DOMESTIC SEASON 1: Part 1
The first organised domestic cricket season has come to athe first mid-season break as most of the teams try to find their footing in the various competitions that have already stirred up a frenzy in the sport-loving nation. The ten teams were asked to participate as delegations from their respective states, bringing out the best of the cricketing talents that the nation has to offer. The creation of the league came largely as a result of the poor rotation of players in the national side, and the even poorer results that stem out of it: causing large discontent among the Grearish supporters and fans alike.
Letterman Trophy: First-class
Format- Two groups of 5.
- Double round robin.
- Group winners and runners-up progress to the knockouts (semi-final, 3PPO and final).
- All group matches are four-day first-class matches, while KO matches are five-day first-class matches.
- 6 points awarded for a win.
- 1 bonus point awarded for an innings win or a 10-wicket win.
- 3 points awarded for a first innings lead in a drawn match.
- 1 point awarded for a first innings deficit in a drawn match.
- No points awarded for an outright defeat.
Groups GROUP A | GROUP B
Manta Islands | Atheburn
Services | Elesborough
Railways | Glomridge
Valgow | Adenham
Forsho | Chicaster
OverviewThe first five matchweeks of the Letterman Trophy first-class championship saw the first leg being played out in the two groups of 5 teams each. Scopes' Forsho kicked off the proceedings in Matchweek 1 when they went away to Services to put on a humongous total of 512 on the board, but failed to eke out what could have been be a defining victory for them. The Sylestonean Sean Polen proved to be good with both bat and ball in the first innings, with a five wicket haul, and an unbeated 150 to show for his fine form. Elsewhere, Railways hosted Valgow, but missed out on the hospitality as the visitors crumbled to a defeat by the margin of an innings and 8 runs. Cullison played a skipper's knock as his team cruised to a bonus-point victory. Adenham faced a brutal defeat away in another important viewing in Group B, where they were taken apart by the Glomridge side who had to chase down a target as little as 3 in the second innings. Sylestone A cricketer Jack Martin played a crucial double-century knock to guide his team to a very important first-innings lead, and eventually the full bonus-point victory.
Matchweek 2 was in stark contrast to the opening matchweek, with three of the four matches ending in draws, and crowds all over the country mildly discontent with the quality of cricket on display. It would be unfair, though, to discount the other section of people (mostly ones who had one beer too many at the cricket and didn't have any idea of where they were by the end of day's play0 who thought the drawn matches were perfectly alright, and on the plus side, it showed the immense competitiveness of the Letterman Trophy. even in such sterile circumstances, Atheburn managed to be handed a thumping defeat of 241-run margin at the hands of Elesborough, who wrapped the hosts up in the second innings for a paltry score of 97 on the board.
Onward to matchweek 3, and the most dramatic viewing was awaiting keen eyes in Forsho city of the Valgow state, where two teams faced-off in a local derby of sorts - but only cricket. Son Copes' side seemed nervy from the start as they were bowled out for 182, and the celebrated Sean Polen was given out cheaply for 15. Valgow were also reduced to 360, with Benedetto mustering a fine hundred. The first innings lead, however, seemed to prove insurmountable for the city side, as they were dismissed yet again for a total of 175 within two sessions. Isidro Ditmore shined yet again with the ball, as he hauled 6-87 figures in the second innings and bagged the player of the match award.
Manta Islands and Elesborough continued their strong run of form in their respective groups through Matchweek 4, as they both registered strong bonus-point victories over struggling opposition. Stacy Paiz and Carol Heilig were in sublime form for the Elesborough side in their glorious home victory which spanned the entirety of the stipulated 4-days, but was as one-sided the Brenecia football match versus Grearia in the South Newlandian 28th Campionato Esportiva. Taylor Kincheloe continued to impress with her form with the bat for Manta Is. as they team awaited the recovery of the tragically injured 17-year-old Lachland Edwards of the Sylestone national team. Manta have taken over all costs of his treatment and will look after his future as they believe that despite the injury, Edwards will still be one of the shining stars in world cricket in the days to come.
Matchweek 5 ended affairs before the mid-season break, with Manta Islands registering yet another victory over the opposition, and Forsho still being on the wrong side of the result. Scopes was found to be struggling for words to explain these defeats, but the damage was (mostly) done by the final post-match press conference. The Group B favourites in Elesborough edged out a 3-run lead against Adenham to secure the 3-points in a draw match as opposed to the 1-point that went the trailing opposition's way.
Corbett Cup: List A
Format- Two groups of 5.
- Single round robin.
- Top four teams from each group progress to the knockouts (quarter-finals, semi-final, 3PPO and final).
- All matches are 50-overs per innings.
- 2 points awarded for a win, including that in a super over.
- No points awarded for an outright defeat.
