Standing L-R: Keyur Mehta, Brandon Rampersad, Fahad Mughal, Anil Ramdeo, Sharaaz Sacroolar and Eddie Wright. Seated L-R: Charu Choudhari, Majid Arab, Habib Rehman, Shaffikul Sacroolar, Matthew Lamont, Abdullah Syed and Thakoon Ramlal.
SICC 142 Years Young
The weekend of April 12th-13th saw the return of cricket to Walker Park, the home of Staten Island Cricket club for the past 128 years when they moved from their original home. After preparing the pitch the previous Saturday, under the guidance of the venerable club president Clarence Modeste, the sun shone down on the players for the visit of Westchester CC and old rivals Mad Dogs CC from Stamford, CT.
A strong Staten Island XI faced an under-strength Westchester CC in a match reduced to 25 overs per side due to the late arrival of Westchester who won the toss and opted to bat first. A strong start to the innings by Ata and Anish was brought to an end by medium pacer Majid Arab’s (3-0-8-3) accurate swing bowling. His successful spell was cut short by long serving club captain Shaffikul Sacroolar’s desire to give all his men a bowl in the first outing of the season. Some lusty blows late on by Saurav and T. Khan brought Westchester to a respectable total of 139-5 in their allotted 25 overs. The Westchester bowling attack was no match for Staten Island’s batsmen however, and some lusty blows from Fahad Mughal (30 off 9 balls), Prashanth Nandavanam (34 from 25 balls) and the evergreen Habib Rehman (34 off 21 balls) who all retired “not out” meant that Staten Island reached their victory target off just 13 overs without the loss of a wicket.
Buoyed by this performance, Staten Island CC returned on Sunday to Walker Park to face their friendly rivals Mad Dogs CC who travelled from Connecticut. The prompt arrival of the opposition meant a 35 over game was possible. Skipper Matt Lamont won the toss for Staten Island and elected to bat first. Some wily bowling from the stalwart John Moore did for the dangerous Ibrahim Zahoor and it was left to Majid Arab (56) and Keyur Mehta (23) to rebuild the innings. Mehta was unlucky to fall to a catch at deep cow corner by a fielder who tripped over his own feet and, as he lay there, the ball arrived right to him and he took the catch lying on the ground. A quick-fire 36 from 17 balls from Prashanth Nandavanam gave some impetus to the innings but a flurry of wickets saw the fall of the established batsmen and the oft-dependable club vice-skipper, Sri Lankan Upali Kodithuwakku, for just a single. At one stage, a score of 230 looked to be on the cards but in the end, a vital innings from Shaffikul Sacroolar (30*) was needed to lead Staten Island to a par total of 191.
Impressive opening spells from new recruit Eddie Wright (final figures of 7-1-24-2) and Glen Shanghie (5-0-20-0) saw Mad Dogs fall significantly behind the run rate. The obstinate Ian Chin managed to survive the new ball spell and start to take the attack to the bowlers. With the introduction of paceman Ibrahim Zahoor (5-0-24-4), wickets fell quickly at the other end, the best one being the dismissal of opposing skipper Keith Lawrence who was fooled by a beautiful slower ball. The introduction of new player Partha Das (4-0-16-1) finally saw the end of Ian Chin (42) who was caught at deep extra cover.
At this stage, the Staten Island players thought the game was in the bag but Avi Mahtani (35) and Yasir Bari (20) had other ideas. Staten Island decided not to bowl Zahoor’s full allocation of overs due to the friendly nature of the fixture and the gloom which was descending over Walker Park in the last 8 overs of the game. The wicket of Mahtani (b Eddie Wright) and the run-out of Peter Jones (10) meant that last-man John Moore walked to the crease with 23 runs still needed.
With several bowlers complaining of early-season ailments, Keyur Mehta swapped the gloves with Ibrahim Zahoor and bowled a vital maiden over. This meant that 23 runs were needed from the last two overs. After Majid Arab (7-0-46-1) finished from the southern end, Mehta was left to bowl the last over with 13 still needed. The first two balls were dispatched to the boundary by Yasir Bari, leaving 5 runs needed for victory from the last 4 balls. The tension on the field was high and the Mad Dogs spectators in jubilant mood as they sensed an unlikely victory. That was short-lived however as Mehta bowled Bari who was attempting a heave to the leg-side. Mehta was mobbed by the jubilant Staten Island players at the end of the game.
