2005 Hancock Shield

Hancock Shield (HKCC v. KCC). Hong Kong Cricket Club, 12-13 November 2005
Result: match drawn

[Match Report | Scorecard]

At HKCC (played 12-13.11.2005): KCC 185 and 289-6 drew with HKCC 321-9 and 317-1

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2005 Teddy Fincher Shield

Fincher Shield Shield (KCC v. HKCC), Kowloon Cricket Club, 22nd May 2005
Result: KCC won by 7 wickets

[Full Scorecard]

At KCC (played 22.05.2005): KCC 203-3 (R Sharma 147*, A Barnet 25) beat HKCC 197 (I Duncombe 69, P Watkins 28, A Stewart 27; R Sharma 4-24, A Haider 2-24) by 7 wickets

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KCC Cricket Section Interport Tour to Royal Bangkok Sports Club, Bangkok, 14-16 May 2005

Hard Work and Sobriety Pay Off as KCC Carry Off Cup

"One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster", as the song puts it. Well, KCC's men in white survived two nights in the Thai capital before lifting the KCC-RSBC Interport Trophy with a fine all-round team performance on Sunday 15 May.

A squad of 21 of Hong Kong's finest and fittest (plus Shiroy Vachha) set out from the SAR on Friday evening with just one thought on their mind – to get back home in one piece. This objective they achieved, but for some it was a damn close run thing, closer even than the run out scare survived by Anoop Nainani on the Sunday, closer even than the LBW decision that went against Shiroy Vachha on the Saturday.  

And it is to the Saturday match that we must turn first. Finely-honed thoroughbreds that they are, the men from Cox's Road were always going to be struggling in temperatures soaring to 35 degrees Celsius, hot enough to fry an egg, but sadly not quite hot enough to silence Shiroy, whose fraternising with the opposition drew startled glances from the win-at-all-costs Aussies in the team. "Geez!" as Ray Brewster might have remarked, had he not buggered off shopping with Marilyn.

Hyphen and Shiroy Criminally Underused

Captain Rob Gill (on the latest leg of his valedictory Asian tour) was able to call on the services of players who had done KCC proud at Interports past, and how did it pay off! Veterans Shiroy and Hugh Tyrwhitt-Drake rolled back the years with devastating displays that topped the rankings for batting (Hyphen with a scorching strike rate of 200 runs per hundred balls) and bowling (Shiroy with a fantastically economical bowling economy rate of 16.6 runs per hundred balls). Criminally underused was the verdict on Gill's captaincy, seeing that Hyphen achieved his incredible rate with just one slice of the willow and Shiroy needed only one over to set his mark. And what an over it was, featuring at some stage nearly every type of delivery in the MCC coaching manual and quite a few yet to appear. His mid-over combo of slow full toss followed by even slower long hop had "Richard the Kiwi" in several minds, but in the end the fact that he had been reduced to hysterics by Shiroy's bowling meant he had to settle for padding the ball back to the bowler, beaming with a smile as wide as, well, Shiroy's smile gets when he's pleased with himself.            

Good Turf Form

Batting first, KCC made 162 in their 35 overs, not a bad effort on a ground where the grass was longer as well as greener on the other side. Quite literally, as the grass on the football pitch had been allowed to grow so high that you could have laid (or should that be "lain"?) the Bangkok-based Miss Universe contestants horizontal and nary a bump or a hump would have been detected thrusting skyward above the sward. (No, it is "laid" – just consulted my Collins).

The King and I

Run-making was hard all day, with no one on either side managing fifty. The top three for KCC all got going but fell before making a big score. Dyutesh Chaudhuri warmed up for his monster effort on Sunday with a nice 36, while Damian Kelleher and Jonathan King each showed nice touch before perishing in the midday heat. Joined by his doppelganger Professor David Arthur, King belied the encroaching years with an astonishing all run four to fine leg off a deft Arthur tickle ("my only shot, mate"), before their partnership was cruelly ended when the Prof became one of three LBW victims.

Rohanning on Empty

In reply, skipper Gill's stirring team talk had an immediate effect with Rohan Boghani running so high on adrenalin (well, it might have been something else coursing through his veins, but let's say adrenalin) that he was unable to land his front foot on the right side of the white line, thus giving more employment for the already overworked umpire. The star of the bowling show for KCC was Devang Shah, who bamboozled the opposition with his slow left arm, taking 2 for 23 from his allotted 7 overs. Sadly, he couldn't bowl at both ends and RBSC sauntered to an ultimately comfortable victory.

Of Oysters…

But that was merely the hors d'oeuvres before the main event, the oysters that get demolished at the Sunday lunch family buffet before the serious stuff starts with the roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. First, for all the anoraks out there, the stats for Sunday's Interport game:

RBSC 174 All Out off 45 overs; KCC 176-4 off 43.2 overs. KCC win by 6 wickets.

…and Pearls

Here's the piece that was cabled to the SCMP Sports Desk immediately after the game to catch the Monday edition, but which never appeared. (Pearls before swine?)

"KCC overcame spirited resistance from the Royal Bangkok Sports Club and stifling temperatures of 35 degrees to retain the Interport Cup.

Winning the toss, the home side chose to bat first, but found runs hard to score against tight bowling from Afzaal Haider, who accounted for the openers, and Rohan Boghani. Off-spinners Yarman Vachha and Damien Kelleher (2-36) and slow left-armer Devang Shah tightened the screws in the middle part of the innings, leaving the lower middle order needing to take risks against Haider to post the score of 200 that would be competitive. Running in like Silent Witness, Haider bowled fast and straight on a slow wicket that offered some bounce to end with 5-28 in his allotted nine overs, winning the accolade of Man of the Match from the opposition, as well as a bucket of oats and a pint of Guinness*.         

But the Jangu Vachha Trophy for Man of the Match, adjudged by Yarman and Shiroy Vachha, went to Dyutesh Chaudhry, who survived a couple of dropped catches and bouts of cramp to top score with 77, being particularly strong on the leg-side. He was ably supported by Anoop Nainani, whose 47* included two big sixes."

(* Okay, I added the bit about Silent Witness and the oats and Guinness. But, if it was good enough for Arkle, then Tony Cruz should at least consider it if the horse looks a bit peaky.)

Postscript

So there we are. Another tour, another triumph. Thanks to Robert for helping to organise the trip, for Team Manager Julie Atkinson, for Shiroy for those odd moments when he said nothing, and for Burji Shroff for keeping his Sunday speech considerably shorter than his Saturday one.

Let's raise our glasses to 2006 and RSBC's return visit to KCC!