Clubblad Amsterdamse Sportvereniging VRA
How's That verschijnt tijdens het cricketseizoen wekelijks
Van de voorzitter
Tiende Indiadag op VRA een groot succes
Afgelopen zaterdag, 25 juni, heeft de tiende Indiadag op rij op VRA plaatsgevonden. Het evenement, dat jaarlijks wordt georganiseerd door de Indiadesk van
Amsterdam inbusiness, het officiele bureau voor buitenlandse investeringen van de gemeente Amsterdam, was ook deze keer weer een groot succes. Het was een dag gevuld met spannende wedstrijden tussen in totaal 16 teams verdeeld over 4 poules, een open-wicket bowling competitie, heerlijk Indiaas eten en tot slot een drukbezochte Bitterballen & Samosa Business netwerkborrel waar onder anderen de ambassadeur van India, de heer
Daarnaast waren er vertegenwoordigers vanuit de beide gemeentes, het bedrijfsleven, de KNCB en het Amsterdamse Bos aanwezig die de gelegenheid aangrepen om elkaar beter te leren kennen en de mogelijkheden tot samenwerking te verkennen.
Jet Airways nieuwe hoofdsponsor VRA
Het bestuur van VRA is erg blij en trots dat tijdens deze Bitterballen en Samosa Business netwerkborrel, onder het toeziend oog van de ambassadeur van
India en de locoburge-meesters van Amsterdam en Amstelveen, de sponsorovereenkomst met luchtvaart-maatschappij Jet Airways, vertegenwoordigd door hun General Manager Benelux Samir Chada, is ondertekend. Jet Airways is daarmee voor de komende 2 jaar hoofdsponsor van VRA geworden.
Jet Airways heeft in 2016 gekozen voor Schiphol als haar Europese hub en verzorgt o.a. dagelijkse vluchten tussen Amsterdam en Mumbai. Binnenkort zal onze kersverse hoofdsponsor zichzelf in de How’s That verder introduceren bij de leden van VRA.
Op meerdere fronten was de Indiadag dus een zeer succesvolle dag voor het cricket in het algemeen en voor VRA in het bijzonder!
Dorien Rauwerda
Voorzitter VRA
Save the date for VRA Family day: Saturday 27th August
Save the date! Details about the program will be revealed at a later moment.
Please contact Tobias Maessen (secretaris@vra.nl) if you'd like to volunteer to help organize this event.
Friendly fixture vs Esbjerg CC: players needed!
On Friday 8th July 2016 VRA will host Esbjerg CC, a touring team from Denmark. We're hoping to have a youth match/event and a match for the grownups. Please let me know if you're available to play!
Tobias Maessen
secretaris@vra.nl
Wedstrijden deze week
ZA 02/07 9.00 VRA U14 - VOC (home)
ZA 02/07 9.00 Hermes - VRA U16 (away)
ZA 02/07 10.00 Bloemendaal - VRA U9 (2) (op Bloemendaal)
ZA 02/07 10.00 Qui Vive - VRA U9 (1) (op Bloemendaal)
ZA 02/07 10.00 VRA U10 - Bloemendaal (home)
ZA 02/07 13.00 VVV - VRA ZaEK (away)
ZA 02/07 13.30 VRA ZAMI 1 - Hilversum (home)
ZA 02/07 13.30 VRA ZAMI 2 - Ajax (home)
ZA 02/07 14.00 Kampong - VRA Twenty20 (away)
ZO 03/07 11.00 Excelsior'20 - VRA 1 (away)
ZO 03/07 12.00 VRA 2 - Ajax 2 (home)
ZO 03/07 13.00 VRA 3 - Sparta 2 (home)
ZO 03/07 13.00 VVV 2 - VRA 4 (away)
Wedstrijden volgende week
VR 08/07 12.00 VRA - Esbjerg CC (touring team) at VRA
VR 08/07 16.00 VRA - Esbjerg CC (touring team) at VRA
VR 08/07 18.30 VRA Twenty20 - ACC (home)
ZA 09/07 9.00 VRA U16 - HCC (home)
ZA 09/07 9.00 VRA U14 - Kampong (home)
ZA 09/07 10.00 Qui Vive - VRA U10
ZA 09/07 13.00 Quick Haag - VRA Dames
ZA 09/07 13.00 Ghausia - VRA ZaEK
ZA 09/07 13.30 VRA ZAMI 2 - HCC (home)
ZO 10/07 9.00 VRA U14 - Rijnmond (home)
ZO 10/07 9.00 VRA U16 - ACC (home)
ZO 10/07 11.00 Quick Haag - VRA 1
ZO 10/07 12.00 ACC 2 - VRA 2
ZO 10/07 13.00 Ghausia 2 - VRA 3
Lovely weather and great cricket @VRA!
