All-Time Test Cricket Draft - Match Thread

[Scotty_WCE]

Doing a great job Scotty it’s been really interesting

Glad you guys have enjoyed it even if it was a while in the making!

Been thinking about finals systems still - how about in all finals except the grand final a draw sees the higher-ranked team goes through, and in the major Grand Final we do a best of three matches? If it's drawn 1-1 (or, very unlikely, 0-0) then the higher-ranked team is declared the winner. Any thoughts?

 

[Matty76]

That’s fair enough I think mate - either way, I’m sacking my bowling coach before the finals!! Alternatively, does anyone have some spare sandpaper?

 

[BLOWN8]

It’s fine by me mate, I’m with Matt anyway, half my team won’t be getting a run next summer

 

[Scotty_WCE]

Okay, who's ready for some finals action... Qualifying and Elimination Finals are about to be simulated and will be posted today. Will start with the minor finals and then onto the major finals.

Will go with the most recent idea of draws seeing the higher-placed team being declared the "winner" except for the major Grand Final which will be a best-of-three series. In the event that series is a draw, the higher-placed team will be declared the champion, or if the two teams in the Qualifying Final meet again in the Grand Final, the team who won the Qualifying Final will be considered the higher-ranked team (this will also apply for the minor Grand Final).

 

[Scotty_WCE]

Minor Qualifying Final

Matty76 v Wookiedragon

Wookiedragon had the first win of the finals series by calling correctly at the toss and promptly chose to bat. It only got better from there; the openers put on a gargantuan 344 for the first wickets, with Wally Hammond scoring 139 and Mark Taylor an even 200. Once the first wicket fell, Matty76 ran through the rest of the order quickly but still conceded a total of 454.

Matty76 couldn't afford a poor first innings, and they managed to do enough to stay in the game. 80 from Neil Harvey and Graeme Pollock's 75 were the highest scores in a total of 384, as Fred Spofforth was the pick of the bowlers after dismissing three of the top four.

But it was more of the same for Wookiedragon in the third innings, as Hammond did what he liked again on the way to 170*. Steve Smith chipped in with 80 as ultimately they declared on 4/366; a lead of 436 with Matty76 having 102 overs to chase the runs down or salvage a draw.

The openers started well, and at 1/131 a draw was looking the most likely result. But despite starts from all of the top six (the best being 81 from Sehwag), the tail collapsed in a heap quickly as Wookiedragon - led by Spofforth (four wickets), Imran Khan and Grimmett (three each) - sealed the win with 18 overs left to proceed to the minor Grand Final, while Matty76 will have a second chance.

Matty76 384 (Harvey 80, Pollock 75, Spofforth 4/94) & 263 (Sehwag 81, Pollock 54, Spofforth 4/72) defeated by Wookiedragon 454 (Taylor 200, Hammond 139, Garner 4/89, Underwood 4/105) & 4d/366 (Hammond 170*, Smith 80, Lindwall 3/110) by 173 runs.

Wookiedragon's XI versus Matty76's XI

Wookiedragon's XI
MA Taylor                             b J Garner              200 (307)
WR Hammond        c RG Pollock        b J Garner              139 (267)
GS Chappell       c JH Kallis         b J Garner              26 (39)
SPD Smith                             b DL Underwood          11 (39)
Javed Miandad     c IA Healy          b J Garner              0 (2)
Imran Khan        c RN Harvey         b RR Lindwall           22 (48)
KC Sangakkara     stIA Healy          b DL Underwood          10 (21)
CV Grimmett                  lbw      b RR Lindwall           2 (9)
CEL Ambrose                    not out                    3 (20)
FR Spofforth      c V Sehwag          b DL Underwood          0 (4)
CA Walsh          c RN Harvey         b DL Underwood          0 (2)
Extras        ( w11 b18 lb12 )        41

    Total (from 127 overs)    454 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-344  2-390  3-399  4-399  5-422  6-449  7-449  8-451  9-452  10-454

Bowling Figures for Matty76's XI

                  O    M    R    W
RR Lindwall       31    8    98    2  
RJ Hadlee         21    2    94    0  
J Garner          31    7    89    4  
DL Underwood      32    7    105    4  
JH Kallis         11    1    38    0  

Matty76's XI
V Sehwag          c GS Chappell       b FR Spofforth          12 (20)
JB Hobbs          c MA Taylor         b Imran Khan            31 (62)
RN Harvey         c Imran Khan        b FR Spofforth          80 (136)
KF Barrington                lbw      b FR Spofforth          19 (61)
RG Pollock        c KC Sangakkara     b CV Grimmett           75 (154)
JH Kallis         c KC Sangakkara     b CV Grimmett           60 (134)
IA Healy          c KC Sangakkara     b CV Grimmett           39 (84)
RJ Hadlee                    lbw      b CA Walsh              6 (13)
RR Lindwall       c KC Sangakkara     b FR Spofforth          11 (17)
J Garner          c CEL Ambrose       b CA Walsh              4 (9)
DL Underwood                   not out                    15 (14)
Extras        ( w8 nb3 b7 lb14 )        32

    Total (from 118 overs)    384 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-16  2-74  3-118  4-188  5-299  6-320  7-333  8-352  9-362  10-384

Bowling Figures for Wookiedragon's XI

                  O    M    R    W
FR Spofforth      24    8    94    4  
CEL Ambrose       22    5    48    0  
CA Walsh          25    4    78    2  
Imran Khan        22    5    63    1  
CV Grimmett       24    4    80    3  

Wookiedragon's XI
MA Taylor         c RJ Hadlee         b RR Lindwall           18 (28)
WR Hammond                     not out                    170 (308)
GS Chappell       c IA Healy          b J Garner              40 (119)
SPD Smith         c RG Pollock        b RR Lindwall           80 (112)
Javed Miandad     c JB Hobbs          b RR Lindwall           0 (3)
Imran Khan                     not out                    26 (48)
Extras        ( w10 nb2 b7 lb13 )        32

    Total (from 103 overs)    366 - 4 declared
Fall of wickets:
1-36  2-171  3-308  4-312

