England League and Cup Discussion

[casperj]

Crestfallen Sidekicks llydlle
Batting - Top Order 5,594 6,984
Batting - Middle Order 4,522 5,121
Batting - Tail 2,548 3,565
Bowling - Seam 5,997 (12) 6,774 (20)
Bowling - Spin 6,290 (8) 0 (0)
Fielding/Keeping 6,902 6,992
Overall 99,389 113,962

llydlle won by 5 wickets

Lost with a over to spare, not suprising given the ratings, but thought that playing against a team with no spinners on a crumbling wicket might have helped us a bit.

[spark]

Home Ruff Royals
Away Crestfallen Sidekicks
Ground Ruff Royals CG
League Twenty20 2.2
Date 23 Jul 24 10:00
Weather (forecast) Overcast
Pitch (current) Slow

I'm looking to seal promotion with a win although it's going to be a tough game. If I don't win then I've still got a decent chance of going up by net run rate.

[spark]

Looks like they've picked a youngish team. Not that that seems to have helped me so far as we were put in to bat and lost our captain to the first ball of the match.

A. Abbas (rf) 1-0-2-1, W. Mills 1 (2b), J. House 1 (3b)
End of over 1 (2 runs) - Ruff Royals(2-1) RR 2.00

[spark]

B. Waterson (lm) 4-0-16-1, N. Laurence 29 (22b), J. Westerveld 2 (3b)
End of over 20 (7 runs) - Ruff Royals(143-7) RR 7.15

A respectable total on a slow pitch. Mills' 38 the best score for us.

J. Westerveld (rfs) 2-0-7-0, R. Minott 10 (12b), W. van Schoonhoven 0 (0b)
End of over 16 (1 run) - Crestfallen Sidekicks(71-7). 73 runs required from 4 overs. RR 4.44 RRR 18.25

It's looking very comfortable for us now. Patterson finished with 4-20.

[spark]

Ruff Royals Crestfallen Sidekicks
Batting - Top Order 14,784 11,979
Batting - Middle Order 12,393 9,435
Batting - Tail 5,012 4,685
Bowling - Seam 14,544 (12) 11,406 (16)
Bowling - Spin 14,369 (8) 13,101 (4)
Fielding/Keeping 17,816 13,803
Overall 249,567 199,850

Ruff Royals won by 48 runs

I couldn't risk playing a weakened side in case I got the maths wrong on the net run rate. I thought it would have been very difficult to not promote from the position we were in but I saw no reason to take a risk.

I'm very happy to promote and it'll be a much needed boost to the finances although that is more than wiped out by probably getting relegated to division 3 in SOD.

That's 3 of the 4 league targets completed successfully so far.

[wolfberries]

The Spitfires wolfberries
Batting - Top Order 13,152 13,564
Batting - Middle Order 10,612 10,645
Batting - Tail 5,349 5,120
Bowling - Seam 12,484 (17) 11,601 (12)
Bowling - Spin 12,643 (3) 12,735 (8)
Fielding/Keeping 14,671 16,387
Overall 217,657 221,638

Result: wolfberries won by 12 runs

Despite the win we were already relegated.

[Monsieurflibble]

Ruff Royals Crestfallen Sidekicks
Batting - Top Order 14,784 11,979
Batting - Middle Order 12,393 9,435
Batting - Tail 5,012 4,685
Bowling - Seam 14,544 (12) 11,406 (16)
Bowling - Spin 14,369 (8) 13,101 (4)
Fielding/Keeping 17,816 13,803
Overall 249,567 199,850

Ruff Royals won by 48 runs

I couldn't risk playing a weakened side in case I got the maths wrong on the net run rate. I thought it would have been very difficult to not promote from the position we were in but I saw no reason to take a risk.

I'm very happy to promote and it'll be a much needed boost to the finances although that is more than wiped out by probably getting relegated to division 3 in SOD.

That's 3 of the 4 league targets completed successfully so far.

Congrat mate, more consistent side through the season and you probably always had it on NRR. Not great seeing opponents go easy in crux matches, looks they’ve otherwise got a simple match to promote in SOD on Friday.

Heaven only know for us both in SOD 2.1 for up and down, at least see you again in youths next season.

[casperj]

Ruff Royals Crestfallen Sidekicks
Batting - Top Order 14,784 11,979
Batting - Middle Order 12,393 9,435
Batting - Tail 5,012 4,685
Bowling - Seam 14,544 (12) 11,406 (16)
Bowling - Spin 14,369 (8) 13,101 (4)
Fielding/Keeping 17,816 13,803
Overall 249,567 199,850

Ruff Royals won by 48 runs

I couldn't risk playing a weakened side in case I got the maths wrong on the net run rate. I thought it would have been very difficult to not promote from the position we were in but I saw no reason to take a risk.

I'm very happy to promote and it'll be a much needed boost to the finances although that is more than wiped out by probably getting relegated to division 3 in SOD.

That's 3 of the 4 league targets completed successfully so far.

