Mercer Country Park Diaries

A lot at Stake

There are no defeats, there are only stepping stones. The aforementioned maxim rings true for most of us after 2 crushing blows last week. Determined to make amends, the coaches and mentors set out to work to bring the boys to a match-ready state of mind before the games this weekend. Our performances were profoundly inconsistent, with batting and bowling not complementing each other during crucial moments. Although the batting has delivered more often than not, crucial mistakes let us down. Whilst the bowling has shown glimpses of brilliance, those moments were hard to come by. We were determined to prove our detractors wrong this time around and training sessions were a testament to our commitment to deliver a strong message to our opponents and give our fans something to cheer. Mercer Country Park seemed a perfect setting given our context. With equal purchase both for batsmen and bowler, the surface would test all facets of our game. Nowhere to hide, we head out to Mercer country park on August 6,7 against two formidable opponents

The Resurgence

With a lot at stake, The Philadelphians were up against New England Eagles in the first encounter. Things seem to go the Philly way right at the start as we won the toss and elected to bat. A decision that played to our strength - batting. Derrick Narine and Milind set the balls rolling with their 70-run opening partnership with Narine taking up the role of the aggressor with Milind holding fort at the other end. The flamboyant Narine with his carribean flair made the most of the powerplay with his 64 runs off 38 balls that involved 3 huge sixes. NEE bowlers pulled it back with the wickets of Milind and Narine. But the momentum gained was not lost as the pair of Abdullah Syed and Jonathan Foo carried on with their merry ways. Abdullah scored 27 off 17 balls while Jonathan Foo scored 36 off 25 balls taking the total to a highly competitive 176/5 given the nature of the surface that was on offer. The NEE response was far from ideal as disaster struck early with Trinson Carmichael ripping through their top order reducing them to 9/3 within no time. It was left to Andre Mccarthy to pick up the tab. But The Philadelphians with astute strategy and penetrative skills of the bowlers kept chipping away with wickets at regular intervals. The lower middle order of NEE tried to salvage some pride with occasional lusty blows but The Philadelphian bowlers had effectively knocked the wind out of the sails off NEE batsmen finishing at 140 in their 20 overs. Philadelphians completed a comprehensive 36 run victory with Man of the Match award going to Derrick Narine for his opening knock that effectively sealed the game.

With a victory behind our back, we were also aware of our inconsistency that often crept in through the course of the tournament. We were doubly careful not to let complacency creep in ahead of the next game. We were up against Manhattan Yorkers who comprehensively defeated us in our previous head to head encounter. Things didn’t seem to go our way at the start as Manhattan won the toss and elected to bowl. We would later realise that it was a good toss to lose. The opening pair of Milind and Derrick walked out to the field hoping to prove we are no push overs. The start was yet again fantastic with Milind and Narine taking full advantage of the field restrictions. They put on yet another 70-run partnership only that it was Milind taking on the aggressor role. Manhattan pulled things back slightly in their favor with the scalp of Narine and Veqar but Milind wasn’t going anywhere. With some support from the middle order batsmen, Milind stewarded the innings to safety with his 71 runs off 64 balls taking the team to 162/5 in 20 overs. A par score given the surface and the batting strength of our opponent. Our bowlers had a clear job at hand and they were up against it. Although we didn’t pick up early wickets, the run rate was in control. Pressure gave in and wickets fell. Danesh Patel and Christopher Barnwell carefully stitched their innings, taking the game deep and not taking undue risks. But The Philadelphians bowlers pressure tactics ensured the run rate was climbing every passing over. The Manhattan batsmen with their over cautious approach dug themselves into a hole as they failed to cross the line, scoring 153 runs in their 20 overs albeit losing only 4 wickets. All credit to our bowlers for holding their nerve and making sure they didn’t get away with a costly over.

The Philly Spirit

The Philadelphians completed back-to-back victories much to the delight of our fans and given the effort that went behind the scenes, least bit surprising. A moment that was elusive throughout the tournament. We have blown hot and cold with bowling and batting not firing in tandem. But that anomaly was effectively rectified with these 2 wonderful performances. Credit to the opening pair of Milind and Narine, showing their experience and delivering the goods when the team needed them the most. The opening pair set the tone for the bowlers to complement and boy did they do it splendidly. The victories have proven that we are no pushovers and coming back from adversity stands as a testament to the Philly Spirit. With these results, our journey is back on track and we hope to end the season on a positive note.

Go, Philly!!