Test cricket - GCF World Challenge 11 (RP/Rosters/Scores)

by **Sylestone** » Tue Apr 28, 2020 7:21 pm

Sylestonean Cricket Team:
The Sylestonean Cricket Team is a team full of budding young players, with the oldest player only thirty and three teenagers in the current eleven.
They are currently not a very strong side but are full of budding young talent that will one day hopefully make them world-beaters. Here is the XI used for the first test against Ethane.

Name - Role - Age - Batting hand - Bowling arm
(+) Luke Tiati - Opener/Wicketkeeper - 24 - LHB - N/A
Lachlan Edwards - Opener/all rounder - 16 - RHB - RLS
(c)Daniel Fomleya - Batsman - 30 - LHB - LOS
Peter Lenton - Batsman - 25 - RHB - N/A
Simon Monteane - Batsman - 21 - RHB - N/A
Sean Lake - Batsman - 27 - RHB - N/A
Norbert Pistecial - All rounder - 18 - LHB - LMF
Zangj Jonjaakh - Bowler/ all rounder - 29 - RHB - RF
Nathan Norwell- Bowler/ all rounder - 20 - LHB - RFM
Broughton Hall - Bowler - 17 - RHB - ROS
Joshua Vilesti - Bowler - 28 - RHB - RF

The first test against Ethane was a tough one for the Sylestoneans, but they still put up a competitive fight. Here is the detailed match report:

Day 1:
Sylestone won the toss and elected to bat on a decent pitch in Ethane.
They started off well with a 65 run partnership between openers Luke Tiati and Lachlan Edwards, but both when Tiati got bowled by an absolute peach, a loss of four wickets for just ten runs and sixteen-year-old Lachlan Edwards partnered up with Sean Lake for a 39 run partnership before Lake got caught behind, leaving Sylestone 5/114 and on the back foot. However, hard-hitting teenager Norbert Pistecial came to the crease and produced 68 out of a 114 run partnership with Edwards before the young opener finally was dismissed. Pistecial went on to notch up a century before being the final man to be dismissed with the score on 269/
The Ethane innings began well for the Sylestonean bowlers as Zangj Jonjaakh, Josh Vilesti and Norbert Pistecial all took a wicket apiece in the first fifteen overs before they recovered to be 3/88 at stumps after 28 overs.

Day 2:
The Sylestonean bowlers got wickets at regular intervals to dismiss Ethane 53 runs short of the Sylestonean total, with 18 yo Norbert Pistecial getting the country's first-ever five-for. This meant their batters went in full of confidence only to find themselves on a rapidly deteriorating pitch. Captain Daniel Fomleya was the only batsman to make any sort of score with 50 valuable runs, setting Ethane a total of 172 runs to win. An opening partnership of 98 knocked the players chance of hope, but four quick wickets to the spinners worried Ethane's fans overnight, with the score at 4/125. The game was set up for a nail-biting finish.

Day 3:
Unfortunately for Sylestone's players and their country, their bowlers could not muster any more wickets and Ethane completed a relatively comfortable victory by six wickets.

Sylestone first innings:
Batsman - Runs - Balls - How Out - FOW
Luke Tiati - 33(48) - Bowled - 65
Lachlan Edwards - 89(156) - Caught - 228
Daniel Fomleya - 2(5) - Caught - 71
Peter Lenton - 0(2) - Caught - 71
Simon Monteane - 4(8) - Bowled - 75
Sean Lake - 20(32) - LBW - 114
Norbert Pistecial - 100(94) - Caught - 267
Zangj Jonjaakh - 1(5) - Run Out - 235
Nathan Norwell - 3(17) - Bowled - 244
Broughton Hall - 9(13) - Caught - 261
Joshua Vilesti - 0(7) - Not Out - N/A

Extras: 12
Byes: 0
Leg Byes: 8
Wides: 3
No balls: 1

Total: 10/269
Overs: 59.0

Ethane first innings:
Name - Overs - Runs - Wickets
Zangj Jonjaakh 14 - 61 - 1
Joshua Vilesti 11 - 32 - 2
Norbert Pistecial 20.3 - 47 - 5
Nathan Norwell 8 - 26 - 0
Broughton Hall 12 - 45 - 2
Lachlan Edwards 2 - 3 - 0

Total: 214
Overs: 67.4 overs

Sylestone second innings:
Luke Tiati - 1(6) - Caught - 5
Lachlan Edwards - 26(28) - Caught - 45
Daniel Fomleya - 50(61) - Bowled - 113
Peter Lenton - 6(5) - Caught - 56
Simon Monteane - 8(17) - Caught - 78
Sean Lake - 4(13) - Caught - 85
Norbert Pistecial - 10(10) - LBW - 106
Zangj Jonjaakh - 0(1) - Caught - 106
Nathan Norwell - 3(5) - Bowled - 110
Broughton Hall - 2(6) - Caught - 116
Joshua Vilesti 3(4) - Not out - N/A

Extras:
Wides: 3

Score: 116
Overs: 26.0

Ethane Second Innings:
Name - Overs - Runs - Wickets
Zangj Jonjakkh - 11 - 56 - 0
Joshua Vilesti - 7 - 19 - 0
Norbert Pistecial - 10 - 28 - 0
Broughton Hall - 9 - 35 - 2
Lachlan Edwards - 5 - 12- 2
Nathan Norwell - 5 - 25 - 0
Score: 4/175
Overs: 47.0

Ethane win by six wickets

by **Sajnur** » Wed Apr 29, 2020 5:18 am

Sajnur in Ko-oren: Preview

Kiara Avestra

Sajnur have arrived in Ko-oren ahead of the first Test at yBherafon Hills in the city of Llandy. Like the Plough Islands, Ko-oren are a powerhouse in Test cricket with a long history of success. Unlike the Plough Islands, cricket is just one of several sports with strong followings here, and the country has more than 27 million people with which to fill its stadiums. Additionally, the much larger archipelago's pitches are much friendlier to fast bowlers than those in the spin nirvana of the Plough Islands, while also being friendlier to batsmen. Ko-oren is a nation of many languages and cultures, with ten languages having more than a million fluent speakers each. The linguistic diversity is, indeed, akin to that of Sajnur, although it's concentrated in a much smaller area in Ko-oren. The country also has climactic diversity, with the south eastern Japanese speaking islands being sub-tropical and the northern coast of the main island being cold and bitter. Llandy, on the western peninsula, is on the windier end of the spectrum, while the city of Maynard, home to the Leewardia Oval where the second Test will be played, is inland and thus warmer.

