GCF ODI World Trophy I - RP/rosters/results thread

by **Krytenia** » Fri Jun 05, 2020 4:20 am

"And now on KBS1, it's time to join Gio di Vaio for live cricket from Liventia, as Krytenia take on the Plough Islands."

(Cricket Special theme tune plays)

Gio: Good morning to everyone from a very sunny City Centre in Liventia. It's glorious weather for cricket today, and we hav an absolute feast for you as the national team take on the tournament favourites in the GCF World Trophy semi-final. Don't worry if this is the first time you've watched the sport, we've got a team of experts to guide you through every ball of the match - and if you want a crash course, press the interacive button now for our guide to the game and highlights of the competition so far. Joining me in the studio, we have our own pundits running their eyes over the game. From the Emberton Post, cricket correspondent and respected journalist Angus "Haggers" Haggerston...

Haggers: Good morning, Gio.

Gio...and former Plough Islands quickie and afficionado of the gentlemen's game, Andrew Kulayev.

Andrew: A pleasure to be here.

Gio: So, both of you have been keeping a close watch on the tournament so far, what do you think we can expect from this game?

Andrew: One thing we have noticed, I would say, is that the pitches have been absolutely exquisite, and each one presents a unique challenge for the teams. The Centre of Excellence Oval, where the game will be played today, is one of the best, and has produced some supreme batting performances. Expect some high scores and a difficult day for the spinners.

Haggers: The toss will be crucial. As Andrew says, it's a batter-friendly pitch out there, so whoever bats first will be at a distinct advantage as they can set a painful target for the opposition. The only thing I'd add, though, is if the cloud rolls in both sides have players able to put some decent swing on the ball, and that could flip the game on its head.

Andrew: These are two sides that take their cricket seriously, but you can tell they have a deep respect for each other. The teams arrived at the ground about half an hour or so ago, and Kevin Laing and Lynton Saxon immediately got together for a handshake and a few words - they looked like a pair of old friends meeting up for a game of golf. This is going to be a game played with intensity and competitive spirit, but with an atmosphere of "may the best team win". I think the next few hours, regardless of which team - if any - one supports, will be a fantasic advertisement for cricket not just in Krytenia and the Plough Islands, but worldwide.

Haggers: Obviously, we'd be happier here if it were the Stars coming through, but otherwise, Andrew's got it on the nose. Twenty-two men will fight for every inch, every run, every wicket over the next few hours, then go to the bar and have a pint and a laugh about it afterwards. It's exactly the spirit in which this game is meant to be played.

Gio: Sounds like you two will be joining them! Now, what about the danger men. Who do you think, as individuals, we should be looking out for?

Haggers: On the Krytenian side, Ed Fenn. He's been blurting the ball all over the place in this tournament, not bad for a young lad of barely twenty. If the Plough Island attack allow him to get his eye in, he could punish the bowling quite severely. For the Plough Islands, Audrey Leggett is a big-hitting threat; if you let her get comfortable, she can and will knock the bowling all over and out of the park.

Andrew: Gavin Udall has impressed me for Krytenia. He has a rare comfort and assurance with the bat, able to control the scoring rate and either shoring up an innings or going all out depending on the needs of the team. Not only that, but with the ball in his hand he has the ability to get good swing on the ball, excellent as a second wave bowler when the intent is to keep the opposition uncomfortable and stop them from piling on the runs. Back in my home country, though, Andrew Fairfield has been mopping up the plaudits, but I think someone who has been putting in the performances and not getting as much of the limelight has been Naomi Salisbury. She is deadly accurate with her bowling, and is exactly the sort of person you need when that partnership absolutely has to end right this second.

Haggers: Honestly, though, pretty much anyone on the field today could be the standout star of today's game. There's a real cameraderie and belief in the team together on both sides, so I don't think you'll see anyone going for individual glory. It'll be down to whoever makes the most of the opportunities that present themselves.

Andrew: Oh, I absolutely agree, Angus. That ethic is how we have been playing the game back home for many years, every tour being about pulling together and making the people back home proud of our exploits, win or lose. That could be the difference, I feel that cricket is still new to a lot of Krytenians, whereas it gets almost baked in to your average Plough Islander.

Gio: Interesting viewpoints as always, gentlemen. Now, with a couple of minutes to go until the toss, it's time to go pitchside with former Test captain Robert McQuillan. Bob, what can we expect today?

Bob: The weather report is for glorious sunshine, and that's going to last all day. Bad news for the swingers, but great for the batsmen. (puts key in turf) The pitch has a tiny bit of give, bit it's a firm track, bounce looks like it'll be true, I think this is going to be a good day for the adventurous. Watling and Leggett are going to have some fun today, I think! Now, there are a few small footmarks, so the spinners might find a little bit of luck and a dry day will probably kick up a little bit of dust, but definitely fill yer boots time for the batsmen. Looks like the umpire and captains are heading out for the toss then, so stay with me Gio...

