MCA Defeat HFHS in Tight Match

On Sunday, MCA’s T-20 team kept its Contenders’ Trophy hopes alive with a tight victory over Henry Ford Health Systems C. C., defending a total of 113/6 to win by seven runs. Man of the match was Pawan Canchi, whose figures of 3/19 were the best among several impressive performances by MCA’s bowlers, while MCA’s senior batsmen had earlier built a solid total, led by Neill Quinlan’s well constructed 30.

MCA’s Joint Head Coach and T20 Captain, Shyam Mayasandra, had no hesitation in batting when he won the toss at Canton on Sunday afternoon. He and Gordon Makin opened, but the latter, losing patience in the third over, was out for two, trying to smash to leg a ball from Nilesh that kept low. Shyam Mayasandra, beginning to open his shoulders, was then given out lbw to Ram for twelve in the fourth over, although there was a suspicion of bat about the dismissal, and it was left to Neill Quinlan to anchor the innings, which he did with exceptional patience and care for sixteen overs, hitting the bad ball, rotating the strike, and running between the wickets with exemplary skill. Kashif Akhtar hit three fours in his twenty-one before misjudging a ball from the unpredictable Arbab, having shared a thirty-eight run third-wicket partnership with Neill, while Rohit Mogalayapalli was bowled by Arbab for three, emulating Gordon. Vasanth Krishnaswami was caught behind off Tanu for eleven, after he and Neill put on thirty-two for the fifth wicket. Ani Mayasandra’s quick-fire sixteen not out, with support from Anurag Yerabati, took MCA to respectability at the end. Chamila Kannangara, Pawan Canchi, and Neil Makin were not required to bat.

With the pitch somewhat unpredictable and the outfield slow and rough, a target of 117 was not as simple as it looked, and when Chamila began his excellent spell (4-0-14-1) with the wicket of Prasad, clean bowled, MCA tails were up. Fellow new-ball bowler Anurag was equally parsimonious (3-0-12-1), and when he had Asif caught by Pawan at short third man for three, HFHS looked in trouble. When Rohit Mogalayapalli, whose bowling once again showed exceptional maturity, had Nilesh lbw for seven in the seventh over, HFHS were in deeper trouble at 25/3. Danger man Ali shared a fourth-wicket stand of 37 with Suman, but when both batsmen went on 62 (Suman falling first, lbw, to Shyam Mayasandra, and then Ali caught by Rohit, mistiming Pawan to mid on), HFHS were again on the rack. Rohit and Ram made things interesting, but both fell to Pawan, Rohit caught by Neill, Ram caught behind by Gordon. After sixteen overs HFHS needed 42 to win, with three wickets remaining, but MCA were short of bowling options – the two opening bowlers had one over left, Pawan was bowled out, Shyam Mayasandra had only one left, meaning that the match was still very much in the balance – who was to bowl the key seventeenth over? At this point, with all to play for, Kashif Akhtar, nursing a very sore right shoulder, was called upon to bowl, and, for the second time in his career and the first time in ten years, opted to bowl left-handed. No one who has seen Kashif field will doubt his natural athleticism, but his over of slow-left-arm spin provided further proof, as he bowled Rushiyal and had Tanu caught by Shyam, ending his cameo with 2/9. Shyam Mayasandra gave up only two runs in the eighteenth over, and HFHS were left needing eighteen to win off twelve balls. The death overs fell to Chamila (who gave up just three runs in the nineteenth) and then Rohit, youngest player on the field, who started the final over with a no ball hit for a single, but conceded only five more as Arbab and Rajesh desperately threw the bat; the MCA fielders kept their heads (having performed well throughout the match, despite the condition of the outfield), and when the last delivery of the match clipped Rajesh’s off stump, MCA were home and dry. The only serious blot on the Academy’s copy book, as they celebrated the team’s second victory of the season, was the disappointingly high tally of wides – by far HFHS’s highest scorer at 42.

The tournament takes a one-week break before resuming in mid-August.

“We’re batting”. The captains return after the toss.