Groups GROUP A | GROUP B
Valgow Bulls | Railways
Forsho Rangers | Adenham Bears
Elesborough Everblades | Services
Manta Islanders | Athebrun Lions
Chicaster Clarets | Glomridge Magpies
OverviewThe Corbett Cup saw exhilarating action right from the get-go, where the Chicaster Clarets squeezed out a victory against a resilient Forsho Rangers side in a heart-stopping super over encounter. After a tie at a total of 214, the Rangers decided to bat first in the super over, but could only muster a total of 7 runs while the Clarets skipped past them with one delivery to spare. The Everblades also got off to a very fine start with a 35-run win over the Manta Islanders, along with the discovery of Laurence Swisher being in exquisite form for them with the bat. Group B saw the Glomridge Magpies and the Grearish Services snatch wins from the opposition to register their first points on the board. Capt. Ernie Behm impressed for the Services with a steady knock of 63* while the Magpies registered their win mostly thanks to skipper Monty Birt's leadership, and a solid Jack Martin guiding the team with the bat.
The Everblades continued their fine form in the following matchweek, with commanding 68-run win over the Chicaster Clarets putting them firmly on the top of the Group A standings. The other Group A encounter saw the Forsho Rangers absolutely demolishing every little sign and semblance of the Valgow Bulls, almost as a revenge for the humiliating loss in the Letterman Trophy. Copes' side showed no mercy in thrashing the Bulls' bowling attack, with Copes himself cruising to a fine, but unlikely fifty in conjunction with the Sylestonean stalwart in Sean Polen to put up a dominating 6th wicket partnership that decided the match. Elsewhere, the magpies continued to dominte their Group with an 80-run victory to stamp their authority ofver the proceedings, while the Grearish Railways had to accept defeat in front of a resilient Bears side. Zachary Charlton was found in the runs, while Mirian Dodds hit the final six to win the match and to secure her very deserved century.
Railways bounced back, to the poet's delight, as they posted a mammoth total of 350 for the Services to chase. Even after getting off to a good start, Services crumbled to a sub-200 total, awarding the Railways a much-needed breathing space off the back of a devastating loss in the previous matchweek. In the other Group B encounter, the Atheburn Lions registered a 135-run victory over the Magpies, with Brady Byerley cruising to a magnificent 223* on a difficult pitch to bat on. Group A saw convincing victories for both the Bulls and the Clarets as the Islanders face their second loss in a row after a second-matchweek-bye. Simon Monteane played a beautiful knock for the Chicaster Clarets helping them on their way to what was ultimately a well-earned win. The group stages have finally started to take shape.
The Bulls bounce back eventually in Matchweek 4, along with a surprise defeat for the mighty Elesborough Everblades at the hands of Forsho Rangers in Group A. Group B, however, kept being the arena of dominance for the Railways side as they kept crushing one oppositon after another - this time the unfortunate ones being the Atheburn Lions. In the other match, Zachary Charlton played yet another fine innings to lead the Bears to a much-needed victory.
The final matchweek 5 in the group stage offered viewings of crushing victories for the Rangers and the Bulls, with stellar bowling performances from Elva Heffington and Harrison Posner for the Rangers, who picked up all the ten Manta wickets between themselves. Group B ended with yet another Railways win, and yet another sporadic Atheburn Lions win: cementing the places of both of these teams in the quarter final stages.
Next Round QUARTER-FINALS
Forsho Rangers v Glomridge Magpies
Valgow Bulls v Atheburn Lions
Elesborough Everblades v Adenham Bears
Chicaster Clarets v Railways
PremierT20: Twenty20
Format- One league table of 10 teams.
- Double round robin.
- The first four teams progress to the knockouts (playoffs and final).
- All matches are 20-overs per innings.
- 2 points awarded for a win, including that in a super over.
- No points awarded for an outright defeat.
Overview
The PremierT20 has also begun to take shape as all teams finish playing 5 of their stipulated 18 matches! All the usual suspects were expected to win matches right from the off, but the biggest surprise came to many in the form of the Elesborough Everblades, who find themselves at the bottom of the PremierT20 tables in spite of dominating performances in the other formats. The Everblades-Railways match went on to a super over, and the other matches were also lost at a very small margin, which could be an excuse that the Everblades might use to explain their sorry T20 state to the fans. One of the biggest problems that the Everblades faced was the poor form of their T20 experts in Jonathan Halm and Laurence Swisher, both of whom were prolific in the ODI tournament, which is now in sharp contrast. The Valgow Bulls and the Glomridge Magpies on the other hand have looked very promising in this tournament with four solid winning performances to propel themselves to the top of the league despite disappointing in the other formats. It only goes on to show further that the PremierT20 is way more unpredictable than the other Grearish cricket tournaments, and probably rightfully so. The Magpies still have the 18-year old Jack Martin powering his way forward, but this time with positive results, while the Bulls have Gene Pettitt (WK) and Teneka Pippin on song with the bat. Miriam Beans' slow right-armers have proved difficult to handle for the PremierT20 batsmen, and the Bulls' captain in Alexandria Starkweather has made full use of the added edge.