Congrat mate, more consistent side through the season and you probably always had it on NRR. Not great seeing opponents go easy in crux matches, looks they’ve otherwise got a simple match to promote in SOD on Friday.

Heaven only know for us both in SOD 2.1 for up and down, at least see you again in youths next season.

I would have played a stronger side but:

• Chance of us winning with stronger side was low + there was 0 chance of winning by enough to make a dent in the NRR difference between first and second (Think Ruff Royals were on something like 1.02 before the match, so no way could we have beaten them to get them down to 0.57)

• Got a reverse situation in the one day - got a 0.34 NRR advantage, but the team in second is at home to the bottom side who rate about 60k less than them. Had such a struggle getting out of League 3 don't want to risk it.

• Experience is such a key skill, and it so hard to find space to fit younger seniors in consistently enough to get their experience up. Have to try and pick and choose matches where the damage of playing a weaker side is minimal.

[Atko]

The Raging Speed Horns vs The Chumps CC
League Youth 2.1

Weather Windy
Pitch Dry

Last knockings sees us taking on bottom placed The Chumps, hoping for a win to secure 3rd spot and maybe even nick second if other results pan out.

At the halfway stage, having been put in to bat -

End of over 40 (7 runs) - The Raging Speed Horns(232-8) RR 5.80

Pretty reasonable score, but we're a team just bottoming out of a long decline and our opponents are similarly rated, so this one's 50-50 I reckon...

[spark]

E. Williams (rf) 8-0-50-2, K. Fuls 25 (14b), J. Vasquez 33 (17b)
End of over 40 (11 runs) - Ruff Royals(256-5) RR 6.40

A pretty good score on an uneven pitch. Howe will be pleased to beat his previous by 4 runs but gutted that his 98 means he's 2 short of his first century. Vinson smashed his previous best to end with 71.

R. Reynolds (rfm) 6-1-22-0, M. Bandy 44 (70b), C. Earnshaw 2 (7b)
End of over 20 (5 runs) - bigsexybarry(94-2). 163 runs required from 20 overs. RR 4.70 RRR 8.15

The bowling is going okay so far although we could have got more wickets. Earnshaw was dropped off the last ball before the break.

[Atko]

Halfway there and they're cruising -

End of over 20 (9 runs) - The Chumps CC(100-1). 133 runs required from 20 overs. RR 5.00 RRR 6.65

Bowling's been our major weakness in the latter half of the season, and that pattern continues today

[Atko]

The Chumps CC won by 4 wickets

The oppo coasted home in the end - there was a brief flurry of wickets after drinks, but their 6 and 7 spanked us around in fine style. That loss drops us to 4th spot, which, to be fair, probably flatters us at this stage. But that's the volatile nature of youth. I'm just grateful to still be in tier 2.

The numbers -

Match Ratings
The Raging Speed Horns The Chumps CC
Batting - Top Order 7,690 7,625
Batting - Middle Order 5,047 4,240
Batting - Tail 3,376 3,334
Bowling - Seam 4,923 (16) 6,973 (32)
Bowling - Spin 6,875 (24) 6,882 (8)
Fielding/Keeping 8,150 7,401
Overall 115,998 114,439

[spark]

Ruff Royals bigsexybarry
Batting - Top Order 7,409 5,918
Batting - Middle Order 5,830 6,164
Batting - Tail 3,799 4,238
Bowling - Seam 7,272 (32) 6,370 (24)
Bowling - Spin 7,872 (8) 6,949 (16)
Fielding/Keeping 8,540 6,927
Overall 126,938 114,838

Ruff Royals won by 21 runs

Not the best bowling but the batting was good enough. Howe top scored with 98 and Pithey took 2-40.

We finish the season a respectable 4th.

[casperj]

Finally break the 100k rating mark, in our last match of the season. Good enough for 3rd place in Div 4.

Crestfallen Sidekicks 2Manka
Batting - Top Order 5,180 4,026
Batting - Middle Order 5,086 4,513
Batting - Tail 2,487 2,776
Bowling - Seam 5,623 (32) 5,248 (24)
Bowling - Spin 8,193 (8) 5,955 (16)
Fielding/Keeping 7,011 4,859
Overall 100,249 84,713

Crestfallen Sidekicks won by 24 runs

[Atko]

The Raging Speed Horns vs South London's Number One CC
League One Day 1.1

Weather Overcast
Pitch Sticky

Final match of the season and we have the honour of entertaining the England Manager's mob (his domestic one of course ). For us, a victory could squeak us second spot, but would definitely consign the eagly one to demotion - oh, strike that - the bugger's off to South Africa at the end of the season!

Yeah - he's playing a 2nd-string outfit - I'm guessing my NRR will get pumped a bit, which will help if Trevor Francis Tracksuit can turn over Inchigeela Angels - should net us 2nd .... damn, I'd have batted first if I'd known

Oh, we're off to a flier -

M. Speed (lf) 2-1-2-4, L. Whittington 1 (1b), M. Olise 0 (0b)
End of over 3 (2 runs) - South London's Number One CC(5-4) RR 1.67