Sajnur will be arriving in Ko-oren off the back of a huge victory against the Plough Islands in the third Test there, but a lot of time has passed between then and now, and the Ko-orenite team has several top class players with the capability to rip through Sajnur, foremost among them being Reginald Twaddle. The opener has been the bulwark of the Dragonflies' batting order and has driven them to five victories in ten tests. His most spectacular feat this season will obviously be his 224 against Darmen, but he has been a consistent performer for his nation and thus the right hander will be of great concern for the Sajnuran bowlers. One batsman does not make a lineup, however, and his older teammates will be right there behind him contributing to the run total. The one left hander in their standard order is Dennis Stanaway, but Ko-oren will likely be trialling other players too. On the bowling side, the Dragonflies' staple attack is the fast bowling trio of Zacharias Fox, Herschel Marsden, and Newton Courtenay, all three of whom have been devastating to unprepared batsmen, and who will be particularly so at yBherafon Hills, the green pitch there feeding much seam action to their bowling. Their main spinners are leg spinner Rutherford Lincoln and all rounder and unorthodox spinner Theophilus Darknoll, and they will come into significance when the teams arrive in Maynard, although that's more due to the fast bowlers being neutered by the historically bat friendly conditions there.

On the Sajnuran side, not all that much has changed, but there are two differences fans will notice. First, a fifteenth player has been added to the touring party in the form of fast bowler Ekurina, who will provide another option for coach Juri Zinfa to pepper Twaddle and co. The bigger change, however, is the promotion of the young Aqur Barsa to the starting XI for the first test ahead of Kinje Surju. The former starting keeper scored just 37 runs in six innings in the Plough Islands, and despite being there for the upset win at the Southport Athletic Club, his poor batting has seen him dropped for Barsa. The presence of Ekurina will also signal a threat to Liam Saovin's spot in the team, the fast-medium bowler having lost the second pace position to Nikolas Burovin. Having taken just ten wickets in six tests, if Saovin doesn't improve his statistics his international career may be in jeopardy.

Starting XI for First Test

Player              Age  Bat  Bowl

Gabriela Fiume [vc]  24   R
Harry Kotte          26   L
Jonas Sjoring        32   L
Tomas Piqa [c]       26   R   Right arm leg spin
Solomon Tawas        23   L
Aqur Barsa           21   R   Wicketkeeper
Toljo Jorse          26   R   Right arm off spin
Alan Tijer           25   R   Right arm fast
Liam Saovin          29   R   Right arm fast-medium
Karim Haton          24   L   Left arm orthodox
Nikolas Burovin      28   R   Left arm fast

Others on Tour

Stefan Lulle         27   R   Right arm leg spin
Kaori Jansa          28   R   Left arm medium fast
Ekurina              23   R   Right arm fast
Kinje Surju          31   L   Wicketkeeper

Head Coach: Juri Zinfa

by **New Lunenburg** » Wed Apr 29, 2020 5:52 am

CRICKETERS FALL SHORT IN FOURTH INNINGS CHASE

PLAYA DE ROCAS, ELEJAMIE - New Lunenburg's test cricketers fell 68 runs short of victory in their first test as tourists in the GCF. The pitch at the Arena San Tibulo in the Elejamian city of Playa de Rocas provided for a fine contest, which was somewhat higher scoring than the tests earlier in the season at home. Elejamie's test captain, Danny Slezinger, called heads at the toss and this proved to be the right decision, as his side capitalised on this by scoring 472/8d in their first innings. Opener and vice-captain Steve Loughlin was hard to beat, scoring 137 in one of two centuries in the first innings, with Kelly Entwistle also bringing up a ton for Elejamie. Despite an opener going on to score a century, Konstantin Schneider still excelled with the new ball and took three early wickets in the top-order, though the hosts carried on unshaken. After spending 148 overs in the field, New Lunenburg finally came in to bat late on the second day of the test. Wicket-keeper Andreas Hansen continued his streak of impressive batting performances and was caught behind on 91. Clearly frustrated to fall short of a century, Hansen called for a review rather senselessly when he had quite obviously put bat on ball. Sebastian Wells also made his mark with the bat, producing a resilient 76 in tough conditions, as Elejamian quick Pablo Novak gave a veritable masterclass in swing bowling, taking five wickets for 59 in the process. On the final two days of the test, spin bowling very much came into play, with the pitch turning more and more as the match went on. Elejamie struggled along to 210 in their second innings, with Dawoud Halabi being the only batsman to reach his half-century. Adam Lyons and Thomas Griffiths were the pick of the bowlers, taking 3-38 and 3-42 respectively. New Lunenburg came into the fourth innings needing 339 to win with a day's play remaining and it would seem that captain Nathan Stainton decided that his side ought to attempt to chase this target rather than play for the draw. New Lunenburg were bested by stellar bowling from both Elejamian frontline spinners, with Arian Rodriguez taking 4-59 and Lucas Mahler going 3-50. The captain and Joseph Graves made half-centuries but this wasn't enough to prevent New Lunenburg falling to their first defeat in the GCF. The New Lunenburg Cricket Board has announced two changes to the side ahead of the second and final test in Portham. Matthew Field will replace William Rose, which will give the side a second frontline spinner in the XI, and Nicholas Fuller has been dropped in favour of debutant Jordan Humphreys.

Match Summary:

1st Test of 2: Arena San Tibulo, Playa de Rocas 
Toss: Elejamie won the toss and decided to bat

Elejamie - 472/8d (148.0 overs) - 1st innings
Loughlin 137 (282)		  Schneider 4-113
Entwistle 115 (247)		  Lyons 3-86

New Lunenburg - 344 (120.4 overs) - 1st innings
Hansen 91 (148)		          Novak 5-59
Wells 76 (212)			  Mahler 2-40

Elejamie - 210 (69.2 overs) - 2nd innings
D Halabi 60 (98)		  Lyons 3-38
Entwistle 42 (76)		  Griffiths 3-42

New Lunenburg - 270 (78.2 overs) - 2nd innings
Stainton 65 (113)	  	  Rodriguez 4-59
Graves 58 (120)		          Mahler 3-50

New Lunenburg lose by 68 runs

by **Ko-oren** » Wed Apr 29, 2020 7:41 am

The Bestest Players #4

After openers, middle-order batsmen, and wicketkeepers, we've come to the bowlers. What about the all-rounders, I hear? Most of them have been put under other positions already, or haven't really drawn attention on both sides of the ball. Arguably, it's the hardest position to play (not the word 'arguably', by which I mean it's really hard to argue) - or at least it's difficult to impress statistically if you're playing both sides of the sport. Ko-oren has its fair share of all-rounders, and tend to use two of them in any team, even if they have fallen out of favour. Anyway, with five spots left to fill, let's look at bowlers. Actually, since it's such a massive category, let's look at spin bowlers, specifically.