CER’s Batsmen, Spinners Too Strong for Young Directors’ XI

The second day of the USACA national U-15 tournament saw CER, led by MCA’s Rohit Mogalayapalli, who scored a blistering 68 and took one wicket (a simple choice for Man of the Match), defeat the Directors’ XI, comprised of Atlantic Region’s best younger players, by 86 runs. Batting first at the Orange Park ground, CER got runs from almost all their leading batsmen, and, while the young Directors’ players (many of them coached at the DreamCricket Academy by Earl and Malika Daley, whose excellent work showed very clearly in the field and at the crease) resisted valiantly in their reply, CER’s spinners contained very effectively, aided by some improved fielding, so that their young opponents never looked like overhauling CER’s 220. MCA’s openers Rohit and Gordon
Makin gave CER a good start, but Gordon, who had played some fine drives for fours, fell caught behind for 18 when the score was 34, trying to cut a ball he might have left alone at that stage of the innings. After Arnav Sridher briefly steadied the ship, Captain Parth Joshi came to the crease and built a spectacular 100+ partnership with Rohit. Both hit the ball hard and effectively, especially to the leg side, and dominated the bowling with excellent, aggressive strokeplay. They were looking good for even more runs until somewhat rash charges saw them both stumped, Parth for 40, and Rohit for his game changing 68. MCA’s Ani Mayasandra, towering over some of his young opponents, then came to the crease with one thing in mind, and 28 balls later he had added 34, including two sixes and four fours. CER’s last six batsmen added only a few more runs, but 221 was an intimidating target, and the Directors’ XI never looked like chasing it down. However, CER’s senior men were full of praise for ten-year-old Raymond whom they remembered from MCA’s 2009 Labor Day Weekend Tournament and who stayed almost twenty overs for a beautifully played 20, after taking four wickets in the CER innings, while Harish batted even longer for his 22. As against New York, almost all of CER’s bowlers were economical, but this time Arsalan Babar (6-1-8-3) and Nauman Khan (8-1-17-3) were able to inflict real damage with their accurate, flighted leg spin, aided by two stumpings from Gordon. The Directors’ XI were delighted to bat out their 40 overs and end the match on 134/8, while CER supporters worried that the match, although a very satisfactory victory, revealed a certain lack of penetration in the Midwesterners’ bowling. Several CER players remarked after the match that the marginal decisions seemed to go against them, but they also regretted a number of missed chances. CER coach Sunil Kumar later congratulated all his top-order batsmen, but joined other observers in noting that they missed chances (on a day when two centuries were made elsewhere in the tournament) to push on for even bigger scores.

Next up for CER is Southwestern Region, reputed to have some fine bowlers.

Coach Shyam’s Expert Comments:

The day turned out excellent for CER who looked dominant from the first ball. What they didn’t expect was the tenacity of the players from much younger Director’s XI, the credits clearly going to their coaches. Within the CER team, MCA players stole the show, with Rohit, Gordon and Ani scoring more than half the runs. Playing the spinners is a lacuna in CER batting that needs to be corrected immediately when we are facing a tougher opponent (SWR) on Saturday. But the team looks solid right now and should keep their act together to win the next two.

CER Makes Disappointing Start to National U-15 Tournament

Central East Region’s U-15 team lost by ten wickets to New York Region in its first match of the national tournament in New Jersey yesterday, despite making a promising start. The host region, Atlantic, had to overcome significant obstacles this week, as torrential rains left its top grounds waterlogged, so CER faced New York on an emergency replacement ground at Branch Brook Park, Newark, where five large trees were within the boundary and soft, wet, unrolled sand lay beneath the matting wicket. Not surprisingly, when New York won the toss, they put CER in, and MCA’s Gordon Makin and Rohit Mogalayapalli walked out with some trepidation to face the Easterners’ bowlers on an unfamiliar surface. Twelve overs later, with the score at 65/0, coach Sunil Kumar’s team had reason to feel that they might be able to match what they thought would be the strongest team in their bracket, but New York’s spinners reined in CER, the ball kept low on the wet surface, and CER could not take advantage of its strong start. Rohit fell for 16, and when Gordon fell, also clean bowled, for 26 (top score for CER) with the score at 93/2 in the eighteenth, the best part of CER’s match was behind them. Between the fourteenth and the thirtieth over, CER added only 31 runs, with a middle-order expected to be strong struggling to get the ball away: Arjun Ahuja hit a big straight six, but took 51 balls to score his thirteen before a misunderstanding saw him run out, while Captain Parth Joshi and MCA’s Ani Mayasandra both fell lbw, perhaps a little unluckily in each case, without pushing the score along. Six lower order batsmen could add only five runs off the bat for the last five wickets, and CER were all out in the 39^th over for 141. New York’s early overs had helped CER with significant numbers of extras, but excellent spin bowling, exemplary field setting, and athletic fielding had all made the going hard in the later overs. Nonetheless, CER had something to bowl at and took to the field with some hope. Twenty-five overs later it was all over, with New York’s powerful openers Z. Tariq and R. Wilson both scoring unbeaten fifties, hitting most of CER’s bowlers with impressive power. On the whole, CER bowled economically, with Arnav Sridher particularly distinguishing himself (6-1-12-0), but there was little penetration, and the fielding lacked New York’s verve and application.

