Matchday One: Sylestone vs ElejamieRacecourse Ground, TalbottSylestone - 5/171 (20)
L Afosha 54* (33) A Rodriguez 2/27 (4)
L Cocrine 53 (39) R Hamilton 2/32 (4)
Elejamie - 5/172 (19.2)
S Loughlin 91* (59) N Pistecial 3/22 (4)
K Entwhistle 34 (27) J Vilesti 1/37 (3.2)
Player of the Match: Steve Loughlin
Elejamie win by 5 wickets with 4 balls remaining
For the full scorecard, click
here.
The Hawthorns’ campaign in the 14th edition of the GCF Twenty20 World Championship began on a losing note, although unsurprisingly as their opponent was Pot 1 side Elejamie. However, Sylestone still succeeded in putting up a difficult total on the board, racking up 171 from 20 overs, including fifties from Lachlan Cocrine and Liam Afosha. However, despite Norbert Pistecial heroics with the ball, nothing could stop Elejamie opener Steve Loughlin as he steamrolled to 91 not out, ensuring his side a five wicket win in the final over. But it was a spirited performance from the underdogs and good times awaited.
Luke Tiati and Simon Monteane produced a solid start to the innings inside the first couple of overs before Robert Hamilton slipped a thunderbolt through Monteane’s defence in the third over, dismissing the opener for eight in the third over. It wasn’t the ideal start for the Sylestoneans, but no one was really worried as Lachlan Cocrine entered the field. He began in the same fashion he ended with in Gruenberg two years ago, racking up runs at a rate of knots. However, the entrance of Elejamie leg spinner Arian Rodrigues ensured that he was thrust back into his shell. Around him, wickets fell, though. Luke Tiati and Daniel Fomleya both made promising starts but failed to go on, with Fomleya only scoring five despite middling every one of his six balls before his wicket. However, Liam Afosha, as he does, provided Cocrine with the stability he required as the two took the Sylestonean total to 133 before Cocrine was dismissed for 53. A cameo from Chloe Anderson helped Sylestone reach a defendable target of 171 as Afosha reached a fifty in the final over.
The Sylestonean bowlers made a promising start, too. In the third over, swing bowler Norbert Pistecial had both Dawoud Halabi and Robert Hamilton caught behind within three balls to put the favourites on the back foot at 2-16. Pistecial then got his third in the seventh over of the match and with the run rate only hovering around 5 and the score 3-34, Sylestone were well ant truly on the front foot.
But not if Steve Loughlin had anything to do with it. Which he did. Off the next over, he put Sean Polen to the pump, racking up 21 runs with Kelly Entwhistle to relieve some of the building pressure. The two of them combined for an 81-run partnership before Entwhistle was caught by Afosha at point off the bowling of Josh Vilesti and when Ricardo Montoya was run out in the following over, Sylestone had a sniff at victory. But Steve Loughlin continued to deny the bowlers and with four balls remaining, smacked Vilesti over cover for six to wrap up a resounding win over the upstarts.
Matchday Two: Sylestone vs HebitakaRacecourse Ground, TalbottHebitaka - 6/140 (20)
R Fathima 43 (35) L Afosha 2/24 (4)
K Musako 27* (22) N Pistecial / B Hall 1/27 (4)
Sylestone - 9/142 (18.4)
L Afosha 37 (27) R Hibiki 2/23 (2.4)
N Pistecial 33* (22) S Tenzuo 2/25 (4)
Player of the Match: Norbert Pistecial
Sylestone win by 1 wicket with 8 balls remaining
For the full scorecard, click
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Sylestone’s first win of the tournament came against Pot 3 side Hebitaka, a sole rank above the Hawthorns in the official rankings. However, with the Hebitakans only able to put 140 on the board, Sylestone really should have been able to pass the total set with relative ease. However, Hebitaka’s bowlers simply did not give up and it was only due to solid knocks from Liam Afosha and Norbert Pistecial that they came out with the victory.