All players that are categorised as 'bowlers, comma, general' will be examined under pace bowlers in episode 5 of the Bestest Players.

Spin, we won't have to tell you, comes in four distinct flavours. Handedness (left/right) is one factor, the direction of spin (leg/off) is the other. Two times two is four, quick maths. That makes it impossible to use all types of spin on a single team (unless you've got some creative batsmen who are willing to chime in, or unless you really don't want to bowl pace). So, in this list, I will just be looking at the best bowlers who utilise spin, without looking at handedness or direction. If it turns out we come out with two unorthodox bowlers - so be it. In fact, so few players are on this list that we will only name one true spin bowler, and hope that the bowlers of undeterminable style include another spin bowler.

Goudreau, Liventia
Not just impressing in the bowling department, the Liventian bowler has at times impressed with the bat in hand as well. Another player that mainly caught our eye because he ran the Dragonflies into the ground (four wickets taken in one innings, scoring enough runs for a win in the next). Also, he's got a five-for against Lisander - hardly a unique feat, there's five-fors all the time now, but it's still significant. At number nine in the order, he regularly finishes not out, and time and time again is the bowler with the most maidens and/or wickets on the scoresheet - but then again, he's also bowling more overs than the rest. There's a correlation there, at the very least. What pushes Goudreau into the list is how often he takes out middle-order batsmen. Anyone can deceive a tail-ender, but it takes some extra skill and confidence to get the big boys out.

Ashe, Plough
The big surprise for the Test Final coming up, the Plough Islands have taken their obsession for cricket to the next level by not only playing, but also winning. Big. Always in, Ashe isn't always the most conservative bowler, not the biggest wicket-taker, but she's there, she takes wickets, she's careful about runs, and she can put up some lower-order resistance. She also appears relatively early in the batting line-up, especially so for a bowler. Her innings can be a bit day-and-night though: one innings she takes three or four wickets for relatively few runs, the next she leaks runs without getting anyone out. It also helps that the Plough Islands are a spinner safe space.

Haton, Sajnur
About to face the Dragonflies, Sajnur hasn't enjoyed the type of season they set out to. Combined with the small sample size (just four matches on the season, with one left to play), it's hard to make a case for Haton. Nonetheless, here we are, and the lefty has a nomination anyway.

Salisbury, Plough
And there's your second Plough Islander. No Darmeni this time around - their remarkable season is yet to shine with the pace bowling chapter. Salisbury doesn't have the batting qualities of Ashe, but takes a few more wickets in return.

Oh, and for good measure, here's an all-rounder anyway.

Gardenar, Darmen
Darmen's insane run has to be celebrated in some way - and here's a way to get a second name on the team. There's multiple good all-rounders, from the Liventian duo, to our very own Darknoll (you knew there was going to be home cooking in this series), but Gardenar is quite easily one of the best in the trade. Fifties, not-outs (and a century versus Eastfield Lodge) while batting at #6, on the one hand, wickets and more than a fair share of overs bowled on the other. The one downside is that Gardenar isn't about criticism and has lost Tests to Kaufman. Oh, and as an added bonus, Gardenar bowls left-handed spin so it's totally within the scope of the episode.

GCF World Challenge 11 Team of the Season:
1. Twaddle (Ko-oren)
2. Winter (Darmen)
3. Weaver (Plough Isles)
4. Tausche (Teusland)
5. Edwards (Liventia)
6. Monfils (Lisander) (wk)
7. Gardenar (Darmen)
8. Ashe (Plough Isles)

Possible captains: Winter (current), Edwards (former)

by **Ko-oren** » Thu Apr 30, 2020 6:55 am

Hoping to continue the good start against Sajnur - even though the last three two-Test series we've had started with a Dragonflies win, and ended with a loss - the KCB has announced the XI in the second Test versus Sajnur:

Twaddle
Igglesden
Willis
Stanway
yChaegrheodd
Darknoll
Meredith (wk)
Raycraft
Marsden
Fox
Harvey

All in all, the KCB looks back at a moderately successful season. After the fantastic start in season 9, followed up by an even better season 10, this feels like a step back. Marsden should not worry about his role, but there are some necessary adjustments to be made. Between him and Twaddle, there are two standout athletes, but the headway made into Test batting in the first two seasons was hard to find again. The bowling is alright, the adjustments to local conditions seem fine, as well, and many of last season's problems have been mitigated. In season 10, the Dragonflies just could not get a first innings lead - and now we can, but it does not lead to good results. Missing out on the final - and barely playing a role in the title fight - should hopefully spark more improvements within the KCB and the six First-Class regions.

by **The Plough Islands** » Sat May 02, 2020 10:00 am

PLOUGH ISLANDS CRICKET ASSOCIATION
XI FOR THIRD TEST AGAINST LISANDER

      PLAYER            BAT   BOW
G     Holt              LHB      
MG    Davy              RHB   RLB
SLC   Weaver            RHB   RLB
KCT   Laing (c)         RHB   RMD
AC    Leggett           RHB   RLB
OD    Fedorov           LHB      
IT    Lebed (w)         LHB      
S     Ashe              RHB   ROB
CG    McCarthy          RHB   RFM
JPE   Iddon             RHB   RLB
NA    Salisbury         LHB   SLA

HIGHROCK ATHLETIC CLUB (P. M. -5)

by **Darmen** » Sat May 02, 2020 2:57 pm

GCF Test 753
Match Report: Darmen in Elejamie (2 of 2) @ Smithsfield Insurance Ground, Blackport
Darmen bat first
Elejamie 159 (61.0 overs), follow-on 355 (98.4 overs)
Darmen 405 (119.3 overs), 111/3 (43.4 overs)
Darmen win by 7 wickets

