Zurich Crickets U13 only lose one at Zuoz Tournament.
It was a glorious weekend of cricket with Zurich coming equal 2nd in the tournament after 5 games. Also, Luke was awarded Best All-Rounder of the tournament taking the most wickets and making the
most runs.
Zurich´s 1st game against Basel was tough (Basel went on to win all their games and the tournament). Zurich batted 1st and were all out for 65. The bowling from Basel was accurate and strong.
Chris was the highest scorer with 12 runs and batted for the whole innings. Luke scored 11 runs and Hamish and Dayn 3 each. Basel achieved the runs they needed to win in the 15th over. This was
despite a good start by Zurich with Zeki as wicket keeper taking a catch from one of Basel´s best batsmen in the 3rd over, Chris taking another wicket in the 5th over and Luke bowling a maiden
over.
The 2nd game was against CDL and, following a rigorous team warm up prior to the match, Zurich won by 34 runs. Zurich again batted 1st with Luke scoring a super 30 runs which included 2 sixes. He
was well supported by Dayn who scored 18 and then Chris scoring 19. The total score was 118. Zurich took an early wicket with Zeki taking an excellent catch. Luke then took a further 2 wickets.
The bowling and fielding from Zurich was sharp and kept the CDL score down to 84. To start the next day was a game against La Chat which Zurich won by 51 runs. Zurich batted 1st and both Dayn and
Luke retired after scoring 25 runs each. Chris scored 13, Haresh 8 and Jasper 5. The total score after the 18 overs played was 108. The bowling and fielding was much tighter from Zurich and CDL
were all out for 57 after 17 overs. Hamish bowled 4 excellent overs and one wicket was taken from a catch by Haresh. Haresh went on to take a 2nd catch and also bowled one batsman. Hamish also
took a great catch. Chris bowled and maiden over and also Shamas bowled an excellent over. Good fielding resulted in 3 batsmen being run out and the final wicket was taken by Jasper.
The closest game Zurich played came next and was a nail-biter to the end. This was against Gingins and ended in a draw which was a fair result for both teams. Zurich once again batted 1st with
Luke scoring 26, Jasper 14 and Haresh 11. Zurich´s total was 99. Gingins got off to a good start but were stopped by an excellent catch from Hamish. Luke and Chris took 2 further catches. In the
final 2 overs Gingins needed 8 runs to win and on the final ball equaled the Zurich score of 99. Both teams also scored exactly the same number of runs off the bat (56).
The final game was against Geneva Region Youth. Again Zurich batted 1st and scored 123 in the 16 overs played, a great score. Hamish scored 25 in an excellent innings, supported by Luke who
scored 26, Zeki 8, Haresh 5 and Shamas coming in at the end to score 4. Shamas also took one wicket bowling, Luke had a super bowl taking 4 wickets and Dayn and Chris also took a wicket each.
GRYCC were all out for 61.
So, Zurich were placed in a well-deserved 2nd equal place along with Gingins.
The players
The team was ably led by Chris, a bowler who consistently put the ball on a good length which made scoring off his overs both slow and difficult. His ability to hold an
innings together with the bat, keep the scoreboard ticking over, and show discipline when it is desperately needed was invaluable. He is clearly a player the team can rely on, and who is
respected by his fellow players.
Luke is a huge asset for any team. Strong and powerful, as long as he is prepared to show the necessary discipline, he has the ability to score quickly and big with the bat,
take important wickets with a nagging line and length, as well as display great agility and speed in the field.
Zeki was a revelation behind the wicket. He bravely got in the way of everything, took a couple of huge wickets and is now in a position to effect fast run outs. He showed
that he is capable of running quickly between the wickets with the right partner, and put opposition fields under pressure. One of the most improved players this season. We look forward to more
such performances.
Shamas showed great discipline backing up Zeki in the field and he deservedly produced a run out with a direct hit. His bowling was disciplined and effective, and it is
clear that with more match practice he should be called upon to bowl more overs. His running between the wickets and ability to strike the ball hard were more than evident in the last match when
he shared the crease with Zeki and they were scoring at ten an over.
Hamish is another player progressing fast and becoming a mainstay of this team. His bowling improved with each match and it was clear that his growing confidence with the
ball had rubbed off on his batting in the final match. He has the skill and agility to take tough catches and is well-suited to attacking fielding positions.
Haresh, with his left-arm medium pace, showed great steadiness at times with the ball. As soon as he is in total control he is almost unplayable, while in the field he is quick
and dependable, and can take difficult catches despite the occasional ‘crocodile’. As soon as he gets underway with the bat he revealed he can be a fearsome striker of the ball.
Possibly our most fearless fielder was Jasper. Now playing more cricket in England that most of us can dream about here in Switzerland, we were blessed with his presence for
this tournament. With a great attitude, Jasper did an excellent job for us in the tough match against Gingins, for instance, with the bat. There is clearly a lot more to come from Jasper and we
look forward to having him back again with us for some matches later in the season.
Dayn performed consistently well for us with the bat and he often got us off to a good start. While his pacy bowling can cause batsmen problems, he will be even more
unpleasant to face as soon as he can put the ball exactly where he wants it. He is also one of the most vocal players in the team and this, too, is an asset not to be underestimated.
It was pleasant to be on the receiving end of comments by opposition coaches who remarked on the friendly and extremely pleasant attitude of the team, the exemplary conduct of the players. This
is a true strength of this team, a testament to good captaincy, and even when the pressure is really on, never will they criticize each other or the opposition, nor will they complain.
Well done to all the players for an excellent team performance