...to be continued

by **New Lunenburg** » Fri Jun 05, 2020 9:29 am

NEW LUNENBURG BEAT KO-OREN, SET UP SHOWDOWN AGAINST THE HOSTS IN FOLENISA

FOLENISA, LIVENTIA - New Lunenburg triumphed over Ko-oren and made it into the final four of the ODI World Trophy in Liventia last night, which sets up a massive semi-final tie against the hosts, also to be played at the Folenisa Cricket Ground. Cricketing giants Ko-oren batted first and set New Lunenburg a more than respectable target of 332 to win, the top scorers for the Ko-orenite outfit were two East Surbourneshire batsmen, Carlton Shapter and Patrick Willis, who made 114 and 57* respectively. After setting such a lofty target, there seemed to not be much belief among the fans of the underdog New Lunenburg side, who certainly numbered over 10,000 at the Folenisa Cricket Ground. Thanks to the strict Liventian laws on public alcohol comsumption, the New Lunenburg faithful could not drown their sorrows after such a display, which is probably for the best as all those who were present will certainly have vivid memories of the innings that followed for years to come. David Klein and Jordan Humphreys walked out to the middle as the opening batsmen once more and immediately set about chasing down the gargantuan target with some elegant strokeplay. Nevertheless, the Ko-orenite bowlers were still a force to be reckoned with and proved to be more than capable of taking wickets, though their bowling proved to be somewhat costly. Rutherford Lincoln of Willowbourne typified this trend among the Ko-orenite bowling attack, taking four wickets in the match whilst conceding an average of ten runs per over. New Lunenburg's more attacking batsmen in the middle order made the most of the chance to chase such a lofty target and wicket-keeper Andreas Hansen came into his own in the match. Hansen was the top scorer for New Lunenburg in the quarter-final tie, racing to 70 in half as many deliveries faced. After Hansen was caught behind off a ball from Lincoln, New Lunenburg had to rely on the bowlers to bring up the 33 runs remaining to clench victory. Adam Lyons, long held to be the best of the bowlers with the bat, made most of these runs before being dismissed leg before wicket. This proved to be a rather contentious LBW decision on the replay, though Lyons had long since started his walk back to the pavilion, it is a gentleman's game after all! Luckily for New Lunenburg, the lower order completed the task required of them and clenched a three-wicket upset victory with an over to spare.

Folenisa Cricket Ground. Folenisa, Liventia
Ko-oren 331/5 (50 overs)
New Lunenburg 333/7 (49 overs)
New Lunenburg win by three wickets with 6 balls remaining

Next up for New Lunenburg are Liventia, hosts of the tournament and another established cricketing nation. Although the odds are stacked against New Lunenburg, they have performed exceptionally as underdogs against Mattijana, Lisander and Ko-oren, establishing themselves as the competition's 'giant killers'. Even if New Lunenburg do not beat Liventia and reach the final, the run they have made through the tournament is already the most impressive of any team in the competition, being the only team to make it to this stage of the contest from the minnow groups. In the other semi-final tie, Krytenia face tournament favourites the Plough Islands at the National Centre of Excellence Oval in City Centre. New Lunenburgers and Plough Islanders will surely watch both semi-finals with interest after rumours of a future test series made back pages in both nations. New Lunenburg make just one change ahead of the semi-final with Konstantin Schneider returning after being rested for the quarter-final.

NEW LUNENBURG CRICKET BOARD
XI FOR ODI WORLD TROPHY VS. LIVENTIA

1. DJ Klein
2. JC Humphreys

3. JP Graves
4. N Fuller
5. NE Stainton (c)
6. A Hansen (wk)
7. AB Lyons
8. WS Rose
9. JPR Atkinson
10. TT Griffiths
11. KK Schneider

by **The Plough Islands** » Fri Jun 05, 2020 10:30 am

on the 5th June 2020, the Plough Islands Gazette wrote:
WORLD TROPHY: FANTASTIC FOXES OVERCOME TEUSLAND
by Denis Wormwood, Sporting Correspondent, in Orean