In the second over of the innings, Josh Vilesti sent two of Nasako Kim’s stumps cartwheeling out of the ground as the Hebitakan opener stood rooted to the spot while trying to push at the ball. A brilliant start if any. However, with Debraj Joshi coming to the crease, the big scalp was still to come.
Hebitaka moved along to 45 before Chloe Anderson plucked a screamer at short cover to dismiss Joshi. It was a huge turning point in the game; the Hebitakans in the crowd simply sat silent as she threw the ball up over her head and into the air. With Joshi out, the Hawthorns were well and truly in control. David Aron and Musfiqur Asif failed to get going, while Ravi Fathima eventually fell for 43 in the 13th over. Kamado Musako and Tanujit Mondal managed to put together a decent partnership for the sixth wicket, but the Hawthorns’ death bowling was sublime, limiting Hebitaka to 140. It should be an easy chase, but it’s cricket. You never know.
Hebitaka, though, came out with their tails up. Luke Tiati and Lachlan Cocrine were both dismissed within the first two overs while Simon Monteane departed soon after. Dan Fomleya and Liam Afosha set about rebuilding the innings but when the captain was dismissed in the eighth over with the score on 55, Hebitaka were on top.
Anderson departed soon after before a cameo from Oliver Edwards took the total to 89. His 19 from 10 balls, though, was possibly one of the most important knocks he had ever played for his country. But Norbert Pistecial was the only recognised batsman left to hang in there with Liam Afosha; following that was the tail.
When Afosha was dismissed with the score on 103, Hebitaka were once again back on the front foot. And that was when disaster struck. After defending out a couple of balls, Chiku Bhave slipped a ball through Broughton Hall’s defence. 8-108. The very next ball was full again and castled Vilesti. 9-108. Sylestone were going to have two losses from two.
Or were they?
That was when Pistecial showed his true light. He whittled down the runs at a rate of knots, with Talvin Mankira, on debut, providing adequate support at the other end. 20… 15… 10… 5. With five runs to win and nine balls remaining, Ryo Hibiki delivered a full toss just outside off stump. Pistecial did not hesitate. The next thing anyone knew was the ball landing over the sighscreen behind Hibiki’s head. Sylestone had won.
Matchday Three: Sylestone vs PratapgadhLewes Park, NeverendPratapgadh - 5/171 (20)
S Gadia 53* (42) N Pistecial 2/34 (4)
F Gondalwala 29 (19) J Vilesti 2/38 (4)
Sylestone - 8/160 (20)
S Monteane 62 (46) K Kakadia 2/27 (4)
C Anderson 26* (22) R Rajawat 2/28 (4)
Player of the Match: Sanjay Gardia
Pratapgadh win by 11 runs
For the full scorecard, click
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The Hawthorns’ second loss came at the hands of Pratapgadh, the Pot 2 side in the group. Following a victory over Hebitaka that Norbert Pistecial single-handedly snaked from Hebitaka’s hands, Sylestone were on a high despite not really deserving the win. And although they gave Pratapgadh a run for their money in Neverend, they could not take the points out of the game.
A solid opening partnership by Rajendra Rathore and Divaj Dharel helped Pratapgadh to 0-47 inside the powerplay before Pistecial had Rathore caught behind on 27. Soon after, Broughton Hall had Bipin Parte trapped LBW and after a strong start, Pratapgadh had slipped to 2-54. Farhang Gondalwala, though, had some slightly different ideas. He set about scoring at a quick rate and despite Dharel falling for 29 with the score on 70, he began to build a partnership with Sanjay Gadia. Gadia began slowly but got the hang of it with the more balls he faced, with Gondalwala’s dismissal in the 16th over only increasing his ability to release the pressure. He found a solid partner in Javed Kazmi, who hit 15 off only 7 balls before finishing on 53; the fifty coming in the final over. For Sylestone, Vilesti and Pistecial each took two wickets, but none could really contain the flow of runs for long. Pratapgadh’s final total was 171 - certainly a tough chase, but still certainly doable.