Darmen 1st Innings
Name                                 Runs Balls 4's 6's SR
MS Brice      b Novak                 24   43    3  0   55.81
S Winter*     c S Halabi b Mahler     95  160    8  2   59.38
T Milligan    c Hamilton b Slezinger  38   71    5  0   53.52
W van der Zee st Bentley† b Novak     92  167    7  3   55.09
A Droit       c Montoya b Rodriguez   16   47    1  0   34.04
A Amrbruster† lbw b Mahler            38   63    3  1   60.32
C McAlister   not out                 39   78    5  0   50.00
A Dickenson   lbw b Novak              8   17    1  0   47.06
K Rosenfeld   c Loughlin b Rodriguez   7   15    0  0   46.67
D Myers       c Bentley† b Novak      12   26    1  0   46.15
M Wakefield   c Montoya b Novak       10   30    0  0   33.33
Extras                                26
Total (119.3 overs, 3.39 rpo)        405        34  6

Name      Overs M Runs Wickets Econ.
Novak     34.3  7  92  5       2.67
Mahler    28.0  3 106  2       3.79
Rodriguez 22.0  4  78  2       3.55
Slezinger 22.0  3  85  1       3.86
Hamilton  13.0  2  44  0       3.38

Elejamie 1st Innings
Name                                    Runs Balls 4's 6's SR
SP Loughlin   c Milligan b McAlister      7  30     0  0   23.33
D Halabi      c Amrbruster† b Dickenson  15  35     1  0   42.86
RCM Hamilton  b McAlister                17  37     2  0   45.95
MJ Bentley†   c van der Zee b Wakefield  43  88     5  1   48.86
KS Entwistle  lbw b Dickenson            12  26     1  0   46.15
RE Montoya    c Droit b Dickenson         6  20     0  0   30.00
S Halabi      c & b Myers                20  47     2  0   42.55
DJ Slezinger* not out                    16  39     2  0   41.03
L Mahler      lbw b McAlister             7  22     0  0   31.82
AG Rodriguez  c Milligan b Wakefield      0   4     0  0    0.00
P Novak       c Amrbruster† b Rosenfeld   3  18     0  0   16.67
Extras                                   13
Total (61.0 overs, 2.61 rpo)            159        13  1

Name      Overs M Runs Wickets Econ.
Wakefield 10.0  3 27   2       2.70
McAlister 12.0  3 33   3       2.75
Dickenson 13.0  2 42   3       3.23
Rosenfeld 11.0  2 36   1       3.27
Myers     15.0  6 21   1       1.40

Elejamie 2nd Innings
Name                                    Runs Balls 4's 6's SR
SP Loughlin   c Dickenson b Wakefield    12   31    0  0   38.71
D Halabi      lbw b Rosenfeld            17   25    2  0   68.00
RCM Hamilton  c Amrbruster† b Myers      55   87    6  1   63.22
MJ Bentley†   lbw b Wakefield            28   40    2  1   70.00
KS Entwistle  c Milligan b McAlister     70  112    8  1   62.50
RE Montoya    c Amrbruster† b Wakefield  36   63    3  1   57.14
S Halabi      run-out (Winter)           13   22    1  0   59.09
DJ Slezinger* c Droit b Dickenson        33   69    4  0   47.83
L Mahler      lbw b Myers                11   25    1  0   44.00
AG Rodriguez  not out                    39   83    5  0   46.99
P Novak       c Brice b Wakefield        15   35    1  0   42.86
Extras                                   26
Total (98.4 overs, 3.60 rpo)            355        33  4

Name      Overs M Runs Wickets Econ.
Wakefield 22.4  3 73   4       3.22
McAlister 20.0  0 96   1       4.80
Dickenson 19.0  1 79   1       4.16
Rosenfeld 18.0  3 51   1       2.83
Myers     19.0  4 55   2       2.89
*1 run-out

Darmen 2nd Innings
Name                                 Runs Balls 4's 6's SR
MS Brice      c Bentley† b Slezinger  20   72   0   0   27.78
S Winter*     c Loughlin b Hamilton   14   51   1   0   27.45
T Milligan    not out                 49  103   5   0   47.57
W van der Zee lbw b Novak             10   14   1   1   71.43
A Droit       not out                  9   22   0   0   40.91
Extras                                 9
Total (43.4 overs, 2.54 rpo)         111        7   1
Did not bat: A Amrbruster†, C McAlister, A Dickenson, K Rosenfeld, D Myers, M Wakefield

Name      Overs M Runs Wickets Econ.
Novak     10.0  3 23   1       2.30
Mahler    10.4  2 28   0       2.63
Rodriguez  8.0  2 23   0       2.88
Slezinger  9.0  3 20   1       2.22
Hamilton   6.0  2 17   1       2.83

Player of the Match: Menashe Wakefield (DAR), 10.0-3-27-2 & 22.4-3-73-4

Edwards-Winter Trophy heads to Bloomer for decider under Lights

BLOOMER - After a disaster of a match in Tempala, last week's match between Darmen and Liventia in Scott City was a much better contest, even if the final result wasn't in Darmen's favor. The five wicket loss ended Darmen's ten match winning streak and eleven match unbeaten streak, a three month long period which saw some of the best Darmeni cricket played thus far and a certain particular match in Tempala, but the less said about that the better.

Now the two teams are ready to face off against each other in Bloomer for the deciding match of the inaugural Edwards-Winter Trophy, to be held under day/night conditions. This will be the second test with the pink ball for Darmen this season, following their opening test of the season against Ko-oren in Liverpool. That match ended with a Darmeni loss, as the team came up 123 runs short in its chase, but Darmeni captain Sigmund Winter believes things will be different this time.

"We learn things every match and make adjustments to get ourselves in the best positions to win matches. Things didn't go exactly how we wanted in our debut Day/Night match, but we've learned and we're better prepared now."