The adventure continues; the Plough Islands, entering considerably uncharted waters with their first appearance in a Global Cricket Federation limited overs tournament knockout stage, held their nerve and were able to rein in the aggressive instincts of an extremely good Teusland side in order to win by 43 runs in Orean. There had been much trepidation among the team and those following them ahead of the match, with the Plough Islanders very much the smallest of the teams contesting the quarter finals, but an excellent collective batting display and good bowling tactics from Kevin Laing ensured his team could set and defend a comfortable total, and the question of how much further they can go in the World Trophy remains very much an open one.
The Foxes, save for the absence of Colin McCarthy with his hamstring injury and Tim Bleasdale as a precaution after the Swift wicketkeeper had complained of cramp in training, were otherwise at full strength, and Graeme Holt and Audrey Leggett began the match at full sail; on a dry day, the Park Central Oval would offer little to the bowlers whoever went first, and captain Laing was relieved at winning the toss with Konrad von Sauerland and being able to choose to bat. As they had often done before in the tournament, Holt and Leggett played with freedom and confidence against the Teusland attack and set an early benchmark, taking just twenty-five minutes to reach sixty runs before Holt edged Ben Trenker behind.
Shauna Weaver came in - for only the second time since suffering a concussion in the first match against Lisander at Schimpol - and, unlike her first match back, settled quickly, and was shortly joining Leggett on one of her rapid accelerations of scoring that have come to characterise her approach to the competition. By now Leggett was well past her half century, and the pair added another quick sixty, turning into a century partnership, to the score as they judged the bowlers well; despite a brief interruption when Weaver eventually skied an Elias Lehner delivery that wicketkeeper Martin Kaplan cycled backwards to take almost in the deep, the scoreboard continued to tick over.
Leggett was on one of her wild-eyed rolls; occasionally not even taking guard, she would just stand and tempt von Sauerland into sending down a tricksy delivery that the Bradfordian would dispatch into the stands far quicker than it had come to her. She hit twenty off one of the captain's overs, von Sauerland looking slightly perplexed in the face of the onslaught, but Leggett's energy would prove her undoing; Josef Meusberger sent down a slower delivery that the right hander shaped to hit out of the ground, but overbalanced badly, and in the resulting mess of limbs and equipment her off stump was nearly broken in half. Leggett departed, slightly shaken, for 82, and fortunately suffered no lasting injuries except to her pride.
Though the rest of the Foxes' innings was less spectacular than Leggett's cameo had been, it followed a similar template in that the Teusland bowling attack - which had so often been clinically effective when they had a target to defend - seemed to have few solutions to what was an inexorable accumulation of runs. Though wickets did come, with Lehner and Trenker picking up two apiece, and Meusberger had particular success in keeping to a line and length it was difficult to score from, they were often as much due to lapses of concentration on the part of the Plough Islanders as they were due to skill. And they came expensively, with Leggett's 82, Weaver's 58, and Rory Aliyev also blazing a half-century before Trenker pegged back his (replacement) off stump, and by the time captain Laing came in to bat he virtually had the freedom to set his own total and bat at his preferred pace.
The only Plough Islander wicket that fell in any way cheaply was the unfortunate Leanne Martin, who top edged Lehner to Kaplan after just four balls, but that was the last relief the Edelweiss had during the Foxes' innings; Laing and Andrew Fairfield, who was noticably operating under orders to have fun and not worry too much given the match situation, were batting confidently and the runs, and boundaries, kept coming for the Plough Islands as the overs ticked by. Fairfield diverted Meusberger around the wicketkeeper for four to bring up the 300 with two overs remaining, and some late, slightly agricultural shots from the New Dalmatian helped to set a target of 317.
Teusland openers Marc Breuer and von Sauerland were left in no doubt about the magnitude of the task they faced with over six runs an over needed from the start, but took it on with the determination and aggression that has characterised their cricket throughout the World Trophy. The Orean pitch had not been particularly exploitable when it was new, and despite fifty overs of predominantly pace bowling from the Edelweiss, was if anything even less helpful to Andrew Baxter's line and length, and it was this that Breuer and von Sauerland predominantly scored from; Laing was ultimately forced to switch to spin from both ends early on as the Teusland openers comfortably got ahead of the required rate, and then rotate the bowling more as neither of them showed signs of slowing as the fielding restrictions wore on.
Despite his early struggles, it was Baxter that ultimately made the breakthrough; brought back into the attack after Laing decided against bowling himself, he took the wicket of the Teusland captain through luck as much as skill; gearing up to drive Baxter back down the ground, von Sauerland hesitated for just a fraction too long as the ball came in and fired it straight back at the Sutton & Avalon paceman. It would have been generous to say he took the catch so much as he endured it as the ball thudded into his stomach, but winded though he was, he held on to the ball and von Sauerland departed eight runs short of a half century. The loss of Breuer the next over in more conventional circumstances - his middle stump uprooted when Sarah Ashe found the gap between bat and pad with a delivery that went straight on - left two new batsmen at the crease, and it was here that the Teuslanders began to unravel.
While August Tausche, a familiar figure to the Foxes' bowlers as the batting hero of the Edelweiss' debut Test at December Park, was quick off the mark and looked to keep the momentum of the openers going at every turn, young batsman Michael Kolleck was a different picture; while he never looked wholly uncomfortable at the crease, he appeared nervous and edgy at times and it took the right-hander a number of overs to get off the mark, at one point being very lucky to not be dismissed as, out of desperation, he swiped at a Baxter delivery that Ilya Lebed was slightly too far back from the stumps to gather cleanly. Though the Teusland chase did not exactly stall, the rate was considerably slower than it had been before, and the new partnership became increasingly lopsided with most of the runs coming from Tausche - who several times was observed trying to give his partner a mid-pitch pep talk between overs. As Tausche completed a rapid, fluent half century, raising his bat to acknowledge the Orean crowd, Kolleck began to look a little lost, and after finally bringing up his first boundary with a cut over midwicket, his scoring actually decreased as the Foxes closed in and began to target him.
Tausche eventually edged behind to Lebed, having scored 70 runs and contributed over 80% of his partnership with Kolleck, leaving the 22-year-old with another young partner, the Teus Wunderkind batsman Silvester Basch; unfortunately, having received a rapturous reception from the white and gold elements of the crowd, he was out almost as soon as he was in, having chopped Andrew Baxter straight onto his own bails. It fell to Simon Riedl to try and revive the flagging Teusland hopes, and he took no time to get comfortable and exert some measure of dominance over the Foxes' spin attack, but the issue for Teusland remained at the opposite end of the pitch. To his credit, Kolleck did try and show a lot more urgency with the bat than his strike rate suggested, but the frequency with which he swung and missed, particularly to left-arm spinners Fairfield and Naomi Salisbury, contributed to a rising sense of frustration from the Edelweiss, and Laing was by now exploiting this to the Foxes' advantage; setting close fields for Baxter or Weaver to prevent Riedl from grabbing singles to remain on strike, and changing bowlers frequently to get as much time as possible at the increasingly lonely Kolleck. Eventually, having faced 92 deliveries, the right-hander lunged down the wicket only to completely miss the ball and was caught on the back pad, and after a long period of thought Burnadette Taylor raised the claw; Kolleck was gone for 26.
The Teuslanders were still in the chase, although the required run rate was now north of 20, thanks largely due to Riedl; the all-rounder having taken advantage of the close fields to flick numerous boundaries over towards midwicket and cow corner, and although considerable damage had been done regardless, if anyone could salvage the quarter final, it was the Edelweiss vice-captain and some lower-order slogging. The Plough Islands turned the screw, though, and new man Linus Schell lasted two balls before falling in a very similar way to how Kolleck had gone - going for a sweep and adjudged lbw on the trailing leg - and wicketkeeper Kaplan fell at the start of the 48th over when a Fairfield delivery flighted in and took a thick edge on to the bails. Riedl continued to scoop and slash where he could, having surged past his half-century with a monstrous six that disappeared into the Orean evening traffic, and Elias Lehner flicked a four over fine leg off his first delivery, but Fairfield and Salisbury's deliveries were accurate and well chosen, and while Teusland's mathematical victory chances slipped away quietly with the third delivery of the 49th over when Lehner could only smash Salisbury harmlessly into the dirt, they had been over in spirit several balls earlier, and the fatal wound inflicted earlier still.
Laing, Salisbury, and Lebed were quick to console the Edelweiss after the last ball was bowled, and Laing paid tribute to the Foxes' opponents later; "It always hurts that there has to be a winner and a loser, especially where there are two teams that have played such good cricket - Konrad and his team have been exceptional today, and throughout the competition...we did not take this lightly and they really made us work to defend the target", adding that "I have been in club sides and representative sides and national sides that have needed an August Tausche, he was excellent for them today". It was a sentiment echoed by Salisbury - "I think we got extremely lucky that we batted first, we knew how lethal they were defending a target at the death" - who was similarly cautious when asked about the prospect of how much further the Foxes could go. "It is...I mean, we can do all we can, we will do all we can, myself and the rest of the comrades, but it hinges on little things, like winning the toss today and whether you can get your flight and length right, holding on to catches, that kind of thing. Anything quite genuinely can happen now".
However, there was little question of what Salisbury, or anyone else, wanted. "To see how far we can go" is a polite way of phrasing the question, with only the four teams now remaining in the competition, and as much as Laing and his team will be taking one game and one day at a time, it is impossible not to think, in daydreams and in the subconscious parts of the brain where we all keep our secrets, about what the consequences are of the "adventure", as Laing has described it, continuing for two more victories. Krytenia now await at City Centre for the Plough Islands, and the Stars are a dangerous team who have been aggressive and assured in their path through the tournament, and they will be an extremely tough foe. And it is important to remind ourselves of the scale of the Plough Islands' achievement in reaching this stage of the competition, in competing alongside these teams.
But the same things were, justifiably, said of Teusland, and about the honour in reaching that stage of the competition. And all any Plough Islander, whether they are opening the batting or following from home, wants, is to see how far our small country can go.