Bowling Figures for Matty76's XI

                  O    M    R    W
RR Lindwall       31    4    110    3  
RJ Hadlee         25    5    96    0  
J Garner          18    4    68    1  
DL Underwood      19    5    47    0  
JH Kallis         10    2    25    0  

Matty76's XI
V Sehwag          c SPD Smith         b Imran Khan            81 (123)
JB Hobbs          c KC Sangakkara     b Imran Khan            40 (68)
RN Harvey         c Javed Miandad     b Imran Khan            25 (47)
KF Barrington     c SPD Smith         b CV Grimmett           22 (53)
RG Pollock        c CEL Ambrose       b CV Grimmett           54 (110)
JH Kallis                    lbw      b FR Spofforth          19 (62)
IA Healy          c Imran Khan        b FR Spofforth          7 (19)
RJ Hadlee                    lbw      b FR Spofforth          0 (5)
RR Lindwall       stKC Sangakkara     b CV Grimmett           4 (11)
J Garner          c KC Sangakkara     b FR Spofforth          0 (1)
DL Underwood                   not out                    0 (1)
Extras        ( w5 nb2 b4 )        11

    Total (from 84 overs)    263 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-83  2-131  3-152  4-205  5-251  6-252  7-256  8-259  9-259  10-263

Bowling Figures for Wookiedragon's XI

                  O    M    R    W
FR Spofforth      26    11    72    4  
CEL Ambrose       6    0    33    0  
CA Walsh          8    4    22    0  
Imran Khan        16    3    54    3  
CV Grimmett       27    7    78    3  

Wookiedragon's XI won by 173 runs
Man of the match is WR Hammond

 

[Scotty_WCE]

Minor Elimination Final

BLOWN8 v Eels Guru

Eels Guru won the toss and elected to bat as both teams fought to stay alive in the finals. Richie Richardson's 82 and Bill Ponsford's 57 were the best scores as Shane Warne wreaked havoc, taking 5/50 to limit them to 270.

But BLOWN8's batsmen struggled even harder; only two batsmen went passed 25 as Andy Roberts outdid Warne by claiming six wickets. Mike Hussey did his best to salvage the innings with 41 but his team's total of 187 meant they conceded a lead of 83 on the first innings.

Eels Guru's second innings started well, as Ponsford and Richardson batted well around Arthur Morris who made 70. But after that Waqar Younis took complete control. He took three top-order wickets before demolishing the tail to end with the remarkable figures of 7/26. This meant Eels Guru could post just 171, leaving BLOWN8 facing a chase of 255.

And chase it they did as BLOWN8 finally put up a batting effort that would please their coach. All of the top six contributed, with Graeme Smith's 94 being the critical contribution that sealed a six-wicket victory and ensured they would progress to the preliminary final where they would take on Matty76.

BLOWN8 187 (Roberts 6/57) & 4/259 (Smith 94) defeated Eels Guru 270 (Richardson 82, Ponsford 57, Warne 5/50) & 171 (Morris 70, Waqar Younis 7/26) by six wickets.

Eels Guru's XI versus BLOWN8's XI

Eels Guru's XI
 WH Ponsford       c MV Boucher        b SK Warne              57 (87)
 AR Morris         c MV Boucher        b DK Lillee             7 (36)
 RB Richardson     c GC Smith          b JM Anderson           82 (143)
 IM Chappell                  lbw      b DK Lillee             49 (146)
 ME Waugh          c MV Boucher        b JM Anderson           10 (9)
 BB McCullum       c N Kapil Dev       b SK Warne              30 (50)
 KR Miller         c MEK Hussey        b SK Warne              12 (25)
 AK Davidson       c MV Boucher        b SK Warne              1 (3)
 JR Thomson        c MV Boucher        b DK Lillee             6 (12)
 SCG MacGill                           b SK Warne              4 (7)
 AME Roberts                    not out                    0 (1)
 Extras        ( w8 nb2 b2 )        12

    Total (from 87 overs)    270 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-25  2-96  3-174  4-189  5-246  6-247  7-249  8-266  9-270  10-270 

Bowling Figures for BLOWN8's XI

                  O    M    R    W
DK Lillee         22    8    55    3   
Waqar Younis      16    6    49    0   
JM Anderson       20    0    96    2   
SK Warne          21    6    50    5   
N Kapil Dev       7    3    18    0   

BLOWN8's XI
 ML Hayden                         c & b AME Roberts           21 (40)
 GC Smith          c ME Waugh          b AK Davidson           22 (62)
 SR Tendulkar      c AR Morris         b AME Roberts           0 (2)
 SR Waugh          c AR Morris         b KR Miller             37 (85)
 MEK Hussey                            b KR Miller             41 (64)
 N Kapil Dev                  lbw      b SCG MacGill           1 (14)
 MV Boucher        c AR Morris         b AME Roberts           9 (30)
 SK Warne                              b AME Roberts           25 (42)
 JM Anderson                    not out                    7 (22)
 DK Lillee                    lbw      b AME Roberts           8 (15)
 Waqar Younis      c WH Ponsford       b AME Roberts           0 (2)
 Extras        ( nb2 b5 lb9 )        16

    Total (from 63 overs)    187 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-48  2-48  3-64  4-130  5-133  6-133  7-172  8-177  9-187  10-187 

Bowling Figures for Eels Guru's XI

                  O    M    R    W
AK Davidson       17    7    32    1   
AME Roberts       17    4    57    6   
JR Thomson        7    1    25    0   
KR Miller         13    6    29    2   
SCG MacGill       9    1    30    1   

Eels Guru's XI
 WH Ponsford       c MV Boucher        b DK Lillee             20 (33)
 AR Morris         c MEK Hussey        b Waqar Younis          70 (165)
 RB Richardson     c DK Lillee         b Waqar Younis          28 (76)
 IM Chappell       c GC Smith          b N Kapil Dev           2 (7)
 ME Waugh          c MV Boucher        b Waqar Younis          7 (15)
 BB McCullum       c MV Boucher        b N Kapil Dev           0 (10)
 KR Miller                    lbw      b Waqar Younis          1 (11)
 AK Davidson       c N Kapil Dev       b Waqar Younis          18 (33)
 JR Thomson                   lbw      b Waqar Younis          0 (13)
 SCG MacGill                    not out                    6 (10)
 AME Roberts       c ML Hayden         b Waqar Younis          0 (3)
 Extras        ( w4 nb1 b4 lb10 )        19

