Tempting Fate

All right. We have to know.

We've had sunshine in Chennai for a week, cyclone warnings notwithstanding. The cyclone has been poised on the coast for three days now, as if waiting for a sign from us. So being the good guinea pigs that we are, we'll take the bait.

#3 has scheduled a net session. Something that over the past months has almost invariably signalled the start of unprecedented levels of rainfall in Chennai. To compound matters, an international cricket match (Ind vs SL, 1st Test) is also scheduled to start at the MA Chidamabram stadium - another sure fire rain bringer in recent times.

Will the rain Gods respond to the challenge?

Watch this space.

cheer up, boys... kill 'em

One big factor in the win was the spirit on the field which could be summed up as 'never say die, but say pretty much anything else you can think of'.

Some examples included Ganesh's non stop vocal performance behind the stumps (and even while batting, according to Venkat!), Vikramadi providing the first ever instance of a bowler sledging during his run up, and the loud cheers of 'idea game, idea game' when an overthrow led to a pinched single where there was none.

The match also saw Narahoo raise his bat to the pavillion for the first time this season... not for a high score, or a boundary or six (all of which he has provided plenty of), but for a quick single he called for. Will wonders never cease??

GAME 4 - Victory at last, and Super Saturdays!

# 3 vs. Verizon Software CC.
19 Nov, 2005, Teachers "B"
#3 won by 6 wkts

#3 finally had a whiff of the sweet smell of victory after a tigerish display on the field and some solid sensible batting helped them comfortably beat Verizon CC.
Supporters of #3 were hoping for a double whammy! A maiden win and an India win. Their hopes were rewarded in style.
Some incisive and accurate seam and swing bowling in the previous two net sessions prompted the skipper to entertain thoughts of fielding first. The team was also pretty certain that the opposition was most definitely going to bat first in case they called right. Bang on. Verizon won the toss and elected to bat.

Verizon innings.

No 3 s opening bowlers were licking their lips and looking to exploit the early morning conditions. But that was not to be. They struggled to control the ball and unleashed a barrage of wides. Tonys opening over had five and Venkat who promptly replaced him couldnt do much better. Vikramadi at the other end was the only one able to maintain some sort of discipline and constantly trouble the batsmen, even though the wide problem did not totally elude him.
The batting team got off to a flier of sorts getting 48 on board in just 6 overs in which a staggering 25 came of wides.

And then Vik landed the double blow. An ungainly heave resulted in their opener spooning a simple catch to Tony at cover. Two balls later a corker of a delivery ripped through the one drop batsman's defence and disturbed the woodwork. 48 for2. No. 3 was definitely back in the game.
Vik continued to probe, Narendra was introduced into the attack but the wides kept coming albeit lesser in frequency. Their batsmen started to grow in confidence and a partnership was building. A sharp piece of fielding from Venkat and some excellent glovework by Ganesh broke the partnership that was assuming dangerous proportions. At 78 for 3 drinks were taken.

The run rate was still excellent but it was apparent that if the bowlers were able to cut down on wides and field tight the chances of restricting Verizon were still very good.

As the ball got older the bowlers found it easier to land it in the right areas and run scoring became more difficult. Narendra started bowling consistently well and Sriram introduced himself at the other end to put a lid on the scoring rate.

And then came the moments of magic. A stunning direct hit from the long on fence by Joy after a "strategic" misfield from Kishore, another superb piece of fielding by venkat of his own bowling, running across and throwing the stumps down and a brilliant running catch of a swirling top edge at slip by Narendra off the bowling of Sriram. Coupled with some superbly accurate wicket to wicket bowling by Narendra resulting in two clean bowleds , No. 3 was well and truly on top. 103 for 8. Some late order hitting by the no 9 batsman pushed the score to 130 when Ramesh took a well judged catch at the extra cover boundary.

At this point #3 was under time pressure and it looked like only 26 overs could be completed within the stipulated time. Veriz0ns gameplan was obviously to block out the last couple of overs and avoid getting all out so that #3 had only 26 overs to chase the requisite number of runs. But that was not to be as sriram did the no 11 in the last over before close thereby ensuring his team got the full quota of 30 overs to chasedown 133.

