The victorious Long Island Tuskers team.
New York Malayalee Sports Club | Photo Gallery
Long Island Tuskers were crowned as the New York Malayalee Sports Club (NYMSC) Packers Cup 2014 champions after a thrilling final against the hosts, NYMSC Packers A team on July 6th.
Long Island Tuskers, led by Swaroop Boban won the toss on a bright and sunny Sunday and decided to bat first. A disciplined bowling effort by the NYMSC Packers A, led by Waqas and De Silva kept the Tuskers to 128 runs. Waqas and De Silva picked up three wickets each.
In what looked like a straight-forward chase, NYMSC Packers got off to a flyer, courtesy of their openers Shahid and captain Noble Thomas. Packers continued to maintain a run rate of over 10 runs per over, even after losing Shahid for a brisk 45. Noble Thomas also went after a quick-fire 41.
NYMSC Packers A team.
At 92/2 in 9 overs, needing 37 runs in 11 overs, what followed was a dramatic collapse by the NYMSC Packers batsmen. The procession of wickets was scripted by LI Tuskers’ spin twins, former USA U-19 player, Prashanth Nair, and Mohammad Suleman. Nair picked up three wickets in an over and tied the batsmen in knots. Suleman also continued to bowl tight and picked up two crucial wickets. Lijo Mazhuvanchery also chipped in with three valuable wickets. The Packers batsmen lost the momentum and wickets tumbled left and right. In the end, LI Tuskers won by 10 runs with two overs to spare.
The final was well attended by die-hard cricket fans from across the tri-state region. The main guests for the Grand Finale were Lesly Lowe, the President of Commonwealth Cricket League, City Councilman Bryan Block, and the NYMSC committee members. Some of the main attractions of the final day included a live DJ, ethnic Indian food for all the attendees, as well as a life-size cutout of the Little Master, Sachin Tendulkar, on top of some nail-biting cricket.
Several awards and trophies, as well as cash prize were given out during the presentation ceremony. LI Tuskers were awarded the NYMSC Packers Cup ever-rolling trophy and cash prize. NYMSC Packers A received the Packers Cup runners up trophy and cash prize. Prashanth Nair of LI Tuskers was adjudged as the Man of the Match for an outstanding spell of spin bowling that changed the match upside down. Mohammad Suleman of LI Tuskers was awarded Best Bowler award for his 8 wickets. Shahid of NYMSC Packers A won the Best Batsman award for 169 runs in 4 matches. Lijo Mazhuvanchery of LI Tuskers won the award for taking the Best Catch.
The third edition of the Packers Cup got off to a rainy start on July 4th. Only two matches were completed because of the rain on the first day. As a result of the hard work of the organizers, a total of eight matches took place on Saturday, July 5th over the two Cunningham Park grounds.
NYMSC Packers A, NYMSC Packers B, Friends Cricket Club, Millennium A, Millennium B, Bergen Tigers, LI Tuskers and Bull Fighters made it to the quarter finals.
LI Tuskers, Bergen Tigers, NYMSC Packers A, and Friends Cricket Club advanced to the semi finals. LI Tuskers beat Bergen Tigers and NYMSC Packers A defeated Friends Cricket Club to advance to the final.
Overall, the NYMSC Packers Cup 2014 was a grand success and some of the best cricket talents from across the country were on display. The tournament was well organized and well attended despite heavy rain on day one.
Jins Joseph, Cricket Coordinator of NYMSC thanked all those who helped him organize such a wonderful tournament. “It’s been a great tournament this year, better than the last one. I would like to thank all those who helped make this tournament possible. I would like to thank Lesly Lowe, President of Commonwealth Cricket League for all his help and cooperation. I would also like to thank the NYMSC Committee for all their support, as well as all the 12 teams who attended. Finally, I would like to thank all the members of the NYMSC cricket wing for their endless hard work through out the three days to ensure the smooth running of the tournament. We will come back next year with a bigger and better tournament,” said a proud Jins Joseph.
NYMSC cricket manager Reji George also thanked everyone who supported the tournament for their help and cooperation. “Without the help of several selfless individuals, this tournament would not have been possible. We’ve already started working towards NYMSC Packers Cup 2015,” added Reji George.