Typhoon Mangkhut meant that no cricket was possible last Sunday, but we managed to get plenty of cricket in on Saturday, and here’s a roundup of the action around the grounds:

Juniors

The HKCC Hawks U11s got their first win of the season, with a 52 run victory against the HKCC Warriors. Joshua Powell scored 22 for the Hawks (15 balls, 3 fours, 1 six) as they posted up a massive 222 in their 16 overs. Jimmy Milne hit 25 (13 balls, 6 fours) in the response, but the Warriors could only manage 170 in their 16 – William Batchelor taking 3/11 in his 2 overs.
HKCC Hawks U11s 222 (16) beat HKCC Warriors U11s 170 (16) by 52 runs | Scorecard

In the U13s, LMC had a rough welcome to the Premier Division, as they were bowled out by last season’s runners up HKCC Scorpions for just 55. Wickets were shared as the Scorpions used 9 bowlers, and they managed to score 3 runouts in the field. In response, openers Ahvaan Thakur and Samuel Gearing saw the Scorpions home, chasing down the target in just 12.1 overs. A comprehensive win for a top side, and a good learning experience for the LMC boys, who will no doubt bounce back strongly.
HKCC Scorpions U13s 55/0 (12.1) beat LMC U13s 53 a/o (19.4) by 10 wickets | Scorecard

India Club Green had a much easier welcome to the U13 Elite Division, the newly formed side beating DLSW Littles by 4 wickets in the final over. After electing to bat first, the Littles could only manage 63/6 in their 15 overs. In response, the Greens proceeded smoothly to 31/1 in 6.1 overs before collapsing – losing 5 wickets for 29 runs. However, it was too little too late for DLSW, and IC Green got over the line in the 15^th over with 4 wickets to spare, Jash Parekh ending up not-out on 23. It was a remarkable run chase – all 6 wickets were run out, and Parekh ended up outscoring all his teammates combined, as well as hitting the only boundary of the entire game. A first win for the IC Greens, and something for them to work on before their next game!
India Club Green 64/6 (14) beat DLSW Littles U13 63/6 (15) by 4 wickets | Scorecard

The first game of the U-17 Elite Division T20 took play this Saturday too – Lantau Lions cruising to a comfortable 9 wicket victory over LMC. They won the toss and elected to bowl first at GDB, and a superb spell of 4-1-26-6 from 13 year old Shazeb Mohammad saw them bowl out LMC for just 84 runs. Shazeb went for 16 runs in his first over, but bounced back superbly, taking a hattrick (clearly inspired by the two taken in the EAC) in the 10^th over. Brought on to bowl with the score at 51/0 in 7 overs, he dismissed the entire top 6, and put his side on path to victory. Khan Qasim hit 42* off 22 balls (7 fours, 1 six) as Lantau chased down the target in just 7 overs. A big win for them to start their season.
LCC U-17 Lions 85/1 (7) beat LMC U-17s 84 a/o (13.3) by 9 wickets | Scorecard

Mens

4 Saturday League games took place – 3 in Division 1 – and here is how they played out.

At Gin Drinkers Bay DLSW Sarjan won the toss and batted first. They lost a wicket in the second over but proceeded smoothly after that – Haseeb Muhammad putting on 78 for the 2^nd wicket with Ehsan Ayaz, and 57 for the 4^th wicket with Danish Zaffar. The final 6 overs brought 64 runs, and DLSW Sarjan finished on 220/7, Haseeb Muhammad leading the way with 84 off 86 balls (8 fours 4 sixes). The last Sat League game at GDB proved to be a high scoring affair, but in this case 220 was to be more than enough – CCC Jing Sun were bowled out for just 144 in 25.4 overs. Elliot Andrews followed up his 3/59 in the first innings with 73 off just 58 balls (10 fours, 3 sixes) but lacked support, as he accounted for 55% of Jing Sun’s runs scored off the bat. Haseeb Amjad was the pick of the bowlers, with 4/18 in 6 overs, and Muhammad Aryan took a useful 3/28 as well. A comprehensive 76 run win for DLSW Sarjan, and an impressive start to their season
DLSW Sarjan 220/7 (35) beat CCC Jing Sun 144 a/o (25.4) by 76 runs | Scorecard