A chastened CER returns to action today against the Directors’ XI at Orange Park.

Coach Shyam’s expert comments:

This was the first time CER was playing on a matting ground. The ground was wet, not rolled hard and matting was put on it. Our kids simply weren’t used to balls keeping so low. Considering these conditions, they did remarkably well, playing 39 overs! They started excellently but should have done better during the middle overs. NYR’s experience on matting was clearly visible, not to mention the fact the ground had baked a bit in the 86 degree weather resulting in a little extra bounce on the ball. Another 50 runs on CER’s total might have made a crucial difference to the match. But I’m sure the boys will adjust to the ground conditions in subsequent matches and do better.

”

MCA’s 142 not enough against Saginaw

MCA lost by three wickets to Saginaw at Lyon Oaks on Saturday, despite setting a target of 142. MCA, with the core squad reduced by injuries and absences, called upon two new guest players – Motown’s Vijay Patel and Sumit Garg – and welcomed MCA’s own Jai Sura to the lineup for the first time. Saginaw, too, had found it hard to field a team, and arrived at Lyon Oaks with only seven men. Vasanth Krishnaswami (MCA Joint-Head Coach, and T20 Captain in the absence of Shyam Mayasandra) and Saginaw’s Captain Shami agreed that, with the outcome of the match irrelevant to standings for the Super Sixes, MCA would loan Saginaw three fielders, but bat first. Vijay Patel and Neill Quinlan opened for MCA, and put on 57 for the first wicket, before Neill fell for 16 to Shami in the tenth over, trying to pull a ball off the stumps as MCA attempted to accelerate; Vijay, short of match practice this season, batted himself into form with 42, before mistiming a big shot, while Sumit shortened his own time at the crease by ambling a second run to MCA’s Pawan Canchi, fielding for Saginaw – Pawan ran him out for 15. Gordon Makin made 13 nice runs before Salman took a good catch in the gully off Gordon’s cut. Anurag Yerabati’s speedy 18 included two boundaries, while Ani Mayasandra hit the second six of MCA’s innings (Vijay had the other) in his rapid and powerful 12 n.o., and Jai ended his first MichCA innings 1 n.o., facing just a few balls in the final overs. Every MCA batsman who faced more than a couple of balls hit boundaries, taking advantage of a speedier Lyon Oaks outfield, and the Academy had reason to be confident that 142 was a solid total against an opponent with only six wickets to give. The Academy felt even more confident when Anurag bowled opener Fahad for 0 in the second over; and when Vasanth took a good catch on the long-on boundary to remove the energetic Shahid for 22 off Pawan, in the 12^th, MCA was still very much in the match; two overs later Salil fell to a catch at short midwicket by Gordon, also off Pawan, but , despite excellent quick bowling from opener Anurag (4-0-12-1) and later equally good off spin from Pawan (4-0-27-2), as well as very solid contributions from Ani, débutant Jai, and Ryan Quinlan, MCA could not dislodge Vishal, whose 45 n.o. was the key knock. Late in the innings brothers Gordon and Neil Makin bowled three rather chastening overs in tandem to set batsmen Vishal and Shami (although at least one chance went down in their expensive spells), and when Anurag returned in the eighteenth over, Saginaw needed only ten to win. Four leg byes helped, and the winning run came off the first ball of the nineteenth over, bowled by Ani.

Although the loss was disappointing, it will have no impact on MCA’s place in the second round, and MCA felt they had set a sporting example by providing their opponent with extra fielders, without whom the visitors would probably have faced a more demanding target when they batted.