It was much improved performance on the field after the horrors of the previous game. Misfields were limited to 2 , one of them resulting in a wicket and not a chance went abegging save for an extremely difficult edge to keeper Ganesh. It would be have been cruel to put that down as a dropped chance. The keeping was excellent as well resulting in just 4 byes in the whole innings. The wides were the only sore point in the whole performance. A staggering 40 in a total of 133.


#3 innings.


At the start of the innings it was clear that steady sensible batting would have to be the order of the day and if they just played through the 30 overs without losing too many wickets they would be home comfortably.
Openers Ramesh and Ganesh walked in with just that on their minds. The Verizon opening bowlers also seemed to be bitten by the "wides" bug as they sprayed the ball about. The openers had to just stay and not try anything fancy. And they did just that as the score raced to 50 in less than 9 overs. They were aided by a couple of dropped chances , one for each batsman. Ramesh departed soon after, bowled playing a tired shot for en extremely valuable but uncharachteristically scratchy 17. Kishore came and went soon after, playing across the line to a straight delivery. Narendra departed as well after swatting a crisp boundary, paying the price for trying to hit every single ball. Venkat walked in and quickly settled in after initial moments of jitter and quick admonitions from the skipper.
Ganesh who was batting sensibly and holding up his end soon was bowled by one which kept low. It was a precious knock considering the circumstances.
Sriram joined Venkat at the crease with his team in a spot of bother. But with just 60 to get and the team's most experienced pair at the crease it was never going to be a huge problem. Venkat, under strict instructions from his captain to curb his natural attacking instincts played straighter and straighter as his innings progressed and proved almost impossible to dislodge. Both the batsmen just picked the singles on offer and inched towards the target without any trouble at all. Soon enough was enough and Sriram belted a couple of boundaries. Game set and match No.3.
Both batsmen remained unbeaten, Venkat on 27 and Sriram on 29, steering the team home with 2.3 overs to spare. All said and done a very well managed chase and an impressive total team performance.
There were several contenders for man of the match. Venkat for his brilliant fielding and innings of great charachter, Sriram for his fine all round performance and Narendra for his outstanding spell of medium pace bowling which broke the back of the Verizon innings. It finally went to Narendra.
The team missed the services of injured Druck and Hainn. They were joined by Iiii who dislocated his finger at nets the previous day. Ganesh and Indrabeer were roped in as replacements.
The team will now go into the next game knowing they are on the up. A few issues, notably the wides bowled upfront, have to be looked into in depth. That apart this wonderful display on the field and the fast maturing batting line up augur well for this team's future.
The team proceeded to Narahoos house to celebrate and cheer team India on to a wonderful win. One celebration was followed by another as inees' bachelor party was taken out into the wee hours in the morning making for a truly Super Saturday.

#3 was supported by Iiii, Druck, Thili and Arjun. Thanks guys for the support and cheer!.

In Game 4, #3 was: Ramesh, Venkat, Indrabeer, Kishore, Sriram (c), Tony, Ganesh(wk), Huiyyaps, Narendra, Joy & Vik.

GAME 3 – A game of two halves

Number 3 vs Rookies,
1 Nov, 2005, Pachaiyappas College ‘A’.
Rookies won by 62 runs.

What a day. We went through a complete range of emotions during this one, a game played on Diwali day. The league organisers had called up the captain the previous day asking if we were up to a match and he sceptically said he would check if we could muster an eleven. Arriving at Studio, it took him all off three minutes to receive enthusiastic confirmations from the entire team!! We were playing a match on Diwali, and it was the skipper’s ‘Thalai Deepavali’ to boot. One only wonders what the in laws had to say.

The roller coaster ride began as we walked in to Pachaiyappas college, to see our opponents from the previous game playing the morning match. Greeting them, we watched them fall short of the target as our opponents began to assemble. Rookies, did they say? Rookies, my ass! The group assembling was a bunch of young, fit and apparently well experienced players. They won the toss, chose to bat, and proceeded to confirm our worst fears. Vik’s first over was tight but comfortably negotiated. The fourth ball of Vishesh’s first was slamed over fine leg for six, and a hard slap down the wicket in his next over made contact with his little finger, and broke it. An inauspicious beginning, followed up by what was our worst fielding performance since the inception of Number 3. By some distance.