In particular, the openers, Winter being one of them, will be called upon to bat patiently and not give up their wickets' cheaply. Vinnie Acker, who scored just 18 runs in two innings in Liverpool and hasn't impressed much in the few matches he's played since then, has been replaced for the most part by Máel Sechlainn Brice, who has acquitted himself pretty well throughout the season. Theudofrid Milligan and Winston van der Zee have swapped positions; van der Zee had relinquished the #3 spot to Milligan who has made far better use of his traditional position than the younger one-day specialist has. van der Zee has also become more confident and patient over the course of his first test season, although his 10-14 off two boundaries in the second innings of the final test against Elejamie suggests there is still more work to be done.

Menashe Wakefield's introduction into the bowling attack has also had a remarkable impact on the team's performances, with the 31 year old still slinging thunderbolts down the pitch at high velocity. Winter has suggested that Darmen will put an emphasis on pace bowling, especially if it looks as though late evening dew will have an effect on the match. That suggestion could mean that all-rounder Domenic Gardenar, who bowls spin, will either be replaced with fellow all-rounder Tristram Kaufman, who bowls medium pace, or that Darmen might not play with any all-rounders at all.

Whatever the case, this week's match against Liventia promises to be an exciting one, not only because the Edwards-Winter Trophy will be awarded for the first time, but also due to the growing anticipation for the World Test Challenge Final, which Darmen has now officially qualified for.

by **Liventia** » Sun May 03, 2020 1:04 am

Matchday 14

GCF Test 771
Match Report: Liventia in Darmen
Liventia bat first
Darmen 163 (46.2 overs), 397 f/o (79.1 overs)
Liventia 391 (78.5 overs), 157 (31.1 overs)
Liventia lose by 12 runs
Edwards–Winter Trophy: Darmen win 2–1

GCF Test 772
Match Report: Lisander in The Plough Islands
Lisander bat first
The Plough Islands 136 (39.2 overs), 239 (56.2 overs)
Lisander 238 (87.4 overs), 205 (60.3 overs)
The Plough Islands lose by 68 runs
Series: The Plough Islands win 2–1

GCF Test 773
Match Report: Sajnur in Ko-oren
Ko-oren bat first
Ko-oren 327 (63.0 overs), 276 (54.0 overs)
Sajnur 217 (48.0 overs), 329 (78.1 overs)
Sajnur lose by 57 runs
Series: Ko-oren win 2–0

GCF Test 774
Match Report: Pratapgadh in Teusland
Pratapgadh bat first
Teusland 622/5d (109.0 overs), 50/1 (12.5 overs)
Pratapgadh 381 (89.0 overs), 289 (79.2 overs)
Teusland win by 9 wickets
Series: Teusland win 3–0

GCF Test 775
Match Report: New Lunenburg in Elejamie
Elejamie bat first
Elejamie 302 (73.1 overs), 212 (78.2 overs)
New Lunenburg 229 (104.4 overs), 288/4 (73.4 overs)
New Lunenburg win by 6 wickets
Series: Drawn 1–1

GCF Test 776
Match Report: Krytenia in Jeckland
Jeckland bat first
Jeckland 296 (72.3 overs), 458 (110.4 overs)
Krytenia 335 (91.4 overs), 370/7 (103.0 overs)
Drawn
Series: Jeckland win 1–0 (1 drawn)

GCF Test 777
Match Report: Eastfield Lodge in The Grearish Union
Eastfield Lodge bat first
The Grearish Union 375 (127.1 overs), 197/6 (41.0 overs)
Eastfield Lodge 210 (58.0 overs), 361 (93.4 overs)
The Grearish Union win by 4 wickets
Series: Drawn 1–1 (1 drawn)

GCF Test 778
Match Report: Sylestone in Ethane
Sylestone bat first
Ethane 271 (60.3 overs), 231/4 (78.5 overs)
Sylestone 264 (78.0 overs), 233 (83.2 overs)
Ethane win by 6 wickets
Series: Ethane win 2–1

GCF Rankings

Full Members                       Score  Pts/MP  Adjusted
 1 Liventia			 FM  120 (5762/48)  110.02
 2 Ethane		         FM  117 (3630/31)  108.55
 3 Darmen			 FM  115 (6478/56)  107.84
 4 Teusland			 FM  110 (2313/21)  105.07
 5 Ko-oren			 FM  106 (5651/53)  103.31
 6 The Plough Islands		 FM  102 (4308/42)  101.29
 7 Apox				 FM   95 (3232/34)   97.53
 8 Lisander		         FM   82 (1150/14)   91.07
 9 Sajnur			 FM   70 (983/14)    85.11
10 Eastfield Lodge		 FM   67 (2377/35)   83.96
11 Pratapgadh			 FM   63 (1148/18)   81.89
12 Elejamie			 FM   61 (867/14)    80.96

Associate Members
1 New Lunenburg			 AS  136 (816/6)    113.00
2 Jeckland                       AS   85 (856/10)    98.00
3 The Grearish Union		 AS   66 (264/4)     88.00
4 Krytenia			 AS   39 (119/3)     75.00

Affiliate Members
1 Damukuni                       AF  148 (1783/12)  119.00
2 Busoga Islands                 AF  111 (890/8)    100.00
3 The Sherpa Empire		 AF   94 (282/3)    102.00
4 Sylestone			 AF   93 (372/4)    101.00
5 Northwest Kalactin		 AF   91 (1469/16)  100.00

Inactive Members
1 Mattijana	              IN/FM  120 (2400/20)  110.00
2 Eura			      IN/FM  101 (2341/23)  100.89
3 Barunia		      IN/FM   85 (1030/12)   92.92
4 Tobiasia		      IN/FM   73 (882/12)    86.75
5 The Kiaser Colonies	      IN/FM   70 (493/7)     85.21

Notes: 
Due to consistent RP, New Lunenburg has been promoted to Associate status.
Krytenia, as a returning GCF Full Member, bypasses Affiliate status.
The Grearish Union, as a former GCF Full Member under a different nation, bypasses Affiliate status.

