The Midwest Cricket Conference 2008 - Div 1 Results

So. It gets colder every day, frost warnings and a long winter in prospect. Very Very Late though it may be, not a bad time to recall a perfect day of near 80 degree temperatures (was it only 3 weeks ago?), when the best Div1 final the league may have ever seen took place. United won the toss and contrary to expectations chose to field, probably impressed by Phoenix's 3 highly professional (and eventually comfortable) run-chases in the previous 4 weeks. It was a 50-over-a-side final, and Phoenix came in with their plan set for precisely that - to make sure wickets were conserved and 50 overs were played out, and a competitive and defendable Washington Park target (200 or a little more) was set.

To this end, Sameer dropped anchor while the team played around him - the scoring was very slow, but wickets were kept in hand. Mehul was his usual probing self at one end, while Gopi was a revelation at the other - bowling an outstanding spell, surely his best-ever in our league, he started with 2 wides his first ball and then settled into a niggardly spell of 8 overs on the trot, with figures of 8-3-12-1! That wicket was Aditya in the 10th over (for 16, including 2 excellent offside fours off Mehul when width was provided), and Phoenix were only 25/1 after 10. Break was taken almost immediately after Gopi went off, with Phoenix 43/1 after 17 overs.At 20 overs it was 47/1 (at this stage Aditya's 2 boundaries were still the only ones United had conceded all day!), and United were in an excellent position.

Phoenix stepped up the pace after 20, Arvind allying his impeccable defense with some hard running, and hitting Dhiraj for a nice six when a loose ball arrived. He was beginning to look very good when he was deceived by Amit's turn, and gloved the ball through to the keeper. Athreya came in and kept up the pace, hitting 18 off 16, and at 94/2 off 30 overs it was now Phoenix that was in a good position. A hugely important double-blow by Gaurav (consuming Athreya and Diwakar in the same over) reduced Phoenix to 95/4 in the next over, however, bringing United roaring back and forcing consolidation-mode again (105/4 in 34 overs at drinks).

All this time Sameer had been rolling along serenely at one end, defending stoutly, rotating the strike - having played 10 years in our league without ever making a Final, his clear determination to make it count shone through. After taking second drinks and fighting off hand-cramps, he took charge in Prasanna's company, running twos, and smacking a six and 2 fours in the process. Runs suddenly came in a flood - 53 came in the next 7 overs, as Prasanna joined in with his own six, and Phoenix surged to 158/4 off 41 overs. At this stage, with wickets in hand, 9 overs left, and runs now flowing, their plan of early slowness (47/1 off 20 overs!) had paid full dividends - they were now set for well over 200, maybe even 220, in excellent position for a very good Washington Park target.

This was where this game took its first decisive turn - after a wonderful 73, Sameer was runout by a direct hit from Mateen (161/5 after 42 overs). And with 8 overs left, back came United's spearheads for the death-overs - Amit and Mehul, with Amit claiming Prasanna for a very good 25 in his first over back (162/6). Then Mehul took over with a magician's cocktail, just as he had done in the death overs against PakGym in the semifinals - here a quicker ball, there a legcutter, now a slower ball, then a quicker one, then (somehow) a slower ball that was both slow *and* bouncing over waist height (he bowled it 3 or 4 times, it went over the batsman's swinging bat each time!)... in his next 3 overs (the 45th, 47th and 49th of the innings), he had figures of 3-0-7-3! Phoenix, which had looked in command at 158/4 in 41 overs, were suddenly 174 allout in 48 overs - after scoring 53/0 in 7 overs to take command, they had lost 6/16 in the next 7 overs and the momentum had swung decisively towards United for the first time.

After Yusuf-bhai's typically excellent biryani lunch, United took the field chasing 175 for their first title, probably overflowing with confidence. Which lasted all of 3 balls, as Arun snatched the momentum back right away, getting one to rise on Adnan and catching the edge. When he repeated the dose in the next over to claim semifinal hero and former Ranji stalwart Kiran (top-edging a pull to a ball that got big on him), United were 6/2 and in serious trouble. Faisal was joined by veteran medic Doc Naveed, who while still on zero slashed hard at one in the next over.. and it flew at great speed over slip's head, who made a valiant attempt and got his hands to it, but couldnt hold on. United was under huge pressure, Phoenix was cock-a-hoop and wickets
felt like they might come any ball, and it didnt feel hugely important at the time. Oh how wrong my initial thought turned out to be!