Match report Clash of the Woods pt 1 (Zami1 vs Zami2), 4/6
EPIC JOURNEY THROUGH THE WOODS, ZAMI 2 LEADS THE WAY
Nadat we de Zami 1 de gelegenheid hebben gegeven de waarheid naar hun hand te kunnen zetten met een verslag van The Clash of The Woods, dan nu toch het verslag van deze epische wedstrijd.
The Clash is zoals iedereen weet DE wedstrijd van de zaterdagcompetitie en en sinds de lyrische verhandelingen van Herman Gorter himself ook van VRA.
De datum van deze wedstrijd is de eerste die men blokkeert in de agenda. Want als je dan wordt geselecteerd, dan ben zaterdag in ieder geval vrij. Iedereen stond dan ook te trappelen om toe te zien hoe Paul het wicket de laatste kneepjes gaf. Een ieder droomde al weg bij dit aanzicht, in de stellige overtuiging met een mooie prestatie de wedstrijd te winnen voor zijn team. Velen proberen het, slechts enkelen kunnen het. Alleen hele ernstige blessures, ellendige schoonmoeders en takke vriendinnen kunnen de mannen weerhouden deze wedstrijd te spelen. Zieke kinderen kunnen dat ook, maar dan moeten ze écht iets onder de leden hebben. Jammer Louis, volgende keer beter.
Nadat alle sprietjes toegesproken waren door Paul werd er getosst. Willy - drie vingers in het gips- won de toss en besloot eerst te gaan fielden. Natuurlijk een verdedigende keuze die, naar het scheen in de eerste overs, goed uit leek te pakken. Zami 2 opende met Goold ol' Harry Horsman en Ye old Boy George... helaas zat Boy snel aan de kant door het hengelen op een wide van Dilhan. De man daarna had niet op zitten letten, Davey Dave ging op EXACT dezelfde manier uit. 2 vangen voor Jules Molenaar in de gully. Fat Harry Potter kwam daarna het veld in... stand: 7-2. Willy stond te shinen, de toss gewonnen en de wedstrijd ook al bijna in de pocket. Fat Harry en Harry hadden een kalmerend partnershipje totdat Harry LBW gegeven werd. Marni meti moksi speciaal was de gelukkige bowler, en na 7 overs was de stand 50 voor 3. Willy vergat dat hij zijn vingers gebroken heeft en stond grijnzend iedereen te high fiven. Zelfs mevrouw Kappelle (thanks for coming) moest er aan geloven. Captain Bob stuurde toen Khanzadah de wei in met de uitdrukkelijke instructie de rust te bewaren en even in te spelen. Dat liet Khan zich geen twee keer zeggen, zo snel stond hij in de crease om zo snel mogelijk zo hard mogelijk tegen het roze leder(? is het leer?) te beuken. Khan sloeg een snelle 28 totdat hij een bal bij Willy in zijn handen sloeg: 93 voor 4 en nog een gebroken vinger voor Willy - vier in het gips?. Leidt al dat trainen in de winter er dan niet toe dat je normaal een bal kan vangen? Goed, na Khan kwam Bernhard Steinmacher en met die Duitse gründlichkeit die hem zo kenmerkt, werd er aan een mooi partnership gebouwd met Fat Harry. Een mooie 101 partnership later tussen Bernie en Bokito stond er plots een mooi totaal op de borden: 194 voor 5. Het mooie van partnerships is dat het veld van het fieldende team doorgaans begint te muiten, zo ook bij Zami 1. Zo stonden er wat Captains op die zich met de strategie begonnen te bemoeien. Hierbij volledig voorbijgaand aan het geweldige batten van Furry en Bernhard. Persoonlijk hoogtepuntje was een 4 door midwicket van Capel, de bal nadat de fielder van midwicket naar de offside was gehaald. In de 5 overs die nog restten waren Bearded Ron Weasley, Arthur, Spekmans en Bob niet in staat om de lead die Capel en Bernie hadden opgezet, uit te bouwen. Capel zijn wicket viel op 209 met nog 4 ballen te gaan. Een mooie 79 runs die Zami 2 in de hotseat zetten. Na 35 overs stond er 216 op het bord. een totaal dat willy- bruised fingers - met zijn mannen nog maar moest zien te maken. Bijzondere vermelding: tweede wedstrijd in successie pakt Captain Iglo twee vangen, bravo. Heeft dan toch met Captaincy te maken denk ik. .