Vasanth Krishnaswami had no hesitation in naming Anurag Yerabati Youth Man-of-the-Match for his outstanding all-round contribution.

MCA’s last match of the first round of T20 matches is on Sunday, 18 July, at Bloomer Park, against Oakland University.

MCA Skittled Out for 69 against Toledo

Saturday’s fixture, re-arranged for 9.30 a.m. at Bloomer Park (to avoid a clash with Motown C.C.’s match against Greater Detroit C. C. – with the two clubs sharing so many players this year, a fixture clash might have meant forfeits for both clubs) saw MCA overwhelmed for only the second time in the season, with an eight-wicket loss to a proficient Toledo team. MCA had hopes for this match, having five senior men in the lineup, but the need to score runs quickly, with MCA batting first in a match shortened to eighteen overs, seemed to play on the minds of the Academy’s batsmen, four of whom “failed to trouble the scorer”. Coach Shyam Mayasandra, making a cameo appearance at the top of the order before disappearing to fulfill family obligations, scored nine quick runs before holing out, but by that time his fellow-opener, Gordon Makin, had already fallen – bowled unluckily off pad and elbow, with Gordon unable to find the ball as it trickled towards his stumps and then dislodged the bails. Kashif Akhtar hit a quick four before being bowled by one of several balls that kept low and that was slower than he had anticipated. Coach and Captain Vasanth Krishnaswami scored a patient 13, and while he was together with Murali Venkatapathy (top scorer with 20), things were looking up for the Academy, but when Murali fell, quickly followed by Anurag Yerabati, MCA were 55/5 off 12 overs, and there was no way back. Big-hitting Satish Thandapani and Chamila Kannangara were the last hopes for serious runs, but they both fell cheaply. MCA’s long tail wagged a bit, but not enough, although Pawan Canchi and Ryan Quinlan both battled, and when Neil Makin fell lbw in the eighteenth over to Rachit Singh, badly misreading the big man’s swing, MCA were all out for a very modest total, and Rachit was celebrating figures of 6/5 in less than four overs. MCA began to hope as Toledo failed to score at the required run rate off opening bowlers Chamila and Murali (4-2-6-1), but although Satish, Kashif, Gordon, and Pawan all bowled well, there were never enough runs to defend, and Toledo knocked off the required total in 13 overs, with only Murali’s dismissal of Utpal Patel lbw and Ryan’s run-out of Azmat Khan to console the Academy.

For the seven MCA players (Kashif, Vasanth, , Satish, Murali, Chamila, Gordon, and Neil) who stayed at Bloomer to play for Motown in the following forty-overs match, there was, however, some rapid consolation, as Motown, led by Kashif (67 and 3/23) defeated GDCC by 3 runs in a very tight match, to stay in the running for a place in the Super Sixes. MCA’s own final two fixtures of the first round of T20 matches are against Saginaw on Saturday, 10 July (Lyon Oaks), and Oakland University, on Sunday, 18 July (Bloomer Park).

Scorecard.

Urgent: MCA T20 Match Re-scheduled for Saturday, 26 June

Urgent!  Our fixture against Toledo has been rescheduled: it will now take place at Bloomer Park, on Saturday, 26 June, starting at 9 a.m.  The clashing Motown fixture will then take place at the same ground immediately after the conclusion of our match.  Please let MCA know of your availability (or otherwise) for our match as soon as possible.

MCA Practice Schedule, Match, 24-30 June

MCA will practice as usual at Lyon Oaks Park on Saturday, 19 June.  Since MCA’s coaches will be playing for Motown C. C. at Bloomer that day, it will be worth checking with MCA’s Information Director (mobile 734-646-4821) to confirm the planned 6 pm start for practice.

MCA’s T20 match vs Toledo, scheduled for Saturday morning at Hartland, clashes with Motown’s match at Bloomer.  Since the two clubs are now sharing so many players, MCA has petitioned MichCA for a postponement.  We are still waiting for confirmation, but we do not anticipate having to play on Saturday morning.