    Total (from 63 overs)    171 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-40  2-116  3-121  4-130  5-133  6-137  7-156  8-156  9-171  10-171 

Bowling Figures for BLOWN8's XI

                  O    M    R    W
DK Lillee         14    4    46    1   
Waqar Younis      15    5    26    7   
JM Anderson       11    3    27    0   
SK Warne          8    2    21    0   
N Kapil Dev       14    3    37    2   

BLOWN8's XI
 ML Hayden         c KR Miller         b JR Thomson            32 (59)
 GC Smith          c AR Morris         b SCG MacGill           94 (207)
 SR Tendulkar      c KR Miller         b AME Roberts           36 (90)
 SR Waugh                     lbw      b JR Thomson            17 (38)
 MEK Hussey                     not out                    38 (54)
 N Kapil Dev                    not out                    26 (46)
 Extras        ( w5 nb1 b6 lb4 )        16

    Total (from 83 overs)    259 - 4
Fall of wickets:
1-67  2-144  3-188  4-192 

Bowling Figures for Eels Guru's XI

                  O    M    R    W
AK Davidson       17    4    49    0   
AME Roberts       14    5    43    1   
JR Thomson        17    3    75    2   
KR Miller         12    5    19    0   
SCG MacGill       22    7    63    1   

BLOWN8's XI won by 6 wickets
Man of the match is Waqar Younis

 

[Scotty_WCE]

Major Qualifying Final

May-Z v Scotty_WCE

Neither team lost a game during the regular season, setting the stage for a blockbuster match to see who would be the first to qualify for the Grand Final. Scotty_WCE won the toss and took a risk by sending in May-Z. It would have been a brilliant decision if not for George Headley, who was a one-man show; he scored 136* out of a total of 261. Only two other batsmen scored more than 12, as Wasim Akram claimed a five-wicket haul.

But May-Z's strength had been their bowling all through the tournament and their good form continued. All four bowlers picked up a wicket - three of them taking three - as they restricted Scotty_WCE to just 204. It would have been considerably less if not for number ten Malcolm Marshall who, remarkably, top-scored with 49*. But they still found themselves 57 runs behind.

May-Z knew that a strong third innings would put them in a very good position. This time it was a much more even batting effort, as Clyde Walcott made 89, Headley 64 and Mike Procter and Wilfred Rhodes fell just short of fifties. They ended up bowled out for 380, setting Scotty_WCE an almost impossible chase of 438.

They were never in the chase from the start of the innings, as early wickets tumbled. At one stage they were 6/67 as again all the bowlers chipped in. Shaun Pollock's score of 33 not out was the highest as they were all out for 158, meaning May-Z was first through to the Grand Final series after a dominant 279-run win.

May-Z 261 (Headley 136*, Wasim Akram 5/70) & 380 (Walcott 89, Headley 64) defeated Scotty_WCE 204 (Marshall 49*) & 158 (Laker 3/25, Procter 3/32, Lohmann 3/39) by 279 runs.

May-Z's XI versus Scotty_WCE's XI

May-Z's XI
 VT Trumper                            b Wasim Akram           5 (14)
 G Boycott                             b MD Marshall           1 (6)
 GA Headley                     not out                    136 (262)
 ED Weekes                             b Wasim Akram           0 (6)
 CL Walcott        c SM Pollock        b WJ O'Reilly           39 (83)
 MJ Procter        c IVA Richards      b GS Sobers             30 (65)
 APE Knott         c SM Pollock        b Wasim Akram           9 (14)
 W Rhodes                     lbw      b Wasim Akram           0 (11)
 JC Laker          c SM Pollock        b Wasim Akram           1 (13)
 FS Trueman        c A Flower          b SM Pollock            9 (39)
 GA Lohmann        c A Flower          b SM Pollock            12 (35)
 Extras        ( w10 lb9 )        19

    Total (from 92 overs)    261 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-6  2-6  3-7  4-88  5-158  6-180  7-183  8-204  9-236  10-261 

Bowling Figures for Scotty_WCE's XI

                  O    M    R    W
Wasim Akram       24    9    70    5   
MD Marshall       9    3    30    1   
SM Pollock        16    9    30    2   
WJ O'Reilly       25    4    63    1   
GS Sobers         17    2    59    1   

Scotty_WCE's XI
 L Hutton          c ED Weekes         b GA Lohmann            13 (29)
 SM Gavaskar                  lbw      b GA Lohmann            22 (33)
 IVA Richards                 lbw      b MJ Procter            9 (27)
 RS Dravid                    lbw      b MJ Procter            13 (27)
 AR Border                             b MJ Procter            0 (1)
 GS Sobers         c GA Headley        b FS Trueman            46 (79)
 A Flower          stAPE Knott         b JC Laker              0 (4)
 SM Pollock        c CL Walcott        b JC Laker              0 (11)
 Wasim Akram       c G Boycott         b JC Laker              12 (38)
 MD Marshall                    not out                    49 (76)
 WJ O'Reilly                           b GA Lohmann            16 (36)
 Extras        ( w11 nb1 b5 lb7 )        24

    Total (from 61 overs)    204 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-23  2-41  3-63  4-63  5-72  6-73  7-84  8-112  9-151  10-204 

Bowling Figures for May-Z's XI

                  O    M    R    W
FS Trueman        20    5    44    1   
GA Lohmann        12    2    46    3   
MJ Procter        15    3    55    3   
JC Laker          13    1    47    3   