Het humeur van de The great train bobbery was allengs beter geworden, omgekeerd evenredig het humeur van Zami 1. Er was dan ook genoeg vertrouwen om een goede fielding sessie neer te zetten. Bokito mocht na wat fruit en een koude douche even langs de kant bijkomen, de rest van de spelers van Zami 2 begon direct met keiharde druk uit te oefenen. Bob en Mijndert openden de bowling, waarbij moet worden vermeld dat Mijndert bijkans onbespeelbaar was. Double O O O O Rosine viel in de val van il Pancetta en ging eerste bal, gevangen door Bearded Ron : 2 voor 1 na 1.1. Dilhan Ha na na na naaa zijn wicket viel 16 runzen later en zo stond het plots 18 voor 2 na 4.6. In de negende over was het weer raak: Haseeb Gul zat met 5 runs langs de kant: 30 voor 3 na 9.3. Dit was een slechtere start dan Zami 2, en zo begon het er naar uit te zien dat dit precies zo'n dag was dat je de toss beter kunt verliezen. Alleen Mike Wier hield moedig stand, maar was ook niet bestand tegen het geweld van Mine Mine Mine Mine en mocht in over 12 gaan douchen. Alle Bowlers deden wat van ze werd verwacht: Bernhard, Mike George, Furry hielden er allemaal de druk op, en namen hier en daar wat wickets. Echte weerstand werd geboden door gewezen captain en voormalige Grand Mufti van de Zami, Ome Vino Fleau. Met 30 not out was hij de absolute uitblinker van Zami 1. Ome Flow perste het ene na het andere tweetje uit zijn grote lijf en als in zijn jonge jaren dartelde hij met Jules, marnix, Sally en van Kempenade over het gras om er wat van te maken. En af en toe leek het er ook op dat ze het onmogelijke gingen presteren. Oh nee toch niet, dat was een andere wedstrijd in een andere tijd. In deze wedstrijd in deze tijd wist iedereen wel hoe laat het was, en hoe moedig Ome Flo in de strijd voorop ging in deze verloren wedstrijd. Geen enkel moment liet Ome Flo zijn ongenoegen blijken over de wedstrijd... o ja toch wel, maar we hebben het er niet meer over, dat was het.. sorry Flo. Een voorbeeld voor menig speler van Zami 1. Laten we hopen dat ze handschoen oppakken en een keer gaan winnen. Vergeet ik nog de uitzonderlijke prestatie Khan Wassup met de bal te melden. Op afspraak dat Haseeb en Khan niet voluit zouden bowlen, heerste double K ook met Slow bowlen. De fantastische cijfers 2 voor 7 in 6 spreken voor zich.... Stilte.... applaus... buigen.. applaus... afgaan.... weer opkomen... applaus... buigen... afgaan. (volgende keer blijven voor de speeches aub)
Uiteindelijk is de wedstrijd tot en met de 12e over van de batting innings van Zami 1 spannend geweest. Alle ballen die daarna gebowled werden voelden als een zegetocht die zijn weerga niet kent. Er schijnt in het oude Rome wel eens een keizer geweest die dit een klein beetje kon benaderen. Een grote golf van succes waar 11 mannen met genoegen op bleven surfen, een knap staaltje teamwork van de hoogste orde. Zo is cricket bedoeld, zo moet het gespeeld worden, zo moet beleving zijn. Een wedstrijd met helden aan beide kanten- Mijndert, Capel, Khan, harry en bernhard; Captain Iglo, Roti speciaal, dilhan, Dr. Weird, ome Flow, Julia, van Kempenade (runout). Vol van emotie, beleving, sportiviteit en beleving en emotie. Het publiek was de grote winnaar... en ome Bob natuurlijk. 3 keer winnen uit 4 wedstrijden is al tijden niet voorgekomen op VRA.