Faisal and Doc settled in, fought through the pressure, and rebuilt the innings. 6/2 became 32/2 in 10 (with Faisal ominously quiet, and Doc the aggressor with 2 or 3 offside boundaries).. then 70/2 in 15 as runs began to flow and Faisal broke loose, lashing a couple of sixes. Phoenix had brought on Shiva to try and claim Faisal with spin,and after giving up 10 in 2 overs and at 70/2, he almost did, deceiving him in the air resulting in a huge and very close stumping appeal.
Two overs later (after the intervening break), Shiva finally got his man - Faisal went for his fourth six, and was brilliantly caught on the boundary by Sameer. The highest rungetter of the season had scored 43, and at 84/3 in 19 overs United was in total command, needing only 91 runs in 31 overs.

Phoenix has been very good this season at creating and applying pressure, however - it is a team that doesnt seem to ever drop their heads, and always seem to come back into a game by claiming wickets at important stages. The same was true here.. Gaurav came in with aggressive intent, smacking 13 off 9 balls, before badly top-edging a pull attempt off Sameer to pop up a catch (100/4 in 22 overs, 75 to win).
By now Phoenix had gone to a double-spin attack, taking pace off the ball and giving it air - and United's batsmen fell for the bait, going for their shots instead of milking the bowling. Amit was caught off Amish (106/5), then Mehul was deceived by a lovely slower ball and caught plumb in front (111/6, 64 needed with 4 wickets in hand, and a completely changed game with Phoenix in control). Mateen came in and defended stoutly, back came Shiva into the attack.. and Mateen tried to pull a short ball, and hit it straight to short-fine leg (120/7), as every move Phoenix made seemed to be turning into gold. Pace was re-introduced in the form of Prasanna as Phoenix rightly went for the kill with him and Shiva in tandem, and the captain's magical touch continued - Gopi was promptly caught in line on the pad-flap and LBW (124/8 in 35 overs and break - 51 needed in 15 overs, but now with only 2 wickets in hand and Phoenix in total command).

Returning from break Sudhir was promptly caught behind in the first over off Prasanna as Phoenix continued to go for the kill with their best bowlers - 126/9, 49 runs still needed, a million miles away.

Sometimes things need to be put in historical context, to realize their true significance. United had reached 3 Div1 finals in the past, and lost them all. In some quarters they had (probably unfairly and incorrectly) been tagged as a team that didnt play well in big games - incorrectly, IMHO, because most objective observers would have considered the Wildcats and Challengers to be favourites in those finals against United anyway, even before the matches were played, and in some sense the "expected" team that had dominated those regular seasons had deservingly won each of those finals. This was different, however - most objective observers had (for the first time) actually considered United the favourite in this final against Phoenix, just on experience if nothing else - an impression that was reinforced by lunch, when many openly felt 175 was a very chaseable target. And, at 84/2 and 100/3, it had indeed become a very chaseable target. And yet, the United middle-order had just crumbled - from 100/3 in 22 overs to 126/9 in 36 overs, 26/6 in 14 pressure-packed overs, and all the old doubts and questions had no doubt resurfaced in people's (not least the batting side's) mind.

It is in that context that what followed must be seen - as not just an good partnership under duress, but perhaps a heroically exceptional partnership under constant, intense, killing pressure where a mistake could have led to a permanent attachment of an unwanted label on the entire team.

And yet, it didnt start out that way - there was, actually, no pressure on anyone at 126/9, the game seemed to be petering out to a predictable conclusion. Doc Naveed had come in at 6/2 and was still there - 12 years in our league and no title to show for it (and only 1 final, where he top-scored with 90 for the Bears, and still ended up on the losing side)... like Phoenix's Sameer, his former Polo teammate, there was an intense determination to make this final appearance count, but it felt like it was too late. In his first year with United, Doc had not actually seen Dhiraj bat much before, and didnt seem to trust him to start with, trying to score all the runs himself (hitting Shiva for a four and a six in his last over - 136/9), and turning down several singles early in most overs. With the odd two here and a stolen single there (with much solid defense from both Doc and Dhiraj in between), United crept to 142/9 in 40 overs.