May-Z's XI
 VT Trumper                   lbw      b Wasim Akram           2 (5)
 G Boycott         c A Flower          b MD Marshall           24 (51)
 GA Headley        c A Flower          b GS Sobers             64 (110)
 ED Weekes                    lbw      b SM Pollock            31 (48)
 CL Walcott                   lbw      b MD Marshall           89 (146)
 MJ Procter                            b MD Marshall           48 (117)
 APE Knott         c A Flower          b SM Pollock            0 (10)
 W Rhodes                       not out                    49 (91)
 JC Laker          c MD Marshall       b Wasim Akram           13 (39)
 FS Trueman        c SM Pollock        b GS Sobers             17 (39)
 GA Lohmann        c L Hutton          b GS Sobers             0 (5)
 Extras        ( w7 nb3 b11 lb22 )        43

    Total (from 111 overs)    380 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-8  2-46  3-115  4-159  5-283  6-284  7-288  8-322  9-372  10-380 

Bowling Figures for Scotty_WCE's XI

                  O    M    R    W
Wasim Akram       23    3    91    2   
MD Marshall       27    6    84    3   
SM Pollock        25    4    86    2   
WJ O'Reilly       16    4    46    0   
GS Sobers         19    7    40    3   

Scotty_WCE's XI
 L Hutton          c GA Headley        b MJ Procter            30 (64)
 SM Gavaskar       c GA Headley        b GA Lohmann            4 (2)
 IVA Richards      c ED Weekes         b GA Lohmann            16 (28)
 RS Dravid         c CL Walcott        b GA Lohmann            0 (1)
 AR Border         c GA Headley        b FS Trueman            3 (2)
 GS Sobers                    lbw      b JC Laker              11 (30)
 A Flower          c MJ Procter        b JC Laker              10 (40)
 SM Pollock                     not out                    33 (108)
 Wasim Akram       c APE Knott         b JC Laker              12 (27)
 MD Marshall       c APE Knott         b MJ Procter            26 (39)
 WJ O'Reilly       c GA Headley        b MJ Procter            0 (8)
 Extras        ( w6 nb1 lb6 )        13

    Total (from 59 overs)    158 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-10  2-38  3-38  4-41  5-64  6-67  7-94  8-118  9-150  10-158 

Bowling Figures for May-Z's XI

                  O    M    R    W
FS Trueman        16    3    45    1   
GA Lohmann        14    3    39    3   
MJ Procter        10    2    32    3   
JC Laker          15    4    25    3   
W Rhodes          3    0    11    0   

May-Z's XI won by 279 runs
Man of the match is GA Headley

 

[Scotty_WCE]

Major Elimination Final

Keatoboy v mounteverest

mounteverest batted first after winning the toss but only Barry Richards could take advantage. He made 84* without much support; the next best score was 36 from opener Desmond Haynes. Dale Steyn and Allan Donald each took three wickets for Keatoboy to keep mounteverest to 213.

It didn't seem enough against a batting line-up featuring Don Bradman, and so it proved as Bradman asserted his dominance with a massive 233*. He was involved in four big partnerships as he enabled his team to declare on 4/526; a lead of over 300. It got so dire that mounteverest had to turn to a rarely-used sixth bowler, with Richards rolling his arm over for two overs.

It was looking extremely dire for mounteverest but they put up a fight in their second innings. Richards again was the shining light with 134, but this time Gordon Greenidge (69) and Doug Walters (65) helped him out. They avoided the ignominy of an innings loss by scoring 407, but Keatoboy only needed 95 to win.

As expected they chased this down with ease; only AB de Villiers fell before Brian Lara and Bradman guided the team home to a nine-wicket win, meaning they would face off against Scotty_WCE in the preliminary final.

Keatoboy 4d/526 (Bradman 233*, Kohli 77, Voges 68*) & 1/97 (Lara 46*) defeated mounteverest 213 (Richards 84*) & 407 (Richards 134, Greenidge 69, Walters 65, Barnes 5/52) by nine wickets.

mounteverest's XI versus Keatoboy's XI

mounteverest's XI
 CG Greenidge      c IT Botham         b DW Steyn              11 (12)
 DL Haynes                    lbw      b AA Donald             36 (56)
 RT Ponting                        c & b SF Barnes             11 (24)
 MD Crowe                     lbw      b AA Donald             0 (3)
 BA Richards                    not out                    84 (140)
 KD Walters                        c & b AA Donald             1 (7)
 AC Gilchrist      c AB de Villiers    b DW Steyn              25 (70)
 R Benaud          c AB de Villiers    b IT Botham             1 (15)
 MG Johnson        c IT Botham         b DW Steyn              0 (8)
 MA Holding        c AC Voges          b IT Botham             6 (23)
 GD McGrath                        c & b M Muralitharan        9 (20)
 Extras        ( w5 nb4 b7 lb13 )        29

    Total (from 63 overs)    213 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-26  2-61  3-61  4-62  5-66  6-150  7-166  8-167  9-192  10-213 

Bowling Figures for Keatoboy's XI

                  O    M    R    W
DW Steyn          18    0    69    3   
AA Donald         13    2    44    3   
SF Barnes         10    4    12    1   
M Muralitharan    9    2    34    1   
IT Botham         13    5    34    2   

Keatoboy's XI
 BC Lara           c AC Gilchrist      b GD McGrath            47 (84)
 AB de Villiers    c R Benaud          b MA Holding            16 (27)
 DG Bradman                     not out                    233 (393)
 V Kohli                      lbw      b KD Walters            77 (150)
 IT Botham                    lbw      b MA Holding            45 (83)
 AC Voges                       not out                    68 (133)
 Extras        ( w5 nb3 b1 lb31 )        40

    Total (from 145 overs)    526 - 4 declared
Fall of wickets:
1-34  2-101  3-310  4-408 