                         Pl  W  L  D  T  Ld  Lv  Pts BP  Avg
 1 Darmen                14 11  2  1  0   7   0  209  4  18.9  Q
 2 Teusland               8  5  1  2  0   5   0  110  2  15.8  Q
 3 Damukuni               4  3  1  0  0   1   0   57  1  15.3
 4 The Plough Islands     8  5  3  0  0   6   0  104  1  14.0
   New Lunenburg          4  3  1  0  0   2   0   56  0  14.0
 6 The Grearish Union     3  2  1  0  0   2   0   40  0  13.3
 7 Ko-oren               12  7  4  1  0   9   0  153  0  12.8
 8 Ethane                 3  2  1  0  0   1   0   36  0  12.0
 9 Liventia              11  5  4  2  0  10   0  131  0  11.9
10 Jeckland               7  3  2  2  0   1   0   63  1  10.0
11 Lisander               8  3  3  1  0   3   0   65  1   9.1
12 Sylestone              3  1  2  0  0   2   0   24  0   8.0
13 Busoga Islands         4  1  3  0  0   3   0   28  0   7.0
14 Pratapgadh            10  2  7  1  0   3   0   49  1   5.9
15 Krytenia               2  0  1  1  0   2   0   13  0   6.5
16 The Sherpa Empire	  2  0  0  2  0   0   1   12  0   6.0
   Elejamie               4  1  3  0  0   2   0   24  0   6.0
18 Apox                   5  1  3  1  0   1   0   25  0   5.0
19 Eastfield Lodge       11  1  7  3  0   4   0   48  0   4.4
20 Northwest Kalactin     4  0  2  2  0   1   1   16  0   4.0
21 Sajnur                 5  1  4  0  0   0   0   16  0   3.2

Qualified for the World Test Challenge Final
Ineligible for the Final

The GCF World Test Challenge Final will take place at the Greencaster Oval, Ko-oren, between Darmen and Teusland. As per the league playing conditions, should the match end in a draw or tie, the teams will share the title. The match will also count towards the GCF Test rankings.

by **Ko-oren** » Mon May 04, 2020 2:38 am

Greencaster sets up weeks of cricket festivals!

The Dragonflies may not be in, but that shouldn't discourage anyone from coming to Greencaster to get a taste of the GCF Test Final! Darmen will take on Teusland in a one-off final. The traditionally all-green team have been looking unbeatable all year, including the early 4-Test series at the start. Darmen have recorded 11 wins, and just two losses and one draw all season! One of those losses, as well as that draw, came against us in that early series. Since then, the Darmeni have not looked back and have ravaged through the rest of their fixtures. Teusland have made the final on a much smaller sample size, playing eight tests and winning five of them. They've only lost one in eight, with two draws added in, to barely overtake the Plough Islands who looked final-bound for the last few months as well. In the end, the Foxes won five and lost three - and that doesn't cut it. Once again, the Test title goes through Ko-oren - but luckily this time it won't be through beating us in the last match of the season.

The Harbour City opens up to visitors from all over, and in the week leading up to the test, there will be all kinds of events. Pace bowling competitions, spin masterclasses by the best bowlers of the archipelago, a chance to win all kinds of signed and unsigned goodies. Fielding and throwing minigames, you name it, and something like it will be there. Cricket village opens up one week before the match starts, and will stay open until the day after the final ends. The final itself will be broadcast on big screens throughout the city - as well as at the venues of the other First-class cricket regions. Invites to the other Test team captains and key players have been sent out - if enough attend, there will be added panels and interviews.

One square of Cricket village will be all green, another one will be white and gold. We ask that everyone attending events there respect the 'local' nations and languages.

Welcome and good luck to Teusland and Darmen!

The Bestest Players #5

All that remains are the pace bowlers - many of which have played pivotal roles for their teams across the entire GCF season. With only one match left to play, in which Darmen will try to win another Test title over Teusland (not the Plough Islands!), we ought to have a big enough sample size to fill the final 3 spots on the team.

Elias Lehner, Teusland
Lehner has done it! His team will go to the final even if it wasn't always certain they'd go there. The face of the team, he'll feel tonnes of pressure - but he mustn't forget there are ten others around him trying to achieve the same goal. His individual numbers aren't poor either, with 13 wickets in two Tests versus Apox, and playing eight Tests in the season.

Brayden Mathews, Jeckland (pace bowler)
Mathews has shown to take wickets like the best of them, but appears on the scoresheet as one of the better batsmen as well. About as versatile as some of the batsmen we've seen (Weaver comes to mind), focusing on accuracy whatever he does.

Herschel Marsden, Ko-oren
Marsden, 'legendary' captain of the Dragonfly team (at least, legendary to us), part of the team for all three years of our Test existance, captain of every single match played in the meantime. Marsden might be unimpressive with the bat, but that's not what he's selected for. He can keep pace even after bowling dozens of overs, reading batsmen and balancing swing and seam where necessary. A master of the elements, and a strategic (not always motivational) captain.

Kerr, Liventia
A cornerstone on a team that's always good, if not great, but whose stats are sometimes difficult to tell apart from his brother, the all-rounder much higher up the order. From match-saving antics against us, to taking five wickets against Lisander, Kerr has shown a lot of quality this. He might always be seen as the younger brother, but to me, he's shown enough for the nomination.

Kendall, Lisander
In the same match that Kerr has recorded that five-for, Kendall took four wickets the previous innings. Unfortunately, there haven't been many Lisander-based cricket pundits commenting on his progress, so we can only guess what his off-field influence is, but numbers-wise, this is Lisander's best bowler (but Loeries isn't bad either).

Tijer, Sajnur
Sajnur haven't had the season of their choice, but there are always points to work from. Tijer is one of those: he's a bowler they can build a team around for the coming campaigns. You could argue whether he isn't just an all-rounder instead - you could make that case, and it's one of those instances where position or role don't tell the full story. To me, he's a pace bowler, and that means there is just a little too much competition to get him on the Team of the Season - but I have no idea whether he'd made it as an all-rounder either. We'll check again next year. Anyhow, Tijer is one of the better players of the team by far - though based on bowling figures exclusively, Burovin also makes a good case.

Wakefield, Darmen
Darmen has a wealth of bowlers to choose from, and this choice is just as hard as the other ones in choosing exactly which Darmeni should be nominated and which one should be put on the Team of the Season. Based on some standout performances, the nomination goes to Wakefield. Pace bowling could just play a larger role in the immediate future, and while Wakefield hasn't been on the XI for the entire season, the results when he played were outstanding. Wicket-wise, Wakefield is an easy selection, but he can leak runs when it's just not necessary. He's a kind of on-or-off guy: either he takes three wickets and gives up pretty much no runs, or he looks lost and gives up easy boundaries. What helps his case is how he tends to take the harder wickets from top or middle order batsmen rather than working through the lower end.