It was at this point I think, when the scorers yelled it was 33 to win in 10 overs, that pretty much everyone realized just what might be happening (including the batsman, who said afterwards that they had not seriously thought a win might be possible until this point!) From this point onwards we all got to see just what makes cricket the greatest sport in the world... many sports can create intense pressure and tension (bases loaded, 1 run down, 2 outs, bottom of the 9th), but there is no other sport that can so beautifully drag out the tension, so exquisitely elongate the pressure, the intensity increasing as every minute ticks by. This isnt baseball, where one crack of the bat and its done - great intense tension, but for all of 30 seconds, and then its over. Oh no, in our great sport the participants have to suffer the exquisite torture for a monstrouly long period of time - no one single brave hit can end it for the batsman, he has to withstand the pressure, the metaphorical knife at his throat every second, and still keep his nerve and carry on without ever making a mistake. The fielder and bowler have to keep at him every second, knowing they may just get one chance, and it may come anytime, anywhere- which they cannot, must not, let go. (And the poor umpire of course - concentrate harder than ever before in your life, make absolutely bloody sure you dont make a single screwup of any kind now, especially now, not on any ball. Drip, drip, drip, like Chinese water-torture at its best and most sadistic for all in the middle...and the spectators get to enjoy the spectacle for just as long as the participants can stand it :-)

Five runs came off the next over, only 2 the over after that - 149/9, 23 already added (in 9 overs), only 26 more. With no wickets for 9 overs already and mostly solid defense (and runrate not an issue), Phoenix took its one gamble - and a worthwhile gamble at that, bringing on relatively irregular legspinner Diwakar to try and draw that one false shot. Doc by now trusted his partner, and he took 4 off 4 balls and left Dhiraj the last two.. and Dhiraj took his courage in both hands and went for his shots, just as Phoenix had hoped. But, to his enormous credit, he hit them absolutely perfectly - a terrific offdriven four and a mighty six over longon, and 10 precious runs, each as good as gold, in only 2 balls (14 off the over). 163/9 now, and 12 needed off 7 overs.

This is usually the critical stage of partnerships like this, where the real intense pressure lands like a boulder on the shoulders of both sides, weighing them down most only when the safe harbour is actually sighted, the long-sought prize actually within reach. In this situation, almost always, one side will blink - there is a reason they say there's many a slip twixt the cup and the lip. An easy chance offered (and either gladly taken or shockingly spilled), or a rush of horrible bowling by someone trying too hard to make something happen. To the enormous credit of both cricket teams on this day, neither happened - both sides amazingly held their nerve, both continued to play hard cricket and fight for every run. Amish continued to bowl tightly. Doc smacked a beautiful four, worked the odd run or two, and Dhiraj defended as if his life depended on it. Athreya was brought back to bowl pace completely "cold", not having bowled a ball in 25 overs.. and he responded with an over of impeccable line and length conceding merely a single (while twice catching inside-edges onto pad that saved near-certain LBWs).

Finally, with it down to 3 runs needed, Amish took the ball.. and Doc defended stoutly, solidly, with a dozen years of determination fueling the desire to avoid any possible misstep. The fourth ball of the over was quicker and slid down legside - a wide, it slipped past the keeper..and they ran. How they ran! "Like one who on that lonesome road doth run in fear and dread, and having once turned around runs on and turn no more his head, because he knows a frightful fiend doth close behind him tread". Faster than maybe ever before in their lives, they ran - and completed two, the umpire signalled wide, and it was all over.

Of all the hoary old cliches in cricket, the hoariest might be that there was no loser on the day, that cricket was the winner. Cheesy, silly, and something Ive almost never felt before - until probably this day. On this day, honestly, it really was cricket that was the winner. Phoenix was not expected by many to even make the playoffs - for the first time in their history they did, lost 2 vital players along the way, and yet made an amazing run all the way to the finals. To call their season a huge success is understating it - it was an outstanding, phenomenal sucess. For United, with their history of 3 finals losses and never a win, it was a game beyond their wildest dreams - from 126/9, an amazing 49-run last-wicket stand, for over an hour of intense unimaginable pressure...any first-win is special, but this has to be more special than almost anything they could have imagined.

And the real way that cricket was the winner - it was incredibly high-quality cricket under huge pressure at the end. For over an hour at the end, the two teams battled, fought with everything they had - and amazingly neither cracked. Phoenix threw everything at Doc and Dhiraj.. and they handled it all, never gave a single chance in that hour-plus of nerve-jangling intensity. That one vital mistake that both sides inevitably make near the end of a crunch game, which almost always decides it? It never arrived! It was quite awesome stuff to watch.