Bowling Figures for mounteverest's XI

                  O    M    R    W
GD McGrath        33    5    112    1   
MA Holding        41    7    119    2   
MG Johnson        24    2    119    0   
R Benaud          40    12    115    0   
KD Walters        5    2    13    1   
BA Richards       2    0    16    0   

mounteverest's XI
 CG Greenidge      c V Kohli           b M Muralitharan        69 (108)
 DL Haynes                    lbw      b SF Barnes             41 (82)
 RT Ponting        c V Kohli           b SF Barnes             0 (1)
 MD Crowe                     lbw      b AW Greig              16 (45)
 BA Richards                           b SF Barnes             134 (248)
 KD Walters        c AB de Villiers    b M Muralitharan        65 (139)
 AC Gilchrist                          b DW Steyn              15 (26)
 R Benaud          c V Kohli           b SF Barnes             11 (18)
 MG Johnson        c BC Lara           b SF Barnes             2 (7)
 MA Holding                     not out                    14 (19)
 GD McGrath                            b DW Steyn              5 (8)
 Extras        ( w17 nb1 b5 lb12 )        35

    Total (from 117 overs)    407 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-99  2-99  3-130  4-163  5-313  6-354  7-372  8-378  9-389  10-407 

Bowling Figures for Keatoboy's XI

                  O    M    R    W
DW Steyn          18    3    80    2   
AA Donald         29    4    112    0   
SF Barnes         21    5    52    5   
M Muralitharan    30    8    83    2   
IT Botham         9    2    36    0   
AW Greig          9    2    27    1   

Keatoboy's XI
 BC Lara                        not out                    46 (100)
 AB de Villiers    c MD Crowe          b MG Johnson            26 (53)
 DG Bradman                     not out                    16 (45)
 Extras        ( w3 b3 lb3 )        9

    Total (from 33 overs)    97 - 1
Fall of wickets:
1-55 

Bowling Figures for mounteverest's XI

                  O    M    R    W
GD McGrath        11    4    27    0   
MA Holding        11    3    31    0   
MG Johnson        5    2    15    1   
R Benaud          6    2    18    0   

Keatoboy's XI won by 9 wickets
Man of the match is DG Bradman

 

[Scotty_WCE]

Preliminary Finals to come tomorrow

 

[Keatoboy]

Now seems like a good time for me to come out of the woodwork!! Sorry I never got around to running this, I had it all ready to go but school and other things kept getting in the way, so cheers @Scotty_WCE for picking it up, I have to say you've done a bloody brilliant job. But I'm back now... so good luck in the prelim Scott, may the best man win!

 

[Scotty_WCE]

Now seems like a good time for me to come out of the woodwork!! Sorry I never got around to running this, I had it all ready to go but school and other things kept getting in the way, so cheers @Scotty_WCE for picking it up, I have to say you've done a bloody brilliant job. But I'm back now... so good luck in the prelim Scott, may the best man win!

Aha! Welcome back - glad that the reason for your absence was nothing more sinister, and hopefully you've been able to keep an eye on how your team has gone so far. Back at you, Bradman worries me greatly but we'll see how we go!

 

[Keatoboy]

Aha! Welcome back - glad that the reason for your absence was nothing more sinister, and hopefully you've been able to keep an eye on how your team has gone so far. Back at you, Bradman worries me greatly but we'll see how we go!

I’ve had a look through and I’m pretty happy with the results, I have a feeling captain grumpy might do something special for you! I did manage to dislocate my knee a couple of months back, 30 minutes in to my first cricket training in 2 years and bang. Ambulance, green whistle, pop back in, 4 hours in hospital and all that Jazz, probably safe to say my cricket career may be over but other than that it’s been head down bum up with school work and exams. Year 12 next year so that should keep me on my toes!!

 

[Scotty_WCE]

I’ve had a look through and I’m pretty happy with the results, I have a feeling captain grumpy might do something special for you! I did manage to dislocate my knee a couple of months back, 30 minutes in to my first cricket training in 2 years and bang. Ambulance, green whistle, pop back in, 4 hours in hospital and all that Jazz, probably safe to say my cricket career may be over but other than that it’s been head down bum up with school work and exams. Year 12 next year so that should keep me on my toes!!

Geez, that doesn't sound fun! That's so unlucky that you did it so soon into your comeback. Had you dislocated it before or first time?

 

[Keatoboy]

Geez, that doesn't sound fun! That's so unlucky that you did it so soon into your comeback. Had you dislocated it before or first time?

Wasn’t pretty!! This is the first one on my right knee.. done it twice before on my left. Thankfully both on my left went out and back in by itself, but this one stayed out. Surgeon said I have slightly high kneecaps so that might be the issue but not a lot I can do really, physio, physio and more physio I guess!

 

[Scotty_WCE]

Wasn’t pretty!! This is the first one on my right knee.. done it twice before on my left. Thankfully both on my left went out and back in by itself, but this one stayed out. Surgeon said I have slightly high kneecaps so that might be the issue but not a lot I can do really, physio, physio and more physio I guess!

Argh that's no good. I was with someone who dislocated his knee at school once which stayed out and you could tell how much pain he was in. All the best with getting on top of it, hopefully you don't have to go through it again!

Prelim finals are just about to be simulated and then posted. Good luck to all involved!

 

[Scotty_WCE]

Minor Preliminary Final

Matty76 v BLOWN8

BLOWN8 won the toss and would have been hoping to continue the momentum from their fourth-innings chase in the elimination final when they chose to bat. Unfortunately the momentum was nowhere to be seen when the top three batsmen were all dismissed for single-figure scores. At 3/17 it was looking dire and it only got slightly better. Steve Waugh and Mike Hussey put on 68 for the fourth wicket but they were the only two batsmen to score more than 20 as they could only put together an innings of 153. Matty76's bowlers shared the wickets evenly, with Derek Underwood and Joel Garner claiming three each.

Matty76 had the opportunity to bat BLOWN8 out of the match, and opener Jack Hobbs went a way to doing this by putting his poor form in the regular season behind him and tonning up. He ended with 114 and a pair of 83s from Ken Barrington and Jacques Kallis (not out) meant they put up 457 - a lead of 304. Shane Warne and Waqar Younis did their best to keep their team in the game with three wickets each but they were looking down the barrel of a big loss.

There desperately needed to be a big century by at least one of BLOWN8's batsmen for them to stay alive. Matthew Hayden looked like he could have been the guy before he was dismissed for 68. Then Mark Boucher fought for as long as he could but he too couldn't convert his fifty, out for 57. In the end nobody could put together the substantial innings needed to avoid an innings defeat, Matty76 prevailing by an innings and 49 runs to advance to the minor grand final.