on the 5th June 2020, the Plough Islands Gazette wrote:
WORLD TROPHY: IN DEMAND FOXES CAN MAKE OUR COUNTRY PROUD
by Ian Goswell, Chief Cricket Correspondent for Plough Radio, in City Centre

Working for Plough Radio on cricketing tours can, at times, be a baffling task; outside of the occasional Ko-orenite publication or Apoxian radio station, almost all of our output is for the benefit of Plough Islanders and Plough Islanders only, giving as accurate and immersive a report of the match as we can and sharing our assessments of team selection or tactical choices for a domestic audience, even when we are far away. We have rarely before had to consider the implications of broadcasting for a multiversal audience - we have, from time to time, recieved and replied to correspondence from further afield, but by and large the Foxes and everyone associated with them are anonymous when we travel outside the islands. (Indeed, early in the first limited overs tournament I attended, a member of the foreign press corps saw my badge and, despite me coming up to this gentleman's thighs in my wheelchair, asked if I had played in the previous day's loss to Mattijana.)
The tournament has been different. The achievements of the team have brought a new level of attention to our small country; our comrades at the Ministry of Defence and Foreign Affairs of the Plough Islands and at Plough Radio have been working tirelessly to provide information to those members of the press requesting it, and I am told visa applications and bookings on PITA have exceeded almost all previous levels, although whether the Constabulary will appreciate the influx is a different matter. It has become clear to even the casual observer that the Plough Islander voice carries much further in cricket than anyone, within or without the islands, had previously thought to be the case; even my friend Andrew Kulayev has been asked by the Krytenian Broadcasting Service to appear briefly on their television coverage of the match today, a request which I am sure will in no way confuse or baffle our new Atlantian Oceanian friends with his Chechen accent.
As the Plough Islands have had an impact on the world, it has been Kevin Laing and Lourens Hendricks' role to try and minimise the reverse effect; though the players have largely been shielded from the foreign media, it has been impossible for them to be unaware of what is happening. Laing described it to me as being like "a fox in the rabbit hutch", adding that "I think everyone feels a little bit more pressure to perform with the eyes of the world on us..." Batsman - and Socialist cadre - Arthur Donovan saw it differently; "You can get carried away with the significance, but...it honestly feels like a trail for socialism has been blazed, when you consider the endeavour and the collective spirit of an amateur team, one of farmers and unionists and teachers and dockers, putting to shame so many others with infinite resources and wealth compared to our own. It shows the world what can be achieved through the bonds of socialism, even for such a small country as ours." The political significance has not gone unnoticed elsewhere, with Cde Premier Dale Piper being among those to have sent personal messages of support to the players ahead of the Teusland match, and again following the result.
Regardless of what prism the Foxes' results have been viewed through, the achievement is no less remarkable. Liventia, the hosts, have in excess of three hundred and twenty million citizens, and we have borne witness to new suburban developments in a relatively provincial context that could house all Plough Islanders with room to spare. When Kulayev appears on Krytenian television, he will potentially be speaking to over a hundred and fifty million people. Even the diverse and fiercely competitive New Lunenburg team represent a country with a population more than thirty five times our own - almost incomprehensible numbers when thinking of them as people, but ones that place the journey the Foxes have been on since their first Global Cricket Federation Test in a perspective we can all take pride in.
And it is a journey that nobody is particularly in any hurry to end. As the Plough Islands take the field at the National Centre of Excellence Oval, they will have an unimaginable amount of eyes and ears hanging on their every move, but no voice will be heard as loudly as that of a hundred and forty thousand of their comrades, from near and far beyond the boundary, willing them on with unconditional support. Win or lose, the semi final represents a wonderful achievement for all Plough Islanders, but who can say it will end today?
After all, if we never listen, who keeps telling us that we're winning?

