Toronto Cricket Academy - English tour tour
August 7, 2005
A special report to canadacricket.com from the touring Toronto Cricket Academy who are based for two weeks at Manchester University in England.
The weather has been cool, and most days have been overcast, however it is holding and in most cases is quite nice. The hospitality has been wonderful and the tour is progessing well at this point. The lads have done some shopping at Picadilly Square and watched the Ashes on the telly at the University. With tthe tour completed the TCA played 8 games, winning 7 of them.
1. TCA vs. Swinton Moorside C.C. (Aug 2)
TCA won the toss and elected to field; Swinton Moorside 139 all out; TCA 144-4
On a track that played quite true, Swinton Moorside got off to a good start with the opening partnership of 80 by L. Lundy and D. Barton. However with the introduction of spin, Swinton Moorside found scoring difficult. At one stage Viren Patel bowled with a 9-0 field on the off-side. The main wicket takers were Pratik Patel (4-16), and Riyaz Sheikh (2-27). In reply, TCA got off to a reasonably good start of 44 between Abhinav Krishna and Kaustaubh Takor, but the entertaining and classical knock came from 11 year old Nitish Kumar, who made a stylish 42. He was named man of the match. Good knocks also came from Riyaz Sheikh, who made 31 not out, and Abhinav Krishna who added 27 runs.
2. TCA vs. Alderly Edge (August 3)
TCA won the toss and elected to bat. TCA 196-8 (45 overs); Alderly Edge 197-8 (44 overs)
A very exciting game with the fortune of both teams swaying as the game progressed. Alderly Edge played 4 minor county players, as well as an overseas player. The standard of the game was exceptionally high and even the spectators were impressed by the level of competition. TCA batted confidently, with Viren Patel scoring 50, Arsalan Qadir making 41 not out, Miles Packeer adding 34 to the tally, and a superb 22 off 8 balls by the skipper, Rohan Kittur, who hit 2 massive sixes.
In reply, Alderly Edge with a patient knock from county player, and skipper W. Reid, (53 not out) went after the runs in a business-like manner, and although they were behind in the run rate initially, they were helped by a spirited knock by Trinidadian overseas player R. Harris, who made a quick 36. The game was close ended with one over left. TCA bowling credits go to Viren Patel (3-24), Arsalan Qadir (2-31), and Pratik Patel (3-41)
3. TCA vs. Saddleworth C.C. (August 4) Saddleworth C.C. Won the toss and elected to bowl first. TCA 230-6 (40 overs); Saddleworth C.C. 208 all out
The track was a green-top and slightly soft; a seamer's paradise. TCA won the toss and elected to bat, making 230 in 40 overs, with Riyaz Sheikh making 83 not out. Viren Patel and Arsalan Qadir also batted well making 46 and 43 not out respectivly. In response, Saddleworth C.C. were all out for 208 with a brilliant 82 from county player, M. Cook. Best bowling figures went to Viren Patel (3-27), Arsalan Qadir (2-33) and Pratik Patel (2-34).
TCA have improved on their run output at every game, and their high quality of fielding was commended by the Aussie pro at Saddleworth C.C. as well as the spectators at all of the clubs.
Timperly C.C. - Aug. 7
TCA Won the toss and elected to bat first; TCA 164 All Out, Timperly C.C. 104 All Out
TCA's innings were highlighted by good knocks from Rohan Kittur, who made 44 with one massive six, Miles Packeer with 33, and Kustubh Takor with 25. Best bowling figures for Timperly C.C, went to D. Carter who took 4 - 14. In reply, Timperly C.C. made 104 all out, with a top score of 33 by R. Page. Best bowling stats for TCA went to Pratik Patel with 5-19 in nine overs, and Viren Patel with 3-25 in eight overs.
Werneth C.C. - Aug. 8
TCA won the toss and elected to bat first; TCA 240 all out, Werneth C.C. 96 all out
TCA's batting was highlighted by sparkling knocks from Arsalan Qadir who made a brilliant 86, and Viren Patel with 56. Best bowling figures for Werneth C.C. went to D. Gill who took 3-41. In reply to TCA's innings, Werneth C.C. managed to put 96 on the tins, with the best batting going to J. Lees, who made 21. TCA's best bowling on the day was Pratik Patel who took 3-25 in five overs, and Sahil Koppikar with 2-8 in three overs.
Woodhouses C.C. - Aug. 9
TCA won the toss and elected to field; Woodhouses C.C. 129 all out, TCA 130/3
Woodhouses C.C., club of former English captain Michael Atherton, managed to make 129 with L. Johnson making 24. However, it was the wonderful bowling of Viren Patel and Arsalan Qadir who took 4-21 and 2-23 respectively, that kept the Woodhouses C.C. batsmen at bay. In reply, Viren Patel put on 72* and Riyaz Sheikh, 34* to bring TCA comfortably home.
Poynton C.C. - Aug. 10
Poyton won the toss and elected to field first; TCA 171/9, Poynton C.C. 116 all out
TCA's innings were highlighted by great batting from Viren Patel, with 38, Abhinav Krishna, with 34, and Riyaz Sheikh, with 30. Best bowling figures for Poynton C.C. went to T. Patterson, who took 4-32. In reply, Poynton put on 116 all out with best batting from T. Patterson, who made 33. TCA's staring bowlers were Viren Patel, Pratik Patel, and Rohan Kittur, who took 3-16, 3-21, and 2-31 respectively.
Bredbury St. Marks - Aug. 11
TCA won the toss and elected to bat first; TCA 314/6, Bredbury St. Marks 92 all out
All in attendance at the match were treated to spectacular batting from Kustubh Takor, who made 74, Viren Patel, also with 74, and Hardik Kotari, with 39. Best bowling by the hosts came from R. Wilson who took 2-36 in five overs of work, and T. Elly, who took 2-56 in seven overs. In reply, Bredbury St. Marks made 98 all out, with B. Green top-scoring with 29. TCA credits Riyaz Sheikh, who took 3-20 in eight overs, Rohan Kittur, with 2-13 in four overs, and Arsalan Qadir, who took 2-2 in four overs, with the best bowling of the match.
(Brian Hale/ Miles Packeer).