Matty76 457 (Hobbs 114, Kallis 83*, Barrington 83) defeated BLOWN8 153 (Underwood 3/27, Garner 3/30) & 255 (Hayden 68, Boucher 57, Underwood 4/35) by an innings and 49 runs.

BLOWN8's XI versus Matty76's XI

BLOWN8's XI
 ML Hayden                    lbw      b RR Lindwall           4 (11)
 GC Smith          c IA Healy          b RJ Hadlee             0 (6)
 SR Tendulkar      c JB Hobbs          b RR Lindwall           7 (16)
 SR Waugh                          c & b RJ Hadlee             32 (51)
 MEK Hussey        c JB Hobbs          b J Garner              38 (75)
 N Kapil Dev       c JH Kallis         b DL Underwood          17 (35)
 MV Boucher        c RG Pollock        b J Garner              15 (27)
 SK Warne          c JB Hobbs          b J Garner              8 (19)
 JM Anderson       stIA Healy          b DL Underwood          0 (2)
 DK Lillee         c JB Hobbs          b DL Underwood          20 (31)
 Waqar Younis                   not out                    0 (11)
 Extras        ( w5 nb1 lb6 )        12

    Total (from 48 overs)    153 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-4  2-4  3-17  4-85  5-97  6-125  7-125  8-125  9-141  10-153 

Bowling Figures for Matty76's XI

                  O    M    R    W
RR Lindwall       13    2    32    2   
RJ Hadlee         14    3    58    2   
J Garner          11    3    30    3   
DL Underwood      9    3    27    3   

Matty76's XI
 V Sehwag                     lbw      b Waqar Younis          7 (12)
 JB Hobbs          c MV Boucher        b DK Lillee             114 (207)
 RN Harvey         c SR Waugh          b SK Warne              32 (101)
 KF Barrington                lbw      b Waqar Younis          83 (142)
 RG Pollock                   lbw      b Waqar Younis          49 (77)
 JH Kallis                      not out                    83 (137)
 IA Healy                     lbw      b JM Anderson           28 (34)
 RJ Hadlee                             b JM Anderson           0 (2)
 RR Lindwall                  lbw      b SK Warne              17 (27)
 J Garner          c MV Boucher        b SK Warne              9 (18)
 DL Underwood      c MV Boucher        b N Kapil Dev           4 (10)
 Extras        ( w15 nb2 b3 lb11 )        31

    Total (from 128 overs)    457 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-29  2-135  3-238  4-286  5-340  6-387  7-399  8-436  9-452  10-457 

Bowling Figures for BLOWN8's XI

                  O    M    R    W
DK Lillee         28    5    103    1   
Waqar Younis      25    2    113    3   
JM Anderson       28    5    89    2   
SK Warne          30    8    81    3   
N Kapil Dev       16    3    57    1   

BLOWN8's XI
 ML Hayden                             b DL Underwood          68 (124)
 GC Smith          c IA Healy          b RJ Hadlee             30 (47)
 SR Tendulkar                 lbw      b RR Lindwall           1 (8)
 SR Waugh                              b RJ Hadlee             30 (61)
 MEK Hussey                            b DL Underwood          0 (1)
 N Kapil Dev       c JB Hobbs          b JH Kallis             1 (2)
 MV Boucher        c IA Healy          b DL Underwood          57 (122)
 SK Warne                     lbw      b J Garner              24 (37)
 JM Anderson                  lbw      b RJ Hadlee             12 (34)
 DK Lillee         c RG Pollock        b DL Underwood          4 (9)
 Waqar Younis                   not out                    12 (11)
 Extras        ( w4 lb12 )        16

    Total (from 76 overs)    255 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-54  2-83  3-126  4-126  5-127  6-171  7-204  8-225  9-232  10-255 

Bowling Figures for Matty76's XI

                  O    M    R    W
RR Lindwall       15    5    48    1   
RJ Hadlee         25    6    86    3   
J Garner          15    4    51    1   
DL Underwood      16    9    35    4   
JH Kallis         5    1    23    1   

Matty76's XI won by an innings and 49 runs
Man of the match is DL Underwood

 

[Scotty_WCE]

Major Preliminary Final

Scotty_WCE v Keatoboy

It was a high-stakes game as both team jostled for the second spot in the Grand Final. Keatoboy called correctly at the toss, and decided to give their strong batting line-up first use of the willow. Brian Lara fell early, bringing Don Bradman in. de Villiers departed for 39, and then the massive wicket of Bradman was claimed by Garry Sobers for 62. Enter Adam Voges, who plundered 132* in a crucial innings that lifted the team tally to 418 - without doubt a very strong effort.

The question was could Scotty_WCE's batsmen match those efforts. Sadly the answer was a resounding no, with only three batsmen making double figures and Rahul Dravid's 71* the only score above 25. Ian Botham was the destroyer, claiming the last five wickets of the innings and in the process eliminating any chance of a fightback from the lower-order. The total of 156 meant Keatoboy had the option of enforcing the follow-on which they promptly did.

That poor innings looked likely to cost Scotty_WCE the match but they had the smallest of chances if they could put up a big second innings and set Keatoboy a small tricky chase. But again the top three all failed, leaving them reeling at 3/58. A fourth-wicket partnership of 97 between Dravid and Allan Border gave a tiny glimmer of hope, but they were both dismissed not long after passing 50 and ended up being the only batsmen to raise their bats. The lower-order just scraped together enough runs to make Keatoboy bat again but a total of 288 meant the target was just 27.

The celebrations were no doubt starting in the change rooms even as the small chase was being completed, as de Villiers and Bradman sealed the win after Lara fell early. And so it would be a May-Z v Keatoboy Grand Final.

Scotty_WCE 156 (Dravid 71*, Botham 5/16) & 288 (Dravid 66, Border 50, Barnes 4/56) defeated by Keatoboy 418 (Voges 132*, Kohli 83, Sobers 5/56) & 1/27 by nine wickets.