Dropped catches, misjudgements, misfields… they all served to fuel the confidence in the batsmen’s strokes. The captain’s temper was rising, our shoulders were drooping and by the tenth over they were swinging at everything and we were ambling along like zombies on the perimeter, walking to pick up balls that didn’t reach the boundary and rolling throws in. In hindsight, this was probably where we let ourselves down the most. We let go of the best thing we have going for us, our morale. As a result, even when balls did go up in the air, no one believed that they would be taken. And with the exception of one by the captain, none of them were. Anand and Sriram kept things as tight as they could by taking the pace off the ball, Visesh came back and bowled a decent second spell in spite of his broken finger, but by the time we had finished bowling the 29 overs we managed, they had rattled up a massive 219 for 3. The mood at the innings break was easily the lowest we’ve felt as #3.

Then, it happened. The performance that turned the mood right around. Anand’s eight over spell had tired him out a little too much to open, and Venkat (back in for the unavailable Narendra) opened the innings with Jubbs. They walked out to face an overconfident side, not short of a few words. Mistake. Sufficiently wound up, Venkat let loose. A snorter accounted for iiii, caught at slip, but Kishore stayed in for a bit. And Venkat decided that he didn’t quite like their aggressive, three slips and a gully field and decided to spread it around by scoring boundaries all round the wicket. One hook shot in particular stood out, and was applauded long and hard. Kishore holed out but that only meant a well rested Anand went in. This partnership began to seriously worry our opposition as Venkat continued on his merry way and Anand settled in to a lovely rhythm, timing and placing the ball to perfection. At the end of the 12^th over, believe it or not, we were up with the asking rate of 7 an over. Venkat’s wicket for an excellent 37 set off celebrations in the opposing ranks, but poor devils, Narahoo was next. A quick bowler was brought on specifically to get his wicket. Two thumping straight fours took care of that, his spell lasting only one over. And amazingly, the scoring rate continued. The hundred was up, and in good time too. We were right back in it, and in fine voice again.

But the fall of Sriram put paid to any dreams of the miracle victory. I managed to heave a couple which pushed our total beyond 150 for the first time, but wickets tumbled in the slog. Anand was left stranded, last man out for a superb 42 to a sharp catch by one of their fielders who had been Rhodes-like throughout, and we finished at 157 all out. We had lost the match, but the handshakes and their reactions showed that we had earned their respect. From a team who had been picking and choosing which singles to run and fighting among themselves to get at our bowling, they knew they had been in a scrap.

The Diwali bash at Kishore’s house turned out to be a celebration, after all. (And how!!)

#3 was supported at the ground by the Crutch, Self, Bawb, Arup, Victor P and Anand. Thanks for being there guys, every cheer helped bring the spirit back.

In Game 3, #3 was: Jubbs, Venkat, Anand, Kishore, Sriram (c), Tony, Druck(wk), Huiyyaps, Visesh, Joy & Vik.

Injuries rock #3

Opening bowler Hainn and keeper/batsman druck(local julius) have fallen into the injury list. Hainn broke his little finger during our third game last sunday (match report to follow) , trying to stop a full blooded drive on his follow through. The ball took his finger and hit the stumps and crashed into the stumps but unfortunately the opposition batsman was firmly grounded in his crease. Reports say that Hainn is in the recovery process and should be fighting fit in 6 weeks or so.
Keeper /batsman druck(local julius) suffered a freak knee dislocation at nets on thursday. Druck who padded up to bat after a good keeping session suddenly collapsed onto the ground letting out a loud scream. Reports say he'll be out for 3 to 6 weeks.
#3 wishes the two of the a very speedy recovery and a quick return to the field

Numbers 4 and 5?