MCA Fights Hard against GDCC

No one plays sport to lose, and no one enjoys losing, but MCA Joint Head Coach and T20 team captain Shyam Mayasandra and MCA regular guest player and Motown C.C. captain Kashif Akhtar both left Lyon Oaks on Sunday in good spirits after the Academy’s sixteen-run defeat to Greater Detroit C. C. Their good spirits were the result of another strong performance by the young team, in which every player made solid contributions (with Ani Mayasandra chosen as youth Man-of-the-Match for his 18 not out, two economical overs, and an excellent catch running in from deep mid-off), and in which one of the league’s stronger teams was pushed hard. Coach Shyam expressed his pleasure at the continued development of the team and the signs of growing maturity.

GDCC won the toss and elected to bat, with Chamila Kannangara and Anurag Yerabati taking the new ball for MCA. Both bowled economically (MCA gave up significantly fewer extras than their opponent), and when Chamila had GDCC opener Faisal Sultan caught behind for seven by Gordon Makin, diving well to his right, in the third over, the Academy applied the brakes to GDCC’s quick start. However, despite good spells from Rohit Mogalayapalli, Ani Mayasandra, and Deepak Chilla, a couple of dropped catches allowed Abinhav Verma and Rohan Wanchoo to build a one-hundred-run partnership before Kashif Akhtar dismissed them both in his second over (good catches by Rohit Mogalayapalli and Ani Mayasandra). Amir Masood and Hamza Ansari added useful runs at the end, aided by two dropped catches in the last over, after Irfan Mahmood had been stumped by Anurag Yerabati, unwisely charging Pawan Canchi, who bowled an excellent first over.

A target of 146 was within MCA’s reach, but, as ever, required at least one of the senior men to score big. Shyam Mayasandra and Gordon Makin opened for MCA, facing Rohan Wanchoo and GDCC captain Nasir Mumtaz. Both bowled very well (Gordon subsequently described Rohan, who was swinging the ball both ways, as the best quick bowler he had ever faced), but MCA’s openers survived the first four overs, albeit with only 12 on the board. GDCC’s first- and second-change men were not as tight as their opening bowlers, and MCA’s opening batsmen profited, taking the score to 34 without loss after six overs. At that point, Shyam Mayasandra called for his more powerful bat, while a mid-wicket conference between the two openers led to his junior partner telling the MCA captain (according to reports): “Coach Shyam, if you stay in, we can win this match”. Unfortunately, the MCA captain fell on the very next ball, attempting to lift the returning Rohan back over his head, but succeeding only in giving an edge to keeper Amir. MCA’s scoring rate again slowed down, and when Gordon fell to Haris Ahmed, in the ninth over for nine (his half-hearted pull lobbed to square leg), MCA had only 42 on the board. Anurag Yerabati and Kashif Akhtar began to speed things up with some aggressive hitting, before Anurag went for six, and then Chamila Kannangara and Kashif Akhtar made nice contributions, hitting hard, before both were run out trying to challenge the field and accelerate the run rate. Ani Mayasandra came in, showed some caution, and then started to hit out very effectively, aided briefly by Rohit Mogalayapalli and Neil Quinlan. As the final overs arrived, it seemed unlikely that MCA could chase down the total, but late aggression from Ani, supported at the end by good running from Ryan Quinlan, lifted MCA almost within reach of the GDCC score.

As in other defeats this season, MCA had come close to surprising an opponent who had probably not expected to be challenged by such a young team (Shyam Mayasandra, Kashif Akhtar, and Neill Quinlan were the only senior players). With three matches left in the first round (against Toledo, Saginaw, and Oakland University), there is still all to play for.

Scorecard

MCA Player under Consideration for League Team

MCA fast bowler Chamila Kannangara is on the MichCA “first draft” list of fifty players under consideration for the team to represent the league in the Central East Region Tournament.  Details from the MichCA email are below, the preliminary list is in the attached document.  Many congratulations to Chamila, and good luck to him and to MCA’s T20 guest players who are also on the list (Kashif Akhtar, Maniramprasad Ravikumar, and Muralidharan Venkatapathy).   

MichCA writes: “This list has been compiled based on (1) nominations sent by various Teams/Clubs and (2) Top-10 performers in 2010 season as shown in the ResultsVault. Please note that these Try-Outs are also open for all members of MichCA. All those Teams/Clubs that have not yet contributed to this list are hereby invited to send their top players to the TryOuts. These Try-Outs are mandatory and therefore we want all players to come prepared along with their cricket-gear (if available with them).   

