RCC Innings.

CLCC Innings.

Match Report

RCC held their nerve to win a thrilling semi-final against the top seeded Charlotte Lions to reach the finals of the MACC tournament. They will now face GRCC in the finals.

RCC faced a daunting task ahead of them in the semi-final match when they traveled to the intimidating Gastonia ground, to take on top seeded opponents CLCC who had recorded 11 wins in the regular season including a comprehensive victory over RCC in the league campaign.

RCC won the toss and chose to bat first, with the theory that it's always good to have runs on the board rather than chase them in a high pressure game of such magnitude. Satbir and Ashish Jain opened for RCC and looked comfortable right from the beginning. Runs began to flow as loose balls were duly put away and RCC raced to 27/0 off the first 4 overs. The first bowling change worked for CLCC as the deceptive pace of Mihir meant that Ashish Jain had his off stump broken into two. Samay and Satbir looked comfortable in the middle and took the score well past the fifty mark. It was at this juncture that CLCC started clawing their way back into the match. Samay (14 runs) bottomed edged a cut off PK, which was held nice and low by the keeper.

Satbir kept on cruising at one end while CLCC continued to chip a couple of more wickets at the other. Gopal who was in the middle of a very good spell, sneaked through the defenses of both Chirag and Andy. Mayur and Satbir looked to have taken RCC to a comfortable position at 112/4 with 10 overs remaining by battling through some disciplined bowling. But the match turned on its head once again as RCC lost 3 wickets in the space of 3 deliveries when the score was 116. First, Mayur was bowled by PK, who then followed it up with a yorker that got rid of the dangerous Keyur for no score. The first ball of the very next over, Satbir was adjudged to be LBW for a well made 68. Wickets continued to fall as Nihar was unlucky to be caught down the leg side. Keyur S and Sushil managed to get the score on to 141 before RCC got bowled out in the 29^th over. CLCC bowlers did a really good job to peg back RCC after they had looked to have built a launching pad for a huge total.

CLCC opened their innings with Kalpesh and the dangerous Abhi. The RCC opening bowlers Samay and Keyur S kept a very tight line and gave the batsmen absolutely nothing to score off - giving just 10 runs off the first 5 overs. Abhi looked to have broken the shackles when he hoisted Keyur for a huge six over square leg, but Keyur replied in the best way possible when he produced a rip snorter of a delivery that Abhi could only glove to the keeper. Chetan was the next man in who steadied the ship with Kalpesh and took the score to 39 in 11 overs before Kalpesh (16 runs) lofted a drive to Satbir at long on off of Ashish M. Gopal then joined Chetan in the middle and they saw it through to the drinks break with CLCC placed comfortably at 59/2 after 15 overs. RCC also lost a chance to break the threatening partnership when Sushil misjudged a catch at short cover giving Chetan a reprieve in the over before drinks.

In the first innings when RCC batted, their luck had turned after the drinks break and had lead to a big collapse - RCC hoped that their luck would change in the second innings too, but not for the worse. In the very first over after lunch Nihar induced an outside edge from Gopal, which was missed by the keeper and earned CLCC a valuable boundary. And just when RCC thought that their luck had indeed turned worse, they got the break-through as Chetan was bowled by Nihar – and RCC sniffed their chance. In the very next over Ashish M. trapped the new batsmen Shashi leg before with a full swinging delivery. The next over again produced a wicket as Gopal (15 runs) lofted Nihar straight to Keyur P at long off and within a space of 3 overs after drinks, CLCC were reduced to 71/5.

Yet, RCC refused be complacent as CLCC still had their two experienced batsmen Ani and Ashish out in the middle. Sushil made up for his earlier blunder when he latched on to a spectacular left handed catch right on midwicket boundary to send Ani back to the pavilion It was at this moment when RCC first sensed victory, but then again the joy was short lived as, Sushil dropped a sitter to give Ashish a life, who immediately made RCC pay with a huge six over square leg. Keyur S. and Samay then bowled 5 very tight overs when the equation was always close to a run a ball. Keyur uprooted Ashish's middle stump as he tried another flick for a six while at the other end Samay kept the batsmen quiet with some accurate bowling. He was finally rewarded with the wicket of Mayur in the penultimate over of the innings, thus leaving Gaurang and PK to score 14 to take CLCC ashore. RCC had ran out of bowlers by then and it was Satbir who was asked to do the thankless job of bowling the final over. Gaurang took a single off the first ball and then Satbir bowled five excellent balls, each resulting in a swing and a miss from P.K. Five dot balls meant that RCC won the game by 12 runs to book their first ever finals appearance.

Satbir was nominated as the player of the game for his invaluable 68, a catch and most importantly for bowling the tense last over and conceding just a single to hand RCC the victory.

RCC would like to thank Rafi Uncle and CoCC for umpiring the game. A special mention for Rafi uncle for staying on the field and umpiring even after being hit on the hip by a full blooded drive from CLCC's Abhi.