PLOUGH ISLANDS CRICKET ASSOCIATION
XI FOR WORLD TROPHY VS.   KRYTENIA

        PLAYER           BAT   BOW
#10 G   Holt             LHB      
#12 AC  Leggett          RHB   RLB
#16 SLC Weaver           RHB   RLB
#2  RP  Aliyev           RHB      
#1  KCT Laing (c)        RHB   RMD
#13 LA  Martin           LHB      
#7  AG  Fairfield        LHB   SLC
#5  TM  Bleasdale (w)    RHB      
#3  S   Ashe             RHB   ROB
#4  A   Baxter           RHB   RFS
#15 NA  Salisbury        LHB   SLA

by **Liventia** » Fri Jun 05, 2020 2:34 pm

Semifinals
The Plough Islands 344/7 (50 overs)
Krytenia 346/6 (49.5 overs)
Krytenia win by four wickets with 1 ball remaining

New Lunenburg 285/3 (50 overs)
Liventia 202/6 (50 overs)
New Lunenburg win by 83 runs (match third-party scorinated by The Plough Islands)

Which means Sunday's final, at Park Central Oval, will be between Krytenia and New Lunenburg.

by **Sylestone** » Fri Jun 05, 2020 8:50 pm

Today we have an interesting piece of news, but we will start off with the final predictions.
Krytenia vs New Lunenberg:
The final. This is it. Two sides who were relatively unknown to Sylestone at the beginning of this tournament have made it through to the final. Now the question is, who will win it? Will it be favourites Krytenia, who have portrayed an exemplary performance throughout the cup, or the newbies New Lunenberg, who have beaten favourites Mattijana, Lisander, Ko-oren and hosts Liventia all in a row. Can they make it five by beating Krytenia? We certainly believe they can.

Krytenia: 42%
New Lunenberg: 58%

Anyway, for the news we are all waiting for. Sylestone and Martune have agreed on playing a series for the Star Trophy starting in Sylestone on the 20th of June. It will be a two-T20, three-ODI series and the side with the most wins will take the trophy home. It will be the first time either side has played in a T20I, so it will be a new, interesting experience. For more information, go to the link below.
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=486730

by **New Lunenburg** » Sat Jun 06, 2020 9:20 am

NEW LUNENBURG THROUGH TO WORLD TROPHY FINAL

FOLENISA, LIVENTIA - In yet another upset win for the side, New Lunenburg's cricketers beat ODI World Trophy hosts Liventia late last night, meaning that we are just one day away from the possibility of seeing Nathan Stainton lift the trophy and our nation taking the honour of being crowned ODI cricket champions. Whilst Sunday will surely be the biggest occasion of New Lunenburg's cricketing history, yesterday is certainly another event that ranks very highly. Just like the opposition in the last four matches New Lunenburg has played, Liventia are an established cricketing nation with a rich history of international competition and were certainly favourites to win. The fact that Liventia are the hosts of the competition makes defeating them all the more surprising and impressive. The plucky New Lunenburg side's progression through the minnow groups, which was then followed up by eliminating several of the truly elite teams in international cricket, is a feat unmatched by any other team in the tournament. New Lunenburg's shock status as a finalist in the World Trophy will have surely earned the side the support of many neutral fans, many of whom may have never heard of our country before witnessing our cricketers' string of upset victories against elite opposition. After all that waffle, I will start with my summary of what happened at the Folenisa Cricket Ground last night (though I'm sure you won't even need to read this, if you weren't watching the live broadcast on television, where were you?).