Keatoboy's XI versus Scotty_WCE's XI

Keatoboy's XI
 BC Lara           c A Flower          b Wasim Akram           4 (6)
 AB de Villiers    c MD Marshall       b WJ O'Reilly           39 (71)
 DG Bradman        c RS Dravid         b GS Sobers             62 (119)
 V Kohli           c RS Dravid         b WJ O'Reilly           83 (209)
 IT Botham                    lbw      b GS Sobers             10 (27)
 AC Voges                       not out                    132 (253)
 AW Greig          c RS Dravid         b Wasim Akram           18 (45)
 AA Donald         c A Flower          b GS Sobers             21 (56)
 DW Steyn          c IVA Richards      b GS Sobers             15 (33)
 SF Barnes         c Wasim Akram       b GS Sobers             4 (5)
 M Muralitharan    c A Flower          b SM Pollock            1 (6)
 Extras        ( w7 nb4 b4 lb14 )        29

    Total (from 139 overs)    418 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-4  2-97  3-137  4-157  5-269  6-325  7-374  8-407  9-417  10-418 

Bowling Figures for Scotty_WCE's XI

                  O    M    R    W
Wasim Akram       28    4    94    2   
MD Marshall       20    2    83    0   
SM Pollock        28    9    80    1   
WJ O'Reilly       36    11    87    2   
GS Sobers         26    7    56    5   

Scotty_WCE's XI
 L Hutton                              b DW Steyn              7 (20)
 SM Gavaskar                  lbw      b DW Steyn              8 (33)
 IVA Richards      c V Kohli           b M Muralitharan        24 (57)
 RS Dravid                      not out                    71 (137)
 AR Border                             b SF Barnes             4 (15)
 GS Sobers                      run out                    4 (15)
 A Flower          c AB de Villiers    b IT Botham             1 (12)
 SM Pollock        c BC Lara           b IT Botham             0 (12)
 Wasim Akram       c DG Bradman        b IT Botham             0 (2)
 MD Marshall               hit wkt     b IT Botham             2 (8)
 WJ O'Reilly       c AB de Villiers    b IT Botham             13 (31)
 Extras        ( w6 nb2 b6 lb8 )        22

    Total (from 57 overs)    156 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-17  2-29  3-83  4-94  5-116  6-122  7-131  8-131  9-133  10-156 

Bowling Figures for Keatoboy's XI

                  O    M    R    W
DW Steyn          12    2    44    2   
AA Donald         9    3    16    0   
SF Barnes         15    3    43    1   
M Muralitharan    10    3    23    1   
IT Botham         11    5    16    5   

Scotty_WCE's XI (Following on)
 L Hutton                     lbw      b DW Steyn              6 (8)
 SM Gavaskar                           b SF Barnes             11 (41)
 IVA Richards      c V Kohli           b SF Barnes             25 (38)
 RS Dravid                             b AW Greig              66 (149)
 AR Border         c DW Steyn          b SF Barnes             50 (104)
 GS Sobers                 hit wkt     b AA Donald             42 (105)
 A Flower          c AB de Villiers    b M Muralitharan        17 (31)
 SM Pollock                     run out                    30 (54)
 Wasim Akram                           b SF Barnes             8 (11)
 MD Marshall                    not out                    10 (38)
 WJ O'Reilly                           b AA Donald             7 (17)
 Extras        ( w1 nb1 b5 lb9 )        16

    Total (from 100 overs)    288 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-6  2-45  3-58  4-155  5-177  6-208  7-239  8-250  9-281  10-288 

Bowling Figures for Keatoboy's XI

                  O    M    R    W
DW Steyn          14    1    37    1   
AA Donald         27    5    109    2   
SF Barnes         25    8    56    4   
M Muralitharan    20    7    41    1   
IT Botham         8    3    12    0   
AW Greig          5    2    19    1   

Keatoboy's XI
 BC Lara                      lbw      b MD Marshall           3 (6)
 AB de Villiers                 not out                    11 (19)
 DG Bradman                     not out                    13 (26)
 Extras                0

    Total (from 9 overs)    27 - 1
Fall of wickets:
1-5 

Bowling Figures for Scotty_WCE's XI

                  O    M    R    W
Wasim Akram       4    0    20    0   
MD Marshall       4    1    7    1   

Keatoboy's XI won by 9 wickets
Man of the match is IT Botham

 

[Scotty_WCE]

I will be aiming to post the Grand Finals tomorrow

 

[Scotty_WCE]

Grand Finals coming now. Minor GF to start, then the major Grand Final best-of-three series to finish us off!

Good luck everyone. Can't wait to see who will prevail out of the team with the best bowler (Lohmann) and the team with the best batsman (Bradman).

 

[Scotty_WCE]

Minor Grand Final

Wookiedragon v Matty76

Matty76 was sent in to bat first after Wookiedragon won the toss. Early wickets were what Wookiedragon was after and at 2/28 it was looking like a good call. But the dangerous Virender Sehwag was still in, and he took it upon himself to plunder the bowlers to all parts of the ground. He put on 109 with Ken Barrington (53) and 186 with Jacques Kallis (82) before being run out for 171. The innings ended with the team on an even 400, a more-than-competitive score.

It was a solid start to Wookiedragon's reply, as Wally Hammond and Greg Chappell made starts before Mark Taylor (84) and Steve Smith (92) put on 118 for the third wicket. Both fell in sight of their centuries, but at 4/251 the game was still in the balance. But Richard Hadlee and Joel Garner combined to clean up the tail cheaply, as Wookiedragon ended just two runs shy of 300, conceding a 102-run lead.

Wookiedragon couldn't afford to have too much to chase in the fourth innings and was in dire need of a good bowling performance. And the pacemen delivered, not allowing any batsman to pass 30 as wickets fell consistently through the innings. Fred Spofforth ended with 4/26 as Matty76 could only put up 146. This meant Wookiedragon was facing a very manageable chase of 249 with plenty of time left in the match.