Dickenson, Darmen
Again, with the Darmeni having so many good players to choose from, they can't all be on the field at the same time. Dickenson has to split time with Wakefield and other colleagues. While Wakefield got better as the season progressed, Dickenson peaked early.

Shahane, Pratapgadh
Shahane is impressive with the bat, and does deliver for Pratapgadh, even if the results aren't there for the entire team. He probably had his best match versus Lisander (which somehow seems to be the case for a lot of these nominations... coincidence?) but has also shown his worth against Eastfield Lodge (but then again, hasn't everybody? Not to pile on the hate, but the Lodgers have probably had all the bad luck you can get in a single season). Just 24 years old and just having made his debut, this'll be a name to remember.

Fox, Ko-oren
Someone who feeds on his colleagues doing well, and certainly without the genius of Marsden, is Fox. After a negative sentence, let's make it a little more positive by saying that he really does earn the figures he's putting out - and when someone needs to step up and get his team through a few hard overs, people are looking at Fox. He's certainly the best batsmen among the lower end, and was particularly effective against Darmen in the season-opening series. At just 26 years old, he's the youngest bowler with a lot of good years left in him.

With so many excellent pace bowlers, let's first give out two honorable mentions for those that we didn't elect to the Team of the Season:
Kendall and Wakefield: in any other season, you would've made it. Tijer and Shahane were close as well, but I had to work in some home bias and yes, while the TotS should be based on individual performance, I did include some 'finished high on the table' bias, which immediately works against Pratapgadh and Sajnur players. If anything, I wished a cricket team was 15 people like in rugby union.

GCF World Challenge 11 Team of the Season:
1. Twaddle (Ko-oren)
2. Winter (Darmen) (c)
3. Weaver (Plough Isles)
4. Tausche (Teusland)
5. Edwards (Liventia) (vc)
6. Monfils (Lisander) (wk)
7. Gardenar (Darmen)
8. Ashe (Plough Isles)
9. Lehner (Teusland) (vc)
10. Kerr (Liventia)
11. Marsden (Ko-oren) (vc)

Captains: Winter (current), Edwards (former), Lehner (unofficial), Marsden (alternate)

by **Siovanija and Teusland** » Mon May 04, 2020 7:22 pm

Stelburger Zeitung

Sport

Edelweiss Heading to World Test Final

Teusland’s national cricket team have reached a historic GCF World Test Challenge final thanks to a 3-0 series win over Pratapgadh.

“We were disappointed after the Liventia series, for sure - the way we played in the second test was not to our standards. And so coming back home to face Pratapgadh, we knew that we had a chance to win out with home conditions and the fans with us. We’re so proud to have been able to do just that, and now there’s one more test, one more fight for our team and we’re working hard to prepare for it,” said team captain Konrad von Sauerland at a pre-departure press conference.

Let’s take a look back at the 3-match series against Pratapgadh. The Edelweiss opened the series, the first-ever meeting between the sides, on the back of a poor series in Liventia in which the Edelweiss had struggled to contain the bat of Dave Edwards. Liventia would win the second test by 4 wickets, giving them a series victory after the first test ended in a draw. Pratapgadh, meanwhile, were coming in after a 2-0 series loss against runaway standings leader Darmen. The series was, then, a shot at redemption for both nations.

The opening match was held at the Maritim Oval in Kaiserhaven, the first time an international test match was played at the 20,000-seater. Teusland were able to get going quick in their first innings, August Tausche adding 86 runs to the total, and the Edelweiss managed 254 runs in their first stand. Pratapgadh, however, showed they were much better than their position in the standings would tell you, with a 241-run innings. In particular, Teusland’s bowling attack struggled to contain Rajendra Rathore, who played for the Stelburg Knights in the Kricketliga last season. Considered one of Pratapgadh’s best batsmen, it was clear that the biggest trouble for the Edelweiss in this series was going to be getting him out.

The second innings saw Teusland restore a strong advantage with a great innings from a duo of Michael Kolleck and Simon Riedl, the middle of the order coming up strong for the Edelweiss after the big bats had gone down early, Tausche dismissed in this one for only 26. Kolleck in particular hung on throughout most of the innings, as the Edelweiss managed a total of 227. It was certainly manageable for Pratapgadh to catch, but when Elias Lehner managed to take Rathore down early in Pratapgadh’s innings, you could feel in the air that the day would belong to Teusland. In the end, the visitors would only manage 137 runs in a quick 31 over affair, and Teusland would take the first test.

The teams would meet again in Felsenkirchen at the Stadtoval, once again the first time an international cricket match has been played at the city. The TKV have committed to spreading home matches around the country in the future, and this season that has included matches in Kaiserhaven, Marzig and now Felsenkirchen. The Stadtoval was rocking for this one, and Teusland came out in perhaps the best performance we’ve seen from the team this season. Pratapgadh batted first, and the bowling attack were quite strong on the day. Rathore went down early, and it was young Aziz Malik that really carried the visitors in this innings. They would manage 249 runs in their first innings performance. Not a poor innings by any stretch, but it would pale in comparison to Teusland’s batting performance. The Edelweiss went 475/8 before the captain von Sauerland declared the innings closed, with Marc Breuer and August Tausche each having centuries to their name.

Pratapgadh were going to need a massive second innings performance to bring themselves back in this one, clearly, as the match entered its third day. The visitors would start well, but Teusland’s bowling attack would get two big momentum-boosting wickets in the innings, Rajendra Rathore and Divaj Dharel going down close together, and wind up largely keeping Pratapgadh at bay with a 233-run innings. That meant that Teusland needed only 8 runs to win the test, and it would only take the duo of Marc Breuer and Konrad von Sauerland 14 balls to secure the 2-0 series lead.

That meant that the series would shift back to Stelburg and the Imperial Oval for the final home match of the test season, and the 3rd match of this series. Where the Edelweiss had failed to secure a third-test win against Apox, or failed to win a single test against Liventia, they came out knowing that if they were to qualify for the World Test Challenge Final in Ko-oren a victory would be absolutely necessary. Pratapgadh would bat first, and it would actually be their best performance of the series, causing some concern for the home faithful. The young star Dharel and the more veteran Bipin Parte would terrorize the Edelweiss in that first innings, as Pratapgadh managed a total of 381 runs.