At Kowloon Cricket Club, KCC Crusaders recorded a 76 run victory as well, over the KCC Crusaders in the annual Vachha Shield match. The Crusaders chose to bat first after winning the toss in this club derby, and Peter Wooden scored a rapid 112 off 78 balls, with 7 fours and 8 sixes, taking the Crusaders to 227/7 in their 35 overs. The Saracens ended their innings well behind the overrate, which saw the Crusaders earn 20 penalty runs as well. Niaz Ali bowled well for the Saracens, with 2/17 in 7 overs, and Salman Khan took 3/39 in 5. The Saracens run chase got off to a terrible start, Bill Garnett taking 3/12 in a 5 over new ball spell to help reduce them to 46/6 in 15.2 overs. They recovered slightly through a 68 run partnership between HK U-19 keeper Aarush Bhagwat (54* off 47, 6 fours 1 six) and Niaz Ali (39 off 30, 3 fours 3 sixes), but were eventually bowled out for 151 in 31 overs. An impressive start to the season from the Crusaders, and a big win to take home the Vachha Shield.
KCC Crusaders 227/7 (35) beat KCC Saracens 151 a/o (31) by 76 runs | Scorecard

There was another Saturday Division 1 derby last weekend, this time At Hong Kong Cricket Club, where the HKCC Ramblers beat HKCC Nomads by 4 wickets with just an over to spare. Electing to bat first, the Nomads had 6 batsmen score between 15 and 39 on their way to 179/7 in 35 overs. Belan and Tom Ingram were the pick of the bowlers, with 3/29 and 2/30 respectively. Ramblers lost an early wicket in the runchase, but David Varley (39) and Jack Masters (40) steadied the ship, before the Nomads hit back with two quick wickets. Varely then retired injured, and when Brookes we cleaned up by DJ Marriot the Ramblers were 114/5 in 22.4 overs, and the match was finely poised. Enter Stuart Tohill, who added to the wicket and runout he took in the first innings with a composed 36 not out. His 55 run partnership with Charles McInerney broke the back of the chase, and 9 runs off the 34^th over saw them home.
HKCC Gap Ramblers 183/6 (35) beat HKCC Nomads 179/7 (35) by 4 wickets | Scorecard

In Division 2 the SCC Lancers were pushed hard by Laguna Gully, but managed to squeak past, registering their first win since relegation and handing Laguna their second defeat. The Lancers chose to bowl first after winning the toss at PKVR, and Pranav Shah was in the runs again, with 59 off 65 balls (7 fours). Lancers picked up some early wickets and struck twice quickly after the drinks break as well, the score reading 116/4 after 23.2 overs. That’s when Haren Rawat and keeper Vikram Therja combined to put 59 at run-a-ball, and after Rawat’s dismissal (for 42), Laguna took 20 runs off the last 9 balls to end up at a challenging 195/5 in their 35. The Lancers came out hard in response, but lost their top 4 quickly – after 10 overs there were 72/4. The experienced pair of Uday Shetty and Asif Ismail were brought to the crease, and put on a match-winning 85 runs partnership off 13.5 overs. Uday was dismissed for 63 (48 balls, 7 fours, 3 sixes), and another fell quickly after, but it was too little too late, and SCC crossed the line in the 33^rd over – Asif unbeaten on 56 (65 balls, 8 fours). Viren Prasad took 4/35 for Laguna, and Pranav took 2 wickets to go with his fifty.
SCC Lancers 197/6 (32.3) beat Laguna Gully 195/5 (35) by 4 wickets | Scorecard