New Lunenburg won the toss and batted first, which certainly seems to have been the right choice from Stainton, as the top order were as unshakable as they were against Lisander. Not a single wicket fell cheaply for Liventia, who only managed to dismiss three of New Lunenburg's batsmen. This had the rather unfortunate side-effect of not allowing wicket-keeper Andreas Hansen to bat during the innings and if the side continue to lose so few wickets, Hansen will surely have to be bumped up the order a bit, as he is simply too good with the bat for him to not face a single delivery. Nevertheless, the more orthodox batsmen in the top order performed perfectly well against Liventia, though there may well have been worries about slow scoring during the innings break, as setting a target of 286 to win seemed to be a par score for the pitch. Joseph Graves was the most impressive of the New Lunenburg batsmen, who ambled his way to a century utilising nothing but textbook strokeplay and finished on 126 not out. New Lunenburg's bowlers certainly knew that they would have to show up against Liventia, especially with a relatively average score set for the hosts to chase. Konstantin Schneider immediately made his presence felt after being rested in the quarter-final, bowling a maiden against Liventian opener Dylan Hennessey in the first over and dismissing him on 4 in the third over. Liventia struggled to score against the pace of Schneider and JPR Atkinson early on and at the end of the first powerplay were on just 29/2. The first ten overs reflected the remainder of the Liventian innings, as all five New Lunenburg bowlers managed to keep the Liventian batsmen at bay. Although Michael Sarrin played some wonderful attacking shots towards the end of his country's innings, it was too little too late and Liventia closed their innings on 202/6, the underdogs winning by 83 runs and reaching the final. Team news and a preview of the final is to come in a special commemorative pullout in tomorrow's edition of the Times of New Lunenburg.

Folenisa Cricket Ground. Folenisa, Liventia
New Lunenburg 285/3 (50 overs)
Liventia 202/6 (50 overs)
New Lunenburg win by 83 runs

by **The Plough Islands** » Sat Jun 06, 2020 10:23 am

by **Krytenia** » Sat Jun 06, 2020 1:58 pm

Curse? What Curse?
Angus Haggerston reports from City Centre, Liventia

Say the word "semi-final" to your average Krytenian football fan and you'll get a reaction of anything from a raised eyebrow to a full on PTSD experience. The word has meant heartbreak so often in the country's national sport that such a response is an almost inbuilt reflex. Such a burden, though, has not been passed on to our national cricket team as they battled through an epic match to take their place in the final in dramatic circumstances.

With conditions nigh on perfect, and a track seemingly constructed for the batsmen, the Plough Islands seemingly had the advantage before a ball was bowled, winning the toss and opting to bat. Job one for Krytenia was to try and prove that wrong, and that's exactly what Stuart Obermann did in the first over. Audrey Leggett was expected to be a real danger for the Foxes, but she danced down the wicket chasing a full one from Obermann and could only watch as Brad Grafton stumped her for a duck.

This proved to be only a blip. Shauna Weaver came in to right the ship; she'd still be there when Gavin Udall bowled the last ball of the innings. A vituoso ton and a half was no less of a reward than she deserved for her tireless efforts. Graeme Holt, meanwhile, was attempting to pile on the runs and press home the advantage, right up until the point where captain Lynton Saxon obliterated his stumps with a yorker that the Redcliff welder midjudged. Saxon would also take the wicket of Rory Aliyev, again rearranging the wood when a Plough Islands batter looked dangerous.

One person the captain couldn't dislodge, though, was his opposite number Kevin Laing. He, along with Weaver, took the game by the throat, moving the score on at a rate of knots. Obermann and Udall especially were hit hard as the pair took the score well past the hundred. Laing was even unfortunate to lose his wicket, nicking an inside edge onto the stumps for a useful if somewhat truncated seventy-one.

Leanne Martin and Andrew Fairfield both departed soon after without a huge impact on the score. Martin nicked a slower ball from Monciestri through to a grateful Grafton, whilst airline pilot Fairfield perished after sending a big shot short of the runway and into the waiting arms of Shelton Schneller. Timothy Bleasdale came in, and made a speedy 44, mainly off the spin of Brigham Hill, before nicking another to Grafton off the penultimate ball. Sarah Ashe was unable to score off Udall's last, but with 345 required to win, there would be a mountain to climb.

Howard Tatton, it appeared, forgot to pack the crampons. He whiffed his wicket into Bleasdale's open arms - and with Vernon Fulmer following him out of the sunshine three balls later, the Krytenian innings was already tottering. It's at times like this you need someone who knows how to pile on the runs. Enter Ryan Watling, who came in, flashed his mighty blade, and steadied the good ship Krytenia. He and Schneller set about eating into the Plough Islands total before a sudden rush of blood to the head saw Watling completely stranded, out for a tasty but not filling 69.

Ed Fenn was the next man in, and he picked up where Watling left off. Sarah Ashe was pulled out of the attack after being bullied into submission by the Krytenian youngster; Weaver, meanwhile, added a wicket to her century as Schneller holed one to deep square leg. Gavin Udall, having had a poor day with the ball (wicket notwithstanding) endured a short one with the bat, getting his legs all wrong fending an Andrew Baxter delivery. Brad Grafton was next in, and with the overs ticking, squeezed out a useful score before succumbing to an edge to his fellow keeper.

The stage was set, then, for a thrilling final over. Krytenia needed fourteen to win, and Fairfield would bowl the last six deliveries. Saxon found a small gap for a single, bringing in Fenn. Fairfield's next delivery would be hit straight back down the ground for six; seven from four needed. The third; Fenn nicked it, but it bounced just in front of Leggett. No wicket, but no runs either. Fenn composed himself, finding a gap for four. Two balls remained, three required.