Date:                    06-24-2010 (Thursday)
Time:                    6:00pm – 8:30pm
Location:               Lyon Oaks Park, 52251 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, MI 48393
Primary Contact:    Philip Allen will represent MichCA GB during the tryouts. Feel free to contact him at the ground in case you have any questions.   

The Selection Panel will consist of three well-known cricket personalities of Michigan- Dr Abdul Hai, Shekar Kadur and Banfield Mark. They will select a FINAL LIST of 20 players [14 members of the team and 6 reserves] based on their assessment of the unique skills of players in terms of strength in batting, bowling and fielding (incl. general fitness) and player’s present form in terms of current season performances.”  

 CERTFirstDraft2010  

     

 

MCA’s 109 Not Enough to Beat Troy

Sunday, 13 June was lucky for some, but not for MCA. Captain and Joint Head Coach Shyam Mayasandra asked for 150 when his side batted first against Troy, but MCA’s respectable, yet not spectacular, 109 turned out to be not quite enough, and the Academy lost in the nineteenth over of Troy’s reply. Gordon Makin was chosen by Coach Shyam as youth Man-of-the-Match for his twenty.

MCA’s core squad was thinned this week by high school graduation events and finals, so Coach Shyam recruited three new senior players from sister club Motown: big-hitting Satish Thandapani, whose 23 turned out to be MCA’s top score, and Motown’s two young newcomers, Murali Venkatapathy and Mani Ravikumar, whose 2/23 gave the Academy a fighting chance when Troy replied.

This was MCA’s first visit to Chet Singh’s ground at Tag’s Sports Complex in Hartland in two years, and several players took advantage of the proximity of the minigolf concession stand to enjoy ice cream and sodas, while Bradman-like practice with stumps and golf balls was another novelty. What wasn’t so novel was that MCA needed every batsman to score and the senior players to score big if the total the captain wanted was to be reached. But when Troy put MCA in, three wickets fell for a mere twelve — openers Rohit Mogalayapalli (bowled by Vamshi), Shyam Mayasandra, caught at mid-on off Troy captain Venkat, and Ani Mayasandra, also caught off the Troy captain, at square leg. Gordon Makin, batting one-down, and Neill Quinlan (three down), making his 2010 début, carefully rebuilt, but the score was only 43 at the end of ten overs when Neill retired hurt. New batsman Murali then fell lbw to Harsha immediately, and prospects looked bleak for the Academy, but Satish and Gordon put on 26 together before Gordon, feeling the need to put more runs on the board quickly, was caught at deep-ish mid-on, trying to lift a ball off Troy’s Satish Ketkar to the boundary. Mani fall cheaply but Chamila Kannangara hit a spectacular six before following Mani, also bowled by Avinash, while Satish continued to hit out until he was caught near the midwicket boundary. Anurag hit an aggressive 10 before Ryan Quinlan, also making his 2010 début and the returning Neill Quinlan (one of two father-son pairs in the MCA team on Sunday) took the score to 109/9 at the end of twenty overs.

The total gave MCA’s bowlers something to bowl at, and the Academicians’ progress over the last few months was indicated by the economy with which they pursued their attack of Troy, giving up fewer extras than their opponent, and generally bowling well. It is true that they began the defence of their total in the worst possible way, with Gordon conceding one bye along with five penalty runs off the first ball of the innings, as the ball hit his helmet, placed injudiciously behind the stumps. But openers Chamila and Ani give up only 28 runs in six overs, Ani starting with a maiden and lots of swing, while Murali bowled four overs for only 19 runs, and Anurag two for only 11 before he took over behind the stumps after the drinks break. Mani began with two overs for two runs and one wicket, but couldn’t quite sustain his parsimony as Troy attacked, and MCA’s failure to remove man-of-the-match Ankur, who carried his bat for 35, plus the middle order aggression of Shyam and the experienced Satish Ketkar was too much for MCA.   The captain brought himself on, but could not get the needed breakthrough; nor could Gordon, whose leg breaks were hit for the winning runs.  At the end of the match Troy’s senior men, led by Satish Ketkar, were generous in their praise of MCA’s progress, while MCA’s Shyam Mayasandra also spoke positively of his charges, and reminded everyone that the logjam in the middle of the league table means that MCA still has a fighting chance of making it to the Super Sixes. The next match is against Greater Detroit next Sunday morning, at Lyon Oaks.

Scorecard