And finally, what can be said about Man-of-the-Match Doc Naveed? Maybe it was just coincidence that the top performers of each side had both been in the league for so long (a decade for Sameer, 12 years for Doc - both teammates for several of them) without ever really sniffing the title - Doc's second-ever final, Sameer's first. Or maybe it wasnt a coincidence - maybe the knowledge of how rarely these chances come, and how they must be grabbed when they do, led directly to the intensely determined efforts from both. For Sameer it was in the end an amazing effort - highest scorer in the finals, and terrific with both ball and in the field (a quite sensational catch off Faisal). For Doc, in the end, it will be an innings that will live in legend and song - coming in at 6/2 in a finals, and staying till the end with 65*, guiding the last man in a last-gasp stand for 49 for the title, it must surely (along with Vikram's tour-de-force against PakGym a few years ago) rank as the most valuable performance seen in league finals history.

It was a terrific season of cricket in our league all summer long, and, finally, a final worthy of a great occasion.

-- by Sadiq Yousuf

The 2008 Finals

After many long weeks full of blood, sweat, toil, and competitive cricket we are at last at the culmination of the 2008 season. Many teams played well, some did better than expected, others tripped up near the end, some did not perform to expectations. But in the end, there can be only 2 teams from each Division that play in the finals. This year the two teams to outlast all others in the 30/30 Division are DeePark XI and MWCA, in Division 2 are AAA and IIT, and in Division 1 are United and Phoenix. Whatever the outcome of the games this Saturday, all these teams can be rest assured that they have had an outstanding season and have done well to reach their respective finals.

The 30/30 Division final should be an interesting match up between an explosive and experienced DeePark side and a young and talented MWCA side. DeePark rode on the back Bhavesh Amin's 4 wickets, Chirag Patel's 3 wickets, and Nirav Patel's 71 to storm through to the finals. MWCA relied upon Nasir Mahmood and Moin Babar's 3 wickets and an aggressive knock from Fahad Babar who put up 54 to out hustle their opponents. Will the exuberance of youth outlast the wisdom of experience in this final?

The Division 2 final looks to be an extremely good game between two evenly poised teams. IIT stormed into the finals on the back of Lakshmikumar Rajaramachandran's century and 3 wicket haul. AAA outplayed the regular season Division winners Eagles (who have already secured their Div 1 spot) due to good knocks from Sabbir Patel (66) and Asif Patel (42). Bilal Patel and Ibrahim Ismail picked up 3 wickets apiece in the big win. AAA recently got promoted to Division 1 a couple of years ago and then were relegated back to Division 2 last year. They clearly are one of the best teams in Division 2 and are looking to reclaim their berth in Division 1. IIT has been a perennial contender in Division 2 having lost out in the finals last year. They are a well-balanced team with strong batting and bowling line-ups. Both teams are very good in the field and this is going to be an evenly matched contest. Can a determined IIT side get past an evenly balanced AAA side, or will AAA make it back to Division 1?

The Division 1 final has shaped up to be a contest between a team that most people considered favourites - United - and a team that few considered even a dark horse - Phoenix. On one hand United is a team that has looked very strong all year. They made it to the finals by beating favourites Pak Gym due to a dogged 78 by Kiran Kumar and superb bowling by one of the leagues best players Mehul Shani (5 wickets). United boasts the leagues best batsman for 2008 - Faisal Baig, the leagues top bowler Mehul Shani who is a very good batsman in his own right, the wiles of Amit Joshi, the talent of Kiran Kumar, the experience of Adnan Baig, the explosiveness of Guarav Dhar, not to mention the less heralded by equally effective Naveed Mohammed, Dhiraj Pathkar, Mateen Syed, Gopinath Aravindakshan, and Sudhir Kumar. Phoenix on the other hand started the season on a dream run, then tripped up in the middle, and then came back strong towards the end and in the playoffs. Prasanna Sundaragopalan ripped through the Peoria line up with 4 wickets and then the chase was completed due to the contributions of Aditya Burman (34), Arvind Sundaragopalan (44), Diwakar Cherukumilli (29), and Mitul Patel (25). Few gave Phoenix a chance at the playoffs, and less gave them a chance at going deep - let alone making the finals. But here they are facing a United team that are clear favourites and determined to avenge their past final's losses and raise the championship for the first time. Either way, there will be a new winner in Division 1 this year. Will the dream run of the upstart Phoenix team continue, or will United finally end their Championship jinx in 2008?

