It would be the Patong Penguins to draw first blood in Friday’s (Nov 22) encounter, claiming a nervy 4 wicket victory in a low-scoring thriller before ANZA would emulate the home side’s success the following day to level the series and leave Phuket with both bragging rights and the coveted silver trophy.
After winning the toss in Friday’s 25 over clash, stand-in skipper Curt Livermore looked to capitalise on favourable bowling conditions and will have been pleased with his pacers’ early efforts as Sajal Gaur and Jagsir Brar ripped through the top-order to leave the away side reeling at 35/3 after the 7 over power-play.
Lenny Leerdam picked up where the pacers had left-off, bowling Ben Frost (2) in the 9th before Brar piled more misery onto the batting side with an exceptional run-out in the 13th with the score now 63/5.
With their side in real danger of being bundled out for a low score, Kane Stavens (26) and Aakash ‘A-Dog’ Dogra (29) combined for a crucial 31-run stand before Simon Wetherell remove the former in the 20th over as the home side looked to regain control.
The final 5 overs would see a disciplined bowling and fielding performance by the Penguins which saw just 26 more runs added to the total as the ANZA innings closed on 123/8.
Requiring just 124 runs to win, the home side felt a sense of confidence heading into the break given most had spent some valuable time on the new ACG wicket in the previous weekend’s domestic games. However, following an extended break due to rain in which the players enjoyed refreshments whilst being glued to the Border-Gavaskar trophy action at the ACG bar, any hopes of a swift victory were quickly quashed as the Penguins found themselves wobbling at 9/2 inside the first 3 overs.
With wickets tumbling in Perth, they continued to do so on the ground as a trademark Penguin middle-order collapse saw the batting side reduced to 60/6 with just 10 overs remaining.
With the target seemingly a considerable distance away, Michael Flowers (23*) and Brar (30*) began a rebuilding job as both put a high price on their wicket whilst punishing any loose delivery.
By the time Brar hit the retirement score of 30, the pair had consolidated the innings with a vital 47 run partnership. With the home side now back on track, Leerdam (10*) showed immense class under pressure to guide his side to a narrow 4 wicket victory with just 2 balls to spare.
Man of the Match went to Brar for his crucial 30 runs as well as his 2-16 from 5 overs not to mention his efforts in the field. The man really can do it all!
Other performances of note include Gaur’s opening spell of 2-30 from 6 overs, Leerdam’s efforts with both bat and ball proved pivotal whilst Flowers’ knock of 23* came at the most opportune time. A-Dogs’ 29 from 37 balls and Dheer Bhatnagar’s 2-10 from 3 overs in a losing cause saw both players pick up the awards for best Batter and Bowler respectively in the post-match presentations.
WORLD OF PAIN
The following day saw both sides lock horns for the final time in an extended 30-over contest which would also decide the fate of the silver trophy.
Fresh from his previous days exploits, returning Penguin’s skipper Brar looked to capitalise on any sore heads within the opposition camp and elected to bat first. It would be the home side in a world of pain early however as yet another batting collapse saw the hosts reduced to 24/4 after a disastrous power-play.
Desperately needing someone to stand up, newcomer Adrian Lai (75*) did just that, and more. As wickets continued to tumble around him, Lai looked to be batting on a different surface to his team-mates as he began peppering the boundary with regularity. Despite the heroic efforts however, the home side were still well short of a competitive total with the score reading 106 by the time the 9th wicket fell in the 21st over.
Joined by fellow debutant Ajay Sampige (6), the two managed to rally and mustered up a much-needed 33 run-stand for the final Penguin wicket to boost the score to a much healthier looking 139 all-out. Incredibly Sampige (6) was the second highest scorer behind Lai in an otherwise forgettable display with the bat.
Knowing there was plenty in the surface for the bowlers, the Penguins took to the field confident in defending their score and with it the trophy. Openers Reddi Kotha (17) and Graeme Gardiner (40) had other ideas however as the pair scored freely in the power-play racing to 44 without loss after 8 overs.
With the pair looking to take the game away, Wetherell clean blowed Kotha in the 9th which proved a vital breakthrough. With spin now operating at both ends, Livermore struck in the 12th to remove Gardiner with the help a fine catch by Lai at mid-off. With both openers back in the shed, the home side began to squeeze with Wetherell claiming two more scalps prior to the 15th over drinks break with the score 75/4 at the half-way stage.
Post drinks saw Livermore strike with a rank half-tracker as Guy Hudson (2) could only pick out Brar at deep-midwicket.
A 25-run partnership between Taariq Janodien (18*) and Bhatnagar (15) steadied the ship for the visitors before captain Brar removed the latter with a searing in-swinging yorker after bringing himself back into the attack in the 21st over as the hosts fought desperately to defend their series lead.
Their efforts would ultimately be in vain, however, as Stavens (23*) who had shown his class all weekend with both bat and ball, guided his side to a well-deserved 4 wicket victory with 3 overs to spare ensuring Phuket’s firm grip on the trophy was no more.
Adrian Lia’s ‘Rambo-esque’ innings of 75* from 58 balls was enough to earn himself a man of the match award albeit as part of a losing cause.
Other performances of note included Abishek Ravish’s 2-34 from 5 overs as well as ANZA captain David Vu’s returns of 2-23 from 4 overs whilst Gardner’s 40 from 35 balls and Steven’s run-a-ball 23 were crucial in the match-winning run chase for the tourists.
Wetherell and Livermore’s figures of 3-25 and 2-18 respectively proved futile in the home sides cause.
This weekend (Nov 30-Dec1) sees the British High Commission from Singapore return for the third straight year to take on the Patong Penguins in a two-match series held at the ACG.