Zurich Crickets 2012 Parents vs Players matches

Saturday 15th December and it was again time for the annual Parents vs Players matches.

Scheduled at the magnificent indoor facility of the Zurich International School in Adliswil the matches kicked off in the early morning with the Under 9 and Under 11 players.

Despite a number of players being unable to attend, fourteen of our youngest group participated in a keenly contested match against their parents. This group is by far our largest with almost 30 players registered with the club and there is an abundance of talent.

Next up were the Under 13 players in which the Mums clearly shone brightly. As their coach, John Millar commented: Without question the most fun on parents’ day is to be had in the U13 game. Fun for the parents, that is - the players get no favours, and they are not yet as downright scary as the U15/U17s. This year we had a full 20 overs game, with teams of 10 per side, a good fit in the big hall. Mrs Millar, for the parents, won the toss and was told we should bowl. The players made a good start with a long and controlled opening partnership between Jack M and Sohail (to be repeated in our next competitive game, please), broken only when the parents brought their secret weapon into the attack: Mrs Morris. Jack gently patted the first ball from his mother to mid wicket, where he was caught. This triggered a steady stream of wickets, so that Sohail, having retired in the 12th over, returned towards the end of the innings. The players made 135 for 8 in the 20 overs, achieving a pretty good score and preventing the indignity of penalty run-loss for "more than all-out" wickets.

The parents made a solid start and despite the embarrassment of having coach Mr Millar run out (do as I say not what I do - ahem), were able to grind away at the score to eventually overtake the total.

All players were made to bat, though, which the players’ team should be pleased with, and despite shoulders dropping as defeat was sensed - a focus point for the coach - there was some variety in the field with Mrs Millar being put under particular pressure with aggressive field positions.

Thanks to all for coming, and I wish you a good break and a Merry Christmas.

The final match was with the Under 15 and Under 17 players. There was a huge turnout of 30 Players and Fathers, so two matches were organised, a 15-over match followed by a T20, to ensure everyone could bat and bowl. Despite great batting by the older players to chase down the huge total of 164 (Osama, Simon, Moaz, Callum and James), which had been greatly helped by some wayward bowling and a pile of extras, the Fathers got home with 21 runs to spare and only three wides bowled.

In the second match the Fathers again batted first, and with 188 on the board the Players were under pressure right from the start. On the positive side, the bowling had been tighter and the Fathers forced to score more with the bat and run between the wickets. Inevitably, there were four run outs! The Players batted well with several players posting high scores ( Ziad, Nicolas, Dan, Stephan and Bruce). Players pushed for runs but the bowling was tight and the Fathers romped comfortably home. Since some players were keen to continue and time was available, play continued till the early evening.

A great day had been had by all 78 players, and with so many participating on the field and supporting the teams from the spectators gallery throughout the day it was a fitting end to another enjoyable year’s cricket with the Zurich Crickets.

Many thanks to everyone for being there. Have a very Happy Christmas and New Year. We look forward to seeing everyone again in early 2013.