This Saturday is the culmination, the answer, the reason that we play cricket in the Midwest Cricket Conference - the Division finals. Good luck to all teams!!

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Guys ..

The domain www.midwestcricketer.org has expired. We are in process of renewing the domain ... In the meanwhile, please continue blogging here at the old webpage ..

Playoffs 2008

The 30/30 Division is having its semi-finals this weekend at Heritage and Community Park. DeePark XI take on the Panthers and Hustler XI take on MWCA. The Panthers are a talented side but may be the slight underdogs against a very strong DeePark XI. The other game is between a young and talented MWCA and an explosive Hustler XI with Hammad making a strong statement in the playoffs. Both games should be quite closely fought and full of entertainment.

The Division 2 playoffs continue this week with the Quarter Finals. Number 1 seed Eagles take on the young and spirited Madison team who squeaked in the next round. Eagles are a very good all round team with deep batting and bowling line ups. Madison is a young team with a lot of potential, but they will have to fight hard to overcome the Eagles who are going to be moving to Division 1 next year. Evanston vs Jaguars is likely to be the game of the week. Evanston has a good bowling lineup and can be explosive on their day, but the Jaguars may be the most talented batting line up in Division 2 and maybe even the entire league. This game is likely to be won by Evanston's bowling or the Jaguar's batting. Next up are the highly under-rated team of IIT versus the enigma known as Arena. IIT is a perrenial playoff team and always near the top of the table. However, this year they have flown under the radar. This team has the potential to go all the way and is a match for any given team in Division 2. Arena on the other hand is a difficult team to plan for. They may or may not show up with XI players. On somedays their bowling is very disciplined and incisive, and on other days they can put up big scores. It all depends on which team shows up to the ground for this weeks game. The final game in Division 2 this week is between AAA who are looking to regain their place in Division 1 and the Jolly Rovers. AAA, like IIT is capable of beating any team on any given day, depending on if their stalwarts like Abdul and Adam decide to dominate. On the other hand, Jolly Rovers is truly a team of XI who can all contribute and get the job done whether with the bat or ball. All the matchups are extremely good ones and it is very difficult to find much to separate the teams. However, with an eye set firmly on the prize of getting to Division 1, it's a question of who can outlast the opposition in a game of pressure!

Finally, Division 1 playoffs are here as well. Last week there were some very exciting games to finalize the playoff teams. Phoenix has finally made the playoffs in their third year in Division 1 while Peoria has done it in their very first year. The Bears are back in the playoffs are a short hiatus. The Challengers, Pak Gym, United, Milwaukee, and Saint Louis continue their streak of playoff appearances. Number 1 seed Challengers take on Number 8 seed Peoria. This is likely to be a battle between Peoria's very strong and very deep batting line up against the Challengers excellent bowling options. Whoever wins this battle should win the game. Peoria's bowling is not to be taken lightly, as is the Challenger's batting, but the reverse battle is likely to decide the outcome of this game. Number 2 Pak Gym take on Number 7 Saint Louis. On paper this may look like Pak Gym has an advantage with their strong batting lineup and attacking bowling options, but Saint Louis has some very good batsmen and the wiles of Tehsin Ahmed who can turn a batting lineup on its head. Number 3 United take on Number 6 Bears. United is likely the team to beat this year. The last time United lost, they played with 9 players. The time before that was against Milwaukee in the middle of July!! They play a very determined Bears team who have fought hard to make the playoffs despite all odds. The Bears have some very good players like Adeel, Shaid, and Hammad, and they will rely on all of them to fire to beat early favourites United. Finally, Number 4 seed Phoenix take on Number 5 seed Milwaukee. This is a rematch of a game played a few weeks ago in Milwaukee where Phoenix went in and against all predictions dominated Milwaukee on their home ground. Phoenix will need to contain Romesh, Kabir, Asif, and the rest of Milwaukee again if they are to keep their season alive!

Some really good games on the cards in all three Divisions this week. This is the business end of the season and everyone is fighting hard to be crowned the Division Champion!