The Hawthorns began well, but a beautiful yorker from Kartik Kakadia removed Luke Tiati when he was on 16 and just starting to get going. Lachlan Cocrine was caught soon after and when Daniel Fomleya was bowled by Rajat Rajawat, Sylestone were at 3-54 in the eighth over and a defeat seemed to be brewing. However, Simon Monteane was seeing the ball well and Liam Afosha seemed to be the man for the job.
The two of them put together a 41-run partnership before Afosha’s dismissal, which brought Chloe Anderson to the crease. Unlike Afosha, though, she struggled to get going as Monteane passed fifty and continued on his merry way. With the score on 120 and Monteane on 62, odds were perfectly even. Pratapgadh needed a wicket.
And so they dismissed Monteane.
It knocked the life out of the Hawthorns. Oliver Edwards, Norbert Pistecial and Broughton Hall could only rack up ten runs between them as Sylestone fell 11 runs short of the target, Anderson not out on 26. It meant that Sylestone would have to win their next three games to be nearly certain of qualification, but as they were all against unranked nations, who is saying they couldn’t?
Matchday Five: Sylestone vs StarblaydiaLewes Park, NeverendStarblaydia 5/173 (20)
[REDACTED] 86* (60) T Mankira 2/36 (4)
[REDACTED] 63 (45) J Vilesti 1/35 (4)
Sylestone 4/177 (19.2)
D Fomleya 76* (49) [REDACTED] 2/27 (3.2)
L Afosha 50 (31) [REDACTED] 1/34 (4)
Player of the Match: Daniel Fomleya
Sylestone win by 6 wickets with 4 balls remaining
For the full scorecard, click
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Sylestone overcame a tough Starblaydi challenge on matchday five to move back into their winning ways once again. After being 2/7, Starblaydia’s numbers 3 and 4 put on 133 runs together, helping the side to 173 from their 20 overs. To win, the Hawthorns would have to rack up their biggest total yet, and despite an early calamity, did so with ease, with captain Daniel Fomleya finishing on 76 not out alongside Afosha’s fifty. It put Sylestone back in the middle of the table and with an easy draw to go, could snare a top two spot if results went their way.
Following a leg-bye on the first ball of the innings, Norbert Pistecial delivered what could well be dubbed the ball of the tournament. Pitching on off stump, Starblaydia’s opener went to leave it, but the ball swung and seamed back in, just enough to click the outside edge of the off bail. It was an absolute beaut; even the very best batsman would have no hope. To make matters worse, the other Starblaydia opener missed a good length ball from Josh Vilesti in the following over, knocking out the middle and off pegs. However, despite the beautiful bowling they had just witnessed, Starblaydia’s 3 and 4 went about notching up runs at an alarming rate. The 50-run partnership milestone was passed, as was the 100. But just as Starblaydia looked to accelerate towards a total of 190 or 200, Liam Afosha had the Starblaydi number four caught by Oliver Edwards at long-on on 63, leaving the underdogs at 3-140 in the 17th over. A solid little cameo from [REDACTED] ensured that Starblaydia got to 173 with two balls remaining, but two wickets in two balls to Talvin Mankira cleaned up the rest of the middle-order and meant that Starblaydia had to suffice with a score of 5-173 from their 20 overs.
The Sylestonean innings began in the same fashion as the Starblaydia one did. Simon Monteane was caught in the second over before Luke Tiati continued his poor form with only 14 runs before his pegs were knocked over in the fourth over. As Lachlan Cocrine struggled to get going, Daniel Fomleya began hitting everything in the middle of the bat, giving Sylestone some hope. Cocrine’s dismissal in the ninth over left Sylestone at 3-68, but with Liam Afosha coming to the crease, they were still certainly in it.