The chase didn't start well when Ray Lindwall dismissed Mark Taylor for a duck. Chappell fell not long after for 4 and the score was 2/17. Hammond and Smith took the score to 73 before Smith was dismissed, and then Hammond and Javed Miandad also were out before half the target had been knocked off. Imran Khan and Kumar Sangakkara then put on a partnership and at 5/177 it was anyone's game. But then Imran was dismissed and Clarrie Grimmett made only 13. It would require some brave fight from the tail to give Wookiedragon a chance but Hadlee had other ideas. He ended the game in the quickest way possible by taking a hat-trick with the wickets of numbers 9, 10 and 11 to complete the minor Grand Final victory for Matty76.

Wookiedragon 298 (Smith 92, Taylor 84, Garner 4/50) & 198 (Hammond 53, Hadlee 4/83) defeated by Matty76 400 (Sehwag 171, Kallis 82) & 146 (Spofforth 4/26) by 50 runs.

Matty76's XI versus Wookiedragon's XI

Matty76's XI
 V Sehwag                       run out                    171 (290)
 JB Hobbs          c WR Hammond        b CEL Ambrose           12 (15)
 RN Harvey                    lbw      b Imran Khan            1 (15)
 KF Barrington     c Javed Miandad     b FR Spofforth          53 (100)
 RG Pollock        c CEL Ambrose       b FR Spofforth          2 (6)
 JH Kallis         c CEL Ambrose       b Imran Khan            82 (163)
 IA Healy                     lbw      b CV Grimmett           28 (58)
 RJ Hadlee         c Javed Miandad     b Imran Khan            2 (9)
 RR Lindwall                           b FR Spofforth          26 (56)
 J Garner                       not out                    0 (8)
 DL Underwood      c Javed Miandad     b CV Grimmett           2 (5)
 Extras        ( w2 nb1 b8 lb10 )        21

    Total (from 121 overs)    400 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-22  2-28  3-137  4-141  5-327  6-333  7-341  8-396  9-398  10-400 

Bowling Figures for Wookiedragon's XI

                  O    M    R    W
FR Spofforth      25    4    97    3   
CEL Ambrose       19    4    52    1   
CA Walsh          18    3    83    0   
Imran Khan        30    11    61    3   
CV Grimmett       28    5    89    2   

Wookiedragon's XI
 MA Taylor         c RN Harvey         b RR Lindwall           84 (189)
 WR Hammond        c IA Healy          b DL Underwood          29 (72)
 GS Chappell       c IA Healy          b RR Lindwall           17 (17)
 SPD Smith                    lbw      b RJ Hadlee             92 (141)
 Javed Miandad                         b J Garner              22 (46)
 Imran Khan                     not out                    14 (32)
 KC Sangakkara                lbw      b RJ Hadlee             17 (19)
 CV Grimmett       c RR Lindwall       b J Garner              3 (7)
 CEL Ambrose       c RG Pollock        b J Garner              0 (1)
 FR Spofforth      c RR Lindwall       b J Garner              0 (3)
 CA Walsh                     lbw      b RJ Hadlee             3 (3)
 Extras        ( w8 b4 lb5 )        17

    Total (from 89 overs)    298 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-49  2-72  3-190  4-251  5-261  6-292  7-295  8-295  9-295  10-298 

Bowling Figures for Matty76's XI

                  O    M    R    W
RR Lindwall       25    5    98    2   
RJ Hadlee         21    8    62    3   
J Garner          18    3    50    4   
DL Underwood      13    1    55    1   
JH Kallis         11    4    24    0   

Matty76's XI
 V Sehwag                          c & b CEL Ambrose           19 (27)
 JB Hobbs                              b Imran Khan            26 (58)
 RN Harvey                             b FR Spofforth          27 (72)
 KF Barrington                         b Imran Khan            0 (1)
 RG Pollock                            b CV Grimmett           10 (31)
 JH Kallis         c KC Sangakkara     b FR Spofforth          9 (24)
 IA Healy          c GS Chappell       b CA Walsh              25 (26)
 RJ Hadlee                      not out                    5 (28)
 RR Lindwall       c KC Sangakkara     b FR Spofforth          6 (12)
 J Garner          c KC Sangakkara     b FR Spofforth          0 (3)
 DL Underwood      c FR Spofforth      b CA Walsh              1 (8)
 Extras        ( b3 lb15 )        18

    Total (from 49 overs)    146 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-36  2-63  3-63  4-88  5-96  6-117  7-131  8-139  9-145  10-146 

Bowling Figures for Wookiedragon's XI

                  O    M    R    W
FR Spofforth      12    5    26    4   
CEL Ambrose       7    1    18    1   
CA Walsh          9    1    39    2   
Imran Khan        9    5    15    2   
CV Grimmett       11    0    30    1   

Wookiedragon's XI
 MA Taylor                    lbw      b RR Lindwall           0 (8)
 WR Hammond        c KF Barrington     b JH Kallis             53 (126)
 GS Chappell                  lbw      b RJ Hadlee             4 (12)
 SPD Smith                         c & b J Garner              27 (63)
 Javed Miandad     c IA Healy          b JH Kallis             18 (52)
 Imran Khan        c JB Hobbs          b J Garner              24 (62)
 KC Sangakkara                  not out                    44 (72)
 CV Grimmett                  lbw      b J Garner              13 (21)
 CEL Ambrose                  lbw      b RJ Hadlee             1 (5)
 FR Spofforth      c IA Healy          b RJ Hadlee             0 (1)
 CA Walsh          c IA Healy          b RJ Hadlee             0 (1)
 Extras        ( w5 nb1 lb8 )        14

    Total (from 71 overs)    198 All out
Fall of wickets:
1-4  2-17  3-73  4-108  5-113  6-177  7-197  8-198  9-198  10-198 

Bowling Figures for Matty76's XI

                  O    M    R    W
RR Lindwall       16    5    35    1   
RJ Hadlee         20    4    83    4   
J Garner          15    4    32    3   
DL Underwood      10    4    14    0   
JH Kallis         9    2    26    2   

Matty76's XI won by 50 runs
Man of the match is V Sehwag