Playoffs - Week1

This week is the first week of playoffs. Only Div 2 though, but should be just as entertaining. The pre-quarters for Div 2 are as follows:

- Collinsville vs Jolly Rovers
- Springfield vs Arena
- Jaguars vs Q.C. Kings
- Lucky XI vs Madison

Jolly Rovers and Arena could easily have been one of the top 4 teams but lost out NRR. They both have better records this year than any of the other teams playing this weekend in the Div 2 playoffs. But, they are both away teams and Chicago has not been favourable to travelers during the playoffs. QC Kings and Madison are very talented teams. QC has a lot of playoff experience having lost a couple of close games over the past few years in the playoffs. Madison has done very well when traveling to Chicago and look to continue their winning streak. Both Lucky XI and the Jaguars are explosive teams and can take down any other team on any given day. They both have the capability of putting up big runs and bowling tidily. Springfield and Collinsville made it with losing records but these teams can still end another's Championship dreams. It's anyone's game and one of these teams may be heading to Division 1 with the Eagles at the end of this season. The last team to have to play in the Pre-Quarters and who ended up making it to Division 1 was Phoenix back in 2005.

Speaking of Div 1, this is the final week with some key games to determine which teams can make the playoffs. There are 3 spots to play for and 6 teams fighting for a spot. Bears and Saint Louis control their destiny - a win secures them of a playoff spot. Muslim Gym too is in the same position, but they need to win and comprehensively enough to increase their NRR. Peoria is left waiting and watching and hoping that they have done enough to be in the playoffs. The Wildcats are waiting and watching too, but a number of things need to happen for the opportunity to fall their way. Meanwhile the Flames have one game left which they need to win, and then to hope that their ideal scenario plays out. Whatever happens, the dust will settle this week and we will know what the Division 1 playoffs will look like. Until then, it's just a matter of waiting and watching.

Good luck to all playing this weekend.

The Playoff Primer - Division One

Pak Gym, Challengers, United, Milwaukee, Phoenix - 32 points, and thus already assured of their playoff berth.

That leaves 3 spots open, and for those there is an increasingly intense fight among 7 contenders (Purdue, after suffering what sounds like 2 heartbreaking losses this weekend, has now been eliminated). The current situation amongst the contenders is as follows:

Peoria: 28 points, 1 game left vs Milwaukee United
St Louis: 26 points, 1 game left vs Royals
Rogers Park: 26 points, 1 game left vs Flames
Wildcats: 24 points, 1 game left vs Purdue
Bears: 26 points, 2 games left - vs Challengers and Advancers
Muslim Gym: 24 points, 2 games left - vs Phoenix and Royals
Flames: 22 points, 2 games left - vs Rogers Park and Miluwakee CC

For the first time in a long time, 32 points will not be needed to make the playoffs this season - 30 and a good run-rate will suffice (and 28 and a good run-rate may be sufficient for someone, though thats a much longer shot).

Peoria has their fate in their own hands - win and theyre at 32 points and in. Somewhat similar for Muslim Gym, though a much harder task - they need to win 2 games back-to-back to reach 32 and automatic entry. The Bears, if they win their 2 back-to-back games, actually can get to 34 points and automatic entry as well.

St Louis and Rogers Park can both get to 30 by winning their one remaining game. Flames can also get to 30, but they need to win 2 back-to-back. Wildcats can get to 28 by beating Purdue, and might have a chance with their decent run-rate only if things fall their way in other games.

The most likely scenario IMHO - if Peoria wins at home against MUCC, they get to 32 and in.. which leaves 2 spots open. Muslim Gym probably has to win both games to reach 32 and make it, one loss will almost certainly be the end for them (with their poor Runrate). It is fairly likely that there will then be a log-jam at 30 for either 1 or 2 spots (depending on Muslim Gym's results).. with probably St Louis, Bears and Rogers Park or Flames (both cannot get to 30)... as of the moment St Louis and Flames have positive NRR's, Bears have a better NRR than Rogers Park. The Wildcats need a lot of things to go their way - they need to win, and then have MuslimGym lose a game, and then for no more than 1 team to reach 30 points (ie either Bears lose both or St Louis Rogers Park and Flames lose one).

It will be very hard to actually finish the season next week..no less than 5 Division One teams have 2 games left - finding grounds for all that will be very hard. But if everything does get scheduled for next weekend and it rains... well, then, I refuse to try and figure out what the various permutations for the playoffs will be in that case :-)

-- By Sadiq Yusuf

Pictures of the Bloggers Ball on 8/12

Guys, finally managed to upload the pics of the Bloggers Ball. Click on the Title to view more pictures.