Afosha and Fomleya, as predicted, really took to the Starblaydi bowling lineup. Her required run rate slowly began to come down as they matched each other shot for shot, Fomleya passing fifty - his third of his career and unarguably his best. With a single over to go, the Hawthorns had all but won, with Fomleya on 76 and Afosha 50. But going for a six to seal the win, Afosha skied the ball straight down mid-wicket’s throat, bringing Chloe Anderson to the crease. She, however, did not hesitate to cream a ball on her legs to the square leg boundary, handing her team the victory with four balls remaining.
Matchday Six: Sylestone vs DryicorRacecourse Ground, TalbottSylestone - 4/180 (20)
L Tiati 54 (38) P Lehkinen 3/25 (4)
S Monteane 37 (31) M Ulriksen 1/41 (4)
Dryicor - 4/158 (20)
M Walston 54 (44) B Hall 2/27 (4)
J Merimaa 49 (38) T Mankira 1/35 (4)
Player of the Match: Luke Tiati
Sylestone win by 22 runs
For the full scorecard, click
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An all-round dominant batting display followed up by some strong, economical bowling ensured that Sylestone would be able to take a 22 run win over a decent Dryicor side; one of whom appeared to challenge playoff spots. Luke Tiati finally found a shred of form with his first fifty of the tournament, and he was ably supported by Simon Monteane and the reliable Liam Afosha. While Josh Vilesti didn’t have the best day with the ball, going for 39 off four overs, the other bowlers made up for it, barely conceding runs at times and bowling on tough lengths, much to the frustration of the Dryicor batters. In the end, Sylestone would move into playoff contention in third place, but all three results had to go their way if they wanted to be assured an automatic round of 16 spot. More on that later.
Luke Tiati and Simon Monteane began the innings cautiously, slowly working their way into their stuff while maintaining an acceptable run rate. As time progressed, both batsmen, Tiati in particular, looked to up the ante as the ten over mark came into sight. However, with only a few balls remaining until the halfway point, Monteane was delivered a corker of a delivery from Pyry Lehkinen, which he could only succeed in top-edging to fine leg, where Magnus Ulriksen snaffled the catch. Nearly ten overs in, the Hawthorns were at 1-74. An up in run rate was required.
Lachlan Cocrine and Luke Tiati sort of provided it. The two of them upped the run rate to roughly eight-an-over before Tiati’s dismissal in the back end of the 14th over. It was a double blow, with Cocrine falling in the very next over to Lehkinen’s bowling. However, with two wickets to his name, plans were to save him for the last over. But with Fomleya and Afosha popping off, he needed to be brought back for his last over. It was the fourth-last of the innings, and it paid off, with Fomleya falling with the score on 136. However, he could not get the prize wicket of Afosha, who continued on his merry way.
Some brutal hitting from the finisher and Oliver Edwards ensured Sylestone finished up on 4-180 from their 20 overs - their best total so far. Dryicor would have to pull off a miracle if they were to win this.
Jaajo Nykkäinen did his best. The pinch-hitter racked up 18 quick runs off 8 balls before, on his ninth, went for one big swing too many and was caught at mid-on by debutant Mitchell Stein. It brought star batsman Jouku Merimaa to the crease and while he got going, could not really take the bowling down. Magnus Walston faced the same issue. The two of them put together a 93-run partnership but it took up until the 15th over. It meant that they would have to score at 12 an over if they wanted to win. A near-impossible task.
Walston passed fifty, but was caught at mid-off by Fomleya before, the very next over, Ohto Uvsa was trapped LBW by Broughton Hall. and while Jonas Eldevik and James Plepic tried their best, they still could only get Dryicor to 158 before time was up.
To progress, Sylestone needed the following:
1. A win over Arjunnagar
2. An Elejamie win over Pratapgadh
3. A Dryicor win over Starblaydia
If this occurred, the H2H run rate between the Hawthorns, Pratapgadh and Dryicor was in Sylestone’s favour, so they would progress in second spot in the group. If anything else happened, though, they were simply fucked.