sharing their hotel, although Mitchell made a point of staying out of the public's way, spending several hours in the swimming pool, the nets, as well as in the team meeting room, talking with Brendan Jones [batting coach] and Nathan Shepard [Head Coach].

Wray named one change to the side to that one that defeated Patistan, with Ashton Macallister subbing back out for a fit-again Bentley. Adam Mackie,impressing in his innings of 22 against them, retains his place over Callum Gatty. The game commences at 1130 WCT. TV Coverage will be on WTV 2 from 1100, whilst Radio coverage can be heard on Radio 3 from 1030, and SportsRadio from 1045. CricketWeek will be running it's usual live blog from 1030.

Wray XI: 1. CJ Laughlin, 2. AA Mackie, 3. JWO Colt, 4. GPRJ Mitchell*, 5. TJP Sutcliffe, 6. JMA Keillher (5), 7. HJ Sleath +, 8. SF Bentley (3), 9. JS Storm (1), 10. BR Matthews (2), 11. SG Aguando (4)

[Liventia]

Plate/Playoff finals
Plate competition
Eura 181/5 (20 overs)
Audioslavia 165 (18.4 overs)
Eura win by 16 runs and finish 13th

Playoff
Wray 159/5 (20 overs)
Liventia 148/9 (20 overs)
Wray win by 11 runs

Semifinals: Apox v Wray, Barunia v Gruenberg

[Liventia]

Semifinals
Apox 122/6 (20 overs)
Wray 126/3 (15.4 overs)
Wray win by seven wickets

Barunia 160/3 (20 overs)
Gruenberg 170/7 (20 overs)
Gruenberg win by 10 runs

3PPO: Apox v Barunia
Final: Wray v Gruenberg