| End-of-season cricket report (mostly 2nd XI) |
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Old Lyonians 1st XI Following promotion last year, the Old Lyonians 1st XI played against some very good opposition in Division 1 of the Championship. Over an 18-game season, they managed five solid wins and 10 draws. They finished eighth in the league, with a good foundation to drive on next year. _____________________
Following on from previous seasons, we had high hopes of driving the performances to another level and achieving great things this season. As it turned out, there were some incredible performances and truly memorable moments, but due to factors outside the immediate team’s control, we had to settle for finishing ninth in the final table. Although this may sound that this season was not a success, we have seen some battling performances, and we can truly say the reason we did not reach the heights we were bound for was our limited numbers. We played at least half the season with between one and three players down, which is just too much of an obstacle to overcome in such a competitive league. We have a great core team, which we can proudly say is truly Old Lyonian. Our squad consisted of 16 players, of whom all but six are Old Boys. Of these six, at least four have been involved heavily with Old Lyonians for the last five years or more. This has helped keep the team together and, more importantly, kept us enjoying the cricket and improved the environment in which it has been played. I envisage that the numbers of Old Boys involved in cricket can only grow with the link that is becoming more and more sustained between school leavers and our Old Lyonians club. Memorable moments As mentioned, there have been some truly memorable performances and moments that deserve to be highlighted. Malin Wijeratna scored a great 120 Not Out against a very strong Lohanna side, showing that he has lost none of his earlier prowess gained at the Sudbury playing fields. He was backed by some athletic fielding, with memorable catches from Vish Bhalla and Naveed Haque in particular. There were some remarkable bowling performances, including one from Vishal Mittal, who took 22 wickets including one five-wicket haul; showing that “if you do not know what you are going to bowl, there is no way the batsman will” is a great tactic! And last but not least was a consistent bowling performance from myself, with an astonishing total of 37 wickets at an average of nine runs for each wicket. This included four five-wicket hauls, with seven wickets amassed in one match against Alexandra Park. Come and join us! So, after these performances it is surprising to see us finish low in the table, but I truly believe that had we a full complement of players, then we would definitely have been fighting promotion rather than relegation. This is where we need the support of all Old Lyonians to take part and join the club. It is a great laugh, with awards at the end of the season which brings up some surprises for Clown of the Year and Champagne Moment of the Season. If you are at all interested, please contact the club and we can get you involved in the team and winter nets. We will see what the next season will bring….! Dipesh Mehta |