Global Jaya Cricket Team Report
SGJ entered a team into the International Maddogs Cricket 6’s tournament, played on a very well maintained purpose built cricket ground in the imposing hills and leafy plantations of puncak.
Despite some difficulties in getting a team together due to work commitments, transportation problems, early morning rising issues and the flu, SGJ scrapped together some students, teachers, and a cricket mad librarian, with the addition of a couple of ring-ins in the form of a sinetron star and some local street kids we were a competitive side.
Travelling remained an issue, a certain 16 year old, or was it 17 year old? strike bowler slept in, not answering his phone and having avoided giving out his house number, the cricketers resorted to driving around his complex contemplating knocking on every door, or just shouting out ‘Mark, Maaaaaaaaark, Marky? Luckily, Chief organizer and navigator, Bu Keyren had a better idea; just ask the sapam’s, even then having found his house we were told he was not home! (by his little sister, clearly trying to buy him a few more minutes of well needed sleep.) Fortunately, our coach and captain, has 4 little sisters himself and just said “BS, go and wake him up, NOW!”
Some speedy driving had as arrive at puncak just on time. Alas, the opposition team were the ones who had given us a map of the ground location, should we have been suspicious? An hour and a half, several tours of 4wheel drive roads (poor low-slung BMW) and some interesting turn arounds (think narrow road, cliff side, and 16 point turns) later we were rescued by a bule wife returning from the ground.
A rearranged schedule allowed us time for a few warm ups from the younger and keener members of the team while the older members headed straight for fluid replenishments. WE won the toss, and having a very strong bowling side (in comparison to our batting strength) elected to bowl.
Strike bowler, Mark, lives up to his name getting out their dangerous opening batsman with a superb first ball, cutting in to smash his off and middle stump out of the ground. The remaining balls restricted the opposition to a low score with very tidy opening over.
Bring on Mark II! He gains us a second wicket, then another, the captain brings the field right in, applying pressure for the hat-trick, a slightly slower and looser ball tricks the batsmen into hitting it high and straight to a catcher in a deep backwards square position. Cheers all round as Mark gains his hat-trick, Maddogs were in tatters now, and it was only the second over. A couple of dot balls, and with the final ball of his over cleans up the last of the surviving Maddogs.
First innings complete in 2 overs, we had hardly worked up a sweat. We needed to chase 12 runs. Mark and Liam opened the batting, a single and a few boundaries had us close until Mark lost his wicket, Sledge was facing, planning a big hit to win the game in style was thwarted with a mix up with in the number of runs required, thus letting a legside wide win us the game instead.
The next and last game of the pool, was against the jungle team, don’t let the name fool you, this was a competitive side. We opened the bowling again, and although the heroics of a 4 wicket haul in a single over were not repeated, Mark and Mark did pick us up a couple of wickets. Sledge, no doubt dazed combination of the success of the previous win, fading in the heat of the day and a lack of liquids? managed another record, 6 consecutive leg side wides, (each of which cost us 2 extra runs) apologizing to the team each time!
The remaining bowlers learned that they should do as the captain says not as he does and steadied the ship, though our wicket keeper/Libarian discovered that the job is a lot harder when the bowlers aint hitting the wickets, cos you have to stop the ball, though in fairness, he only let a couple through to the boundary. A fine display of keeping and fielding, was nto enough as we still needed 63 to win! (the 2nd highest score of the day, thus far!)
Some slight changes to the line up, to accommodate slightly stiffer batsmen, Mark, Yoko, Mark and Sledge all contributed runs to the board, but with several wickets falling we still required 12 runs in the last over, unable to get the ball in the air for boundaries, the remaining batsmen decided the only way to win was run, and run they did. The opposition panicked, a couple of wild overthrows, allowed them to run 5 on one occasion. The target looked closer, 3 balls to go, 3 runs needed, a combination of superb bowling and fielding stopped some great balls, that should have been boundaries! Suddenly the last ball, 3 runs needed, 2 runs was all we could get.
The opposition cheered until they realized that the score on the board was the target, not their score, we had a tie! A count back of lost wickets had Global Jaya as pool champions! We were now due to play in the semi finals, some controversial lunch timing decisions, meant that we were forced to snack on rabbit food and play on empty stomachs,
We tried our best but were clearly out classed, some tactical changes in the bowling line up, did not help us restrict their score as much as we would have hoped, the opening batsmen tore apart our lineup, though Dick should have scored more than 20 off sledge. (he had nothing!)
Facing an imposing target of 80 runs, the openers Mark and Yoko, just could not get the ball in the air often enough and with long grass all over the filed were unable to reach the boundaries often enough to charge down the total. However, they played well and neither lost their wicket, another success story as far as I am concerned!
Well down on those who played, thanks to our wonderful supporters, Keyren and Otin, Globaljaya team will be putting on our pads again for the Jakarta 6’s in early November, and are definitely a team to watch!