Just wanted to point out that there certainly is a a world beyond Number 3. This is a bccb blog not just meant for this team, so please post on any bikang related cricket happenings, opinions, etc. worldwide.....

And dudes from #3, please add your own posts regarding matches and happenings. the official report is merely one perspective on it (neutral though it tries to be).. other viewpoints can only make the blog more interesting....

GAME 2 - Harsh realities

Number 3 vs Crown Tapes CC
30, Oct, YMCA A, Nandanam,
Crown Tapes CC won by 5 wkts

Note: All my posts from now on will be in the first person. Referring to myself as “Druck” in match reports made me feel a bit like Julius Caesar in the Asterix comics. Hope it goes down well with you guys, the few people who actually read these.

The soaring spirit of #3 was brought back down to earth just a little in game 2, as a poor batting performance and a couple of dropped catches showed us just how far we need to go to be competitive in this league. Still enjoying ourselves thoroughly, we nevertheless left the YMCA grounds with a greater feeling of dissatisfaction than the first time around – perhaps the realization that we could actually be winning these matches if we executed the basic disciplines well enough had something to do with that.

Unprecedented levels of wet weather (the most rainfall in 40 years in Chennai, I’m told – didn’t we just know something like this would happen) scuppered any hopes we had of getting in lots of practice before game 2. We were restricted to one net session on the Saturday preceding the game, where I had a horror session as ‘keeper, and fielding all round left a lot to be desired. A lengthy bowling spell in the nets for Narendra, Kishore, Visesh, Tony, Huiyyaps and Narahoo was the best return from this one.

On matchday, the skipper again won the toss and this time, we chose to bat. The absence of Kaataan, on paternity leave, gave Jubbs the opportunity to open with Anand. Sadly, it wasn’t to last long, he was out lbw early on. Kishore went in at one drop and was soon seeing the ball well. An ill conceived second run put paid to his promising innings, and it was a steady procession towards the dressing room (tree, actually) from then on. Anand fell, Tayne played a patient innings for no score, and then I joined the captain in the middle with strict instructions to play forward and stay in. Tragedy struck soon after as a well set Sriram was run out at the bowler’s end, ambling a single. Half the side gone, less than 50 on the board and 15 overs still to play. Some trench warfare from me, visesh and vik (ending in yet another run out when I called vik for a suicidal run) pushed the total up to 77 all out, the only saving grace being that we managed to play out 29 overs.

Just how little the opposition thought of the target was made evident by their choice of opener, one Jose, an uncomplicated batsman who did not seem aware of the existence of an off side. His simple, rustic heaving should have had no effect on us at all, but I grassed a straightforward chance behind the stumps off vik’s second ball and we paid the price. The ball flew off the bat - edges, meat, handle and all - and they knocked off more than half the target in five overs. Sriram’s captaincy was one thing that was completely on the ball today and he quickly slowed the game down by introducing Anand and himself into the attack. Three quick wickets, and we had pegged the scoring rate back.

But in the end, we simply didn’t have enough on the board. A further dropped catch at square leg later, the target was down to ten. One final piece of inspired captaincy, however, provided our brightest spot of the match. Sriram threw the ball to Huiyyaps, and to cries of “bowling, Shane” he settled into a nice loop, dropping the ball in nice areas and spinning it viciously. After twice collapsing in a tangle of arms, legs and bat, one of their batsman sliced a ball that looped slowly to Jubbs who juggled the ball and held on for a truly celebratory moment.

The formalities completed shortly thereafter, we were left to rue the run outs and dropped catches that prevented us from being competitive. They had knocked off the runs in 15 overs, with five wickets to spare. Some hard work lies ahead of us, but the best thing about Number 3, the fantastic spirit around everything this team does, remained firmly in place – and accompanied us to the now mandatory post match beer.

#3 would again like to thank Jake, the Crutch, Sunder and Self for taking the time and trouble to support us at the ground. Jake in particular for virtually being our 12^th man (woman??) and also carrying out photography duties.

In Game 2, #3 was: Jubbs, Anand, Kishore, Sriram (c), Tony, Druck(wk), Narendra, Huiyyaps, Visesh, Joy & Vik.