Fenn would only need one. A swish of willow, a frantic scramble, the realisation that no, Aliyev wasn't getting there before it would reach the rope...victory with a ball to spare. Fairfield was inconsolable; Laing looked like he'd been punched in the gut. The pair were quickly embraced by Fenn and Saxon, the Stars magnanimous in victory - and to be honest, grateful they'd survived an epic encounter. The two captains shook hands and applauded the crowd together; the crowd, to a man, gave the players a standing ovation.

The only downside to this match is that it wasn't the final; the performance of both teams was worthy of a trophy apiece. As it is, Krytenia will have to pick themselves up mentally for Sunday's final against New Lunenburg. If the match is even half as exciting and frenetic as this one, it will be a perfect advertisement for the fifty-over game.

PLOUGH ISLANDS INNINGS - 344/7

G Holt            b Saxon                       28
AC Leggett        st Grafton b Obermann          0
SLC Weaver        not out                      153
RP Aliyev         b Saxon                       35
KCT Laing         b Monciestri                  71
LA Martin         c Grafton b Monciestri         6
AG Fairfield      c Schneller b Saxon           19
TM Bleasdale      c Grafton b Udall             44
S Ashe            not out                        0
EXTRAS                                          11

BOWLING            O    R    W    Econ
SA Obermann       10   94    1    9.40 
LR Saxon          10   60    3    6.00
GM Udall          10   81    1    8.10
GDJ Monciestri    10   46    2    4.60
BY Hill           10   63    2    4.40

KRYTENIA INNINGS - 346/6

BATTING
SV Schneller      c Aliyev b Weaver              95
HM Tatton         c Bleasdale b Salisbury        10
VC Fulmer         b Salisbury                     1
RJ Watling        run out                        69
EL Fenn           not out                       109
GM Udall          lbw Baxter                      0
BH Grafton        c Bleasdale b Fairfield        38
LR Saxon          not out                         9
EXTRAS                                           15               

BOWLING            O    R    W    Econ
NA Salisbury      10   44    2    4.40 
SLC Weaver         7   53    1    7.57
AG Fairfield     9.5   66    1    6.71
A Baxter          10   60    1    6.00
KCT Laing          1   12    0   12.00
AC Leggett         4   30    0    7.50
S Ashe             8   78    0    9.75

KRYTENIA win by four wickets.

by **New Lunenburg** » Sun Jun 07, 2020 8:00 am

OREAN, LIVENTIA - Who would have thought a month ago that New Lunenburg would be playing in the ODI World Trophy final today? There were certainly many reasons to doubt any 'over-confident' fans that attested that this would be the case back then, not least the tournament draw placing New Lunenburg into the minnow groups with many nations without any cricketing structures whatsoever, from which only a handful of teams progressed to the latter stages of the competition. That being said, the state of the one-day game in our country has long been rather poor, especially considering that cricket is our national sport. Ever since the New Lunenburg Cricket Board set up the Twenty20 Cup, this has been the form of limited overs cricket preferred by the cricketing authorities. This is certainly not without reason, as both the attendance and financial statistics support the NLCB's prioritisation of Twenty20 over List A cricket (one certainly couldn't do anything to first-class cricket, the purists would riot!), though this is a great opportunity to revitalise the format in our country. Millions have watched the live broadcasts from Liventia on NLtwo in some of the best viewing figures for the network since the dawn of online streaming services and we should be thankful that we are provided with quality cricket broadcasts on free-to-air television in New Lunenburg. Some players have made a name for themselves in the format, such as Nicholas Fuller, who has previously struggled in the test side but will most likely be one of the first names on the team sheet in limited overs for some time to come. David Klein and Jordan Humphreys came into the side as limited overs specialists and have been successful, even if some doubted Humphreys' ability to play at the international level early on in the tournament. This was perhaps another reason to doubt that the side would light up the competition, as the NLCB selected only a handful of players based on their previous experience in domestic limited overs cricket and most players were just given their ODI blues instead of their test whites. Nevertheless, the squad has adapted to the one-day format well and making it to the final in such an exciting fashion is the greatest proof of this. Nathan Stainton's side are underdogs in yet another fixture, though they seem to relish playing this role and we at the Times of New Lunenburg would not find it all that surprising if they lift the trophy in Orean tonight. Krytenia are certainly strong opposition and were one of the favourites to win the tournament, along with the Plough Islands, who they eliminated in the semi-finals. Form players to watch out for in the side include batsmen Shelton Schneller and Edward Fenn, as well as all-rounder and captain Lynton Saxon. Should the New Lunenburg side shut down these threats with bat and ball, they stand a good chance of becoming the first ODI World Trophy champions. The NLCB has announced an unchanged XI for the final, though Nicholas Fuller and Andreas Hansen have traded places in the order.

NEW LUNENBURG CRICKET BOARD
XI FOR ODI WORLD TROPHY FINAL VS. KRYTENIA

1. DJ Klein
2. JC Humphreys

3. JP Graves
4. A Hansen (wk)
5. NE Stainton (c)
6. N Fuller
7. AB Lyons
8. WS Rose
9. JPR Atkinson
10. TT Griffiths
11. KK Schneider

by **Liventia** » Sun Jun 07, 2020 3:08 pm

Final

Congratulations to the champions and commiserations to the runners-up. Thanks for participating, everyone!

