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On a very blustery Friday at the Woodbridge Oval Albir, Sporting Alfas XL team entertained the Nomads CC for their biannual tournament for the twenty ninth consecutive year. Amazing dedication by one club to our very impressive facility loaned to the club by the Mayor of Alfas del PI.

The toss was won by Alfas, and mainly due to lack of players available, invited Nomads to have a bat. The opportunity gave the opponents a chance to go big in the runs column. The home sides bowlers had a different idea, and the early batsmen found our home wicket advantage difficult to get the hang of.

Olufawu was the first  to go with Wakefield, Al- Durroji and Hussey soon following him back to pavillion. Ten overs gone and the score only on fifty two with four men out, could the home side snatch a win. T Patel and his uncle N Patel turned the game into a very one-sided affair and the next twenty five overs the Alfas bowlers were dispatched to all corners.

Nephew and Uncle reaching centuries inside the allotted overs and with a quick fire twenty seven from Naman Paropkari the visitors ended on 284. The fantastic tea and cakes supplied by the crew in the hut gave both sets of players the opportunity to relax before what was going to be an uphill slog for the home team.

On loan opener Zia Ul Qayyum walked in and walked out just as quickly, Zero for six in the second over. Waqar Ashraf joined  J Perman and the pair took the score up to sixty seven with Perman the dominant partner before giving his wicket to Johnston on fifty. Chris Cooper, on his come back to the XL eleven, joined W Ashraf and the score board ticked along nicely with W Ashraf now becoming the dominant player with Cooper contributing twelve in the partnership.

Tyrone Maylon made a good case for being in at five, but the run rate required was reaching an impossible rate, he gave it ago, twenty three before nicking behind. Waqar Ashraf fell after reaching his maiden century, many congratulations on reaching this milestone. Tom Scott fell on five so Braithwaite saw off the last three balls with his usual gait and shout of ¨NO-RUN¨ the ever smiling J Powl standing at the other end, with Sporting Alfas ending on 213 in a very respectable run chase.

Kevin Laundon - Sporting Alfas Cricket Club

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