Week 16 - Predictions and Results

Lets carry on the discussion, predictions for the coming weekend games ..

Week 14 Predictions and Results

Topics of conversation for week 14:

1. Playoff picture
2. Playoff picture
3. Playoff picture

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Excuses for the Misses

Great topic for the blog. Some good excuses for the Missus so that you can play cricket. Please share responsibly, and use wisely!

Excuse 1: I volunteered for some charity work at Community Park - teach some kids. It's a whole day affair, but it will be good for my karma!!

Excuse 2: I'm sorry I've been crowding you so much for the last few days. It's only because I love you. Tell you what, I'll give you some space today - the whole day!!

Excuse 3: I'll go do the grocery shopping at Devon. You just chill out and relax at home. See you in the evening!

Excuse 4: I think one of the guys needs some help, so we're all getting together at Washington Park to cheer him up. Can't let a friend down, you know....

and ...........

Week 13 Predictions and Results

We are now officially in the business end of the season. Some teams need to wrap up their playoff spots, others are beginning their famous run to the playoffs and others fight relegation. Few teams in Division 1 or 2 have meaningless games at this point in the season. Looks like it's going to go down to the wire.....

Predictions and Results for Week 12

Just about a month n half away from regular season end. Still most of the play-offs spots are wide open. Many interesting games coming up this weekend. Lets get on with predictions, discussions and word-wars for Week 12.

Predictions and Results for Week 11

Predictions, results, general mud-slinging, and all around good times during week 11.

Predictions and Results for Week 10

The long weekend has come and gone. Time to get back to being serious. Time to play some cricket. Time to predict winners and losers, update the blog with results, and generally talk about anything (but the CER hopefully!).

Good luck to all.....

Week 8 Predictions and Results

The last week before the long weekend and what can be viewed as the middle of the season. After this, teams can take stock of their position, and then make a run at the playoffs. No team has secured a berth as yet, but there are some knocking on the door on all three divisions. Who takes another step closer to the post season?

Week 7 Predictions and Results

Predictions, news, results, and general chatter for Week 7.

Week 6 Predictions and Results

Time for week 6 predictions, deliberations, and results. Now we start getting into the meat of the season and separating the "pretenders" from the "contenders". Good luck to all!

Week 5 Predictions and Results

Lot of controversies going on this week and lots to keep the bloggers busy. But lets not forget the reason we are all here - the game of cricket. So, while important issues and controversies must be discussed and acted upon, lets also keep an eye out on this weeks games and make some bold predictions. Good Luck to all and hope good weather and better sense prevails!

Kudos to MWCC team for winning CER and Welcome back Tango!!

MWWC Management finally sent the team to CER and the team loaded with tons of talent comprehensively won the tournament. Congrats to the entire team !!

Also our king blogger Tango is back and to his demand, I am starting this new thread ...

Also lets discuss about Cricket all over the world and in the midwest region .. 2 great test matches and IPL season coming to end in the coming weekend ...

दूसरा हफ्ता

Well, week 1 was a bit of a damp squid (all puns intended). Only a handful of games took place, but already there was one upset, two titans stayed the course, and some good cricket all around. Will the weather Gods relent and finally allow some cricket to be played, or will Rup add to his cooler collection?

ps. I tried enabling this "hindi" translation feature for the heading. Interesting.... For those of you that don't read hindi, it means week 2.

Week 1 Predictions and Results

Week 1 for the Midwest Cricket Conference is about to start. Time for wood and leather to make contact, time for the words to heat up, and time for the rivalries to be renewed! Last year we had a first-time Champion for both Divisions. What will this year bring for the new teams in Division 1 and the new teams in Division 2? Will the old powerhouses still remain dominant, or will some new upstarts have their way?

About time to find out....

Season 2008 - just a month away

Guys ..

Hope you all are out of hibernation and have started practising for the 2008 Season with your teams. We already had a strongly contested elections this year and hope to see many similar cricket matches on the cricket field this season.

So as usual, we will see new teams joining the league, players moving around, may be new grounds and many other changes hopefully. Again time for predictions for the Div 1, Div 2, Div 3 winners ..

Let us start predicting on Division winners right away .. and see who is right at the end of the season .. Also post in about any updates about your teams or new teams if you have ..

And most important question, will we see Tango and Neanderthal_walking jugal-bandi on the blog this year ??