Global Cricket Federation ODI World Rankings

1	New Lunenburg		25.417
2	Krytenia		20.250
3	The Plough Islands	19.083
4	Liventia		16.250
5	Martune			15.667
6	Ko-oren			14.167
7	Eastfield Lodge		12.917
8	The Grearish Union	12.833
9	Darmen			12.750
10	Jeckland		11.833
=	Teusland		11.833
12	Sylestone		11.750
=	Samrakstivu		11.750
=	The Sarian		11.750
15	Barunia			11.250
16	Mattijana		10.833
17	Serriel			10.083
18	Lisander		 9.583
19	Ethane			 9.417
20	Damukuni		 7.667
21	Sajnur			 6.583
22	Elejamie		 5.417
23	Baggieland		 4.583
=	Northwest Kalactin	 4.583
25	Kohnhead		 4.500
26	Kriegiersien		 4.333
27	Drew Durrnil		 3.417
28	Holy Land of Burtander	 3.167
=	Bolgano			 3.167
=	Anserisa		 3.167
=	Notum Ahom		 3.167
=	New Maxwellia		 3.167
=	Waisnor			 3.167
=	The Jovannic		 3.167
=	Ricardos7qm		 3.167
36	The Booter		 2.000
=	Subramani		 2.000
=	Virtual Nerdania	 2.000

by **New Lunenburg** » Mon Jun 08, 2020 4:59 am

NEW LUNENBURG: FIRST ODI WORLD TROPHY CHAMPIONS

OREAN, LIVENTIA - A wave of sheer ecstasy is sweeping the nation following New Lunenburg's victory in the ODI World Trophy final against Krytenia. The plucky underdog side made it five in a row against strongly favoured opposition, rounding off the tournament's cinderella story with a happy ending. Krytenia batted first and certainly got off to a strong start, as opening batsman Shelton Schneller made hay during the first powerplay. However, Howard Tatton did not stay at the crease for nearly as long as his partner would, being dismissed on 11 by an express pace delivery from Konstantin Schneider which was simply unplayable. Schneller would prove hard to dismiss for the New Lunenburg bowlers and showed great resilience to play his way to a half-century. Whereas New Lunenburg had accounted for Schneller being one of Krytenia's greatest talents with the bat, they may not have expected Ryan Watling to put the highest score of the innings on them, the left-hander played an attacking game to score 80 before being fooled by a tricky delivery from spinner Adam Lyons, which careened into the stumps after Watling advanced up the pitch and failed to slog the ball. No other Krytenian batsman caused the bowlers so many issues, but wicket-keeper Bradley Grafton was putting together a good innings and playing with real flair before being halted at 36 not out by the change of innings, leaving his side on 271/6. With a target of 272 to win, New Lunenburg knew that the match and the tournament was hanging in the balance, as the target set by the Krytenian side was certainly a respectable one, though it also left the door open for the upset victory that some four million New Lunenburgers watching at home were desperate to witness. David Klein and Jordan Humphreys walked out to the middle and the nation held its breath as the national team got off to a shaky start, both opening batsmen would fall within the first ten overs and things did not seem promising for New Lunenburg with a score of 35/2 at the end of the powerplay. Orthodox and resilient batsman Joseph Graves steadied the side and provided Andreas Hansen, who was bumped up the order for the final, a platform from which to play the attacking shots for which he is renowned. Graves went on to score a well-played 42 before being dismissed by the pace of Krytenian captain Lynton Saxon, whereas Hansen would be caught by Edward Fenn on 58 after playing an erratic shot off of a delivery by spinner Brigham Hill. The next significant partnership in the New Lunenburg innings was that of the oldest and youngest players in the side, captain Nathan Stainton and Nicholas Fuller, though Stainton only reached a rather dissapointing 22 before being caught behind by Grafton off of Saxon. In contrast, Fuller seemed to only be getting started upon being thrust into the role that Hansen usually occupies in the batting order, as the 21 year-old knew that he would now have to play attacking shots to score the winning runs before the tailenders' wickets fell. In what was surely one of the most impressive feats in New Lunenburg's sporting history, Fuller protected the bowlers and came at the Krytenian bowlers, going on to score 90 not out and scoring the winning runs with a boundary off of Stuart Obermann with eleven balls to spare. The crowd erupted and the rest of the New Lunenburg squad sprinted onto the pitch, piling on top of Fuller, who had fallen to his knees immediately after the ball he struck had reached the boundary rope. Stainton lifted the trophy and celebrations, both in Orean and all across New Lunenburg, continued well into the early hours. This is surely an event that will resound in the pages of our history for decades to come and the government quickly declared the 8th June to be an extra public holiday this year, so as to allow the celebrations of this momentous occasion to continue today.

Park Central Oval. Orean, Liventia
KRYTENIA 271/6 (50 overs)
Watling 80 (68)         Atkinson 2-49
Schneller 62 (82)       Schneider 2-55
NEW LUNENBURG 274/7 (48.1 overs)
Fuller 90* (76)         Hill 3-58
Hansen 58 (40)          Saxon 2-53
New Lunenburg win by three wickets

GCF ODI World Trophy I - RP/rosters/results thread

Sylestone to host Martune later in the month

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