Teusland needed some inspired batting in their first innings, and they would get it in spades. August Tausche, naturally, the leader of the team in that department, his great ability on display throughout the innings as he would get up to a total of 173 runs. Joining him in the 100 club was opener Marc Breuer (103), a career high for the 26 year old. All in all, across 109 overs Teusland would manage 622 runs with only 5 wickets lost before von Sauerland took the decision to close the innings. Pratapgadh’s first innings had been good, and Teusland’s had been incredible.

Pratapgadh weren’t out of it yet, however, and as they patiently hung on in their second innings Teusland still had work to do to secure the win in this test. The bowling of Ben Trenker must be noted here. Often sidelined in the press in favour of the star of the national team, Elias Lehner, Trenker really came alive in the second innings and managed to take 3 wickets of his own, including taking down Rajendra Rathore, cutting down the visitor’s confidence as Rathore had been leading the way. Pratapgadh would finish with 289 runs, setting Teusland a target of 50 more runs to win the series. One ball shy of the 13th over, August Tausche’s four would give the Edelweiss a perfect 3-0 series win.

Qualification for the World Test Challenge Final, however, was out of the team’s hands: despite the win, they would rely on results elsewhere. League leaders Darmen would defeat Liventia by only 12 runs in their season finale, while Lisander would hold off the Plough Islands to win by 68 runs. Thus, Teusland had managed a second-place finish in the final league standings and a place at the Final in Ko-oren.

“It’s a dream come true, really. To imagine that we’d be on this stage at the end of the season, it’s something we had all been hoping for and playing for so to get this far is pretty amazing,” said Elias Lehner before the national team boarded its flight to Ko-oren. “But we aren’t going to settle for just this, we’re going to be desperate to win this title and obviously Darmen will be as well. It should be an exciting test.” August Tausche added that “We’re all excited for this opportunity, and we know we have 1 more excellent test in us to finish off this season on the highest note.”

Awaiting the Edelweiss in Greencaster, Ko-oren will be Darmen, who finished atop the GCF World Challenge standings. Darmen’s excellent record saw the nation win 11 of its 14 tests this season, dropping only 2 matches: one to Liventia and one to Ko-oren. Darmen took series wins against both of those nations as well as 2-0 sweeps of Pratapgadh and Elejamie. Furthermore, the team in white and green have experience on their side, as GCF World Challenge 9 champions. Let's take a look at some of the key players on both sides of this World Test Final.

Darmen’s opening batsmen have been absolutely magical this season for their country, with captain Sigmund Winter and Máel Brice leading the way with multiple centuries. Containing the openers will be of the utmost importance for the Edelweiss, who will turn again to a bowling attack led by star Elias Lehner as well as a supporting cast that were quite strong in the Pratapgadh series, particularly Ben Trenker and Viktor Klor.

August Tausche, naturally, leads the way for the Edelweiss’ batsmen. Teusland will need to prove in this final, however, that they are more than a one-man team. Marc Breuer was excellent in the Pratapgadh series, while Michael Kolleck had a very successful debut campaign this season. Facing them down will be the Darmeni bowling attack which has been rejuvenated by Menashe Wakefield’s addition to the squad. Darmen have used pace bowling to great success throughout the season, and will likely have all kinds of tricks up their sleeve to try and get the Edelweiss’ big bats out.

So, one final test match to play this season, from Ko-oren’s Greencaster Oval. A Darmen side who have had such historic success this season, and will be hoping to continue their journey towards legendary status with a World Test Challenge title to add to their name. A Teusland side who have had a strong season, and can now cap it off with true national history. There are motivations, stories and dreams on all sides, and they will all be settled in the GCF World Test Challenge Final. The Teus faithful, clad in black, gold and white, have descended on Ko-oren for this match, and the Edelweiss will have many friendly faces supporting them from the crowd.

The Stelburger Zeitung will bring you total coverage of the World Test Challenge final from Ko-oren. For one final time this season: Come on you Edelweiss!

by **The Plough Islands** » Tue May 05, 2020 9:23 am

by **Liventia** » Tue May 05, 2020 3:05 pm

GCF World Test Challenge season 11 Final

GCF Test 779
Match Report: Darmen vs Teusland at Greencaster Oval, Ko-oren
Teusland bat first
Darmen 340 (97.0 overs), 209 (53.2 overs)
Teusland 463/9d (122.1 overs), 194 (56.1 overs)
Darmen lose by 108 runs
Teusland are world Test champions

Post-season 11 GCF Rankings

Full Members                       Score  Pts/MP  Adjusted
 1 Liventia			 FM  120 (5762/48)  110.02
 2 Ethane		         FM  117 (3630/31)  108.55
 3 Darmen			 FM  114 (6538/57)  107.35
 4 Teusland			 FM  112 (2478/22)  106.32
 5 Ko-oren			 FM  106 (5651/53)  103.31
 6 The Plough Islands		 FM  102 (4308/42)  101.29
 7 Apox				 FM   95 (3232/34)   97.53
 8 Lisander		         FM   82 (1150/14)   91.07
 9 Sajnur			 FM   70 (983/14)    85.11
10 Eastfield Lodge		 FM   67 (2377/35)   83.96
11 Pratapgadh			 FM   63 (1148/18)   81.89
12 Elejamie			 FM   61 (867/14)    80.96

Associate Members
1 New Lunenburg			 AS  136 (816/6)    113.00
2 Jeckland                       AS   85 (856/10)    98.00
3 The Grearish Union		 AS   66 (264/4)     88.00
4 Krytenia			 AS   39 (119/3)     75.00

Affiliate Members
1 Damukuni                       AF  148 (1783/12)  119.00
2 Busoga Islands                 AF  111 (890/8)    100.00
3 The Sherpa Empire		 AF   94 (282/3)    102.00
4 Sylestone			 AF   93 (372/4)    101.00
5 Northwest Kalactin		 AF   91 (1469/16)  100.00

Inactive Members
1 Mattijana	              IN/FM  120 (2400/20)  110.00
2 Eura			      IN/FM  101 (2341/23)  100.89
3 Barunia		      IN/FM   85 (1030/12)   92.92
4 Tobiasia		      IN/FM   73 (882/12)    86.75
5 The Kiaser Colonies	      IN/FM   70 (493/7)     85.21

Test cricket - GCF World Challenge 11 (RP/Rosters/Scores)

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