Lang verhaal kort: Mooie pot, terechte winnaar, herkansing in augustus.
Bob "Esponja" Prenen
PS en nu niet allemaal onze wedstrijdbal gaan sponsorren, dat is alleen aan de Diehard fans voorbehouden (dank mevrouw Kappelle)
Match report VRA U10 vs Kampong, 18/6 (away)
The trip to Utrecht was VRA U10's second away game of the season so it was an early start and we (almost) all made it in time, despite the road works in the immediate surrounding of the Kampong Cricket Club. What the venue lacks in atmosphere was more than made up for by the graciousness of our hosts and the game that would follow. There was a watery sun in the air and rain was threatening, but it remained dry throughout the match, only for the downpour to start some 45 minutes after it's conclusion. So the weather gods were sympathetic and as it would turn out, so were the cricket gods.
VRA batted first and we put in a strong effort, especially in protecting the wicket. Everyone on the team has made significant strides in form and was performing at a noticeably higher level. Joshua and Arham were up to their usual high standards, but the whole team was hitting, running and communicating much more deliberately. Some on-the-spot batting coaching by Andrew turned out to be remarkable effective in helping some of our boys improve their stance and grip and consequently produce better overs. Kampong had a couple of really strong bowlers on their side, and were apt enough at fielding so they made our boys work for it. But admirably, we lost very few wickets to preventable errors and were properly bowled, run out or caught for the rest. In the end, VRA scored 109 runs of 16 overs plus 34 extras, with only 7 wickets gone.
But fielding is where VRA U10 is at it's strongest and it really showed this morning. Bowling produced only 14 wides and we took 17(!) wickets! And almost all of them proper ones, as Kampong weren't giving it away in any way. It was a remarkable display of really economical bowling, fast handling and some great catches. The game was decided well before it was over, but everyone just kept at it and produced some great cricket. Kampong scored 83 runs and 28 extras, but the 17 wickets was what reaally did them in.
It was the U10 squad's best performance of the season and a promise of more to come. Final score VRA 228 - Kampong 146.
Michel Benevento
Match report VRA U16 vs VCC, 18/6
VRA U-16s were hoping to find their second win of the season and snap a two game losing streak when they hosted VCC. VRA was boosted by the debut of Haseeb Gul and the return of Sam Freeman. In damp conditions VRA decided to bowl first and the opening bowlers were able to keep the batsmen quiet. The breakthrough was found by Thomas Debaig when he dismissed Babette for 4. The VRA pace bowlers were then able to pick up regular wickets to restrict VCC to only 119. Haseeb Gul and Alec Pulver both claimed two wickets with Omer Hassan and Vikram Singh both getting one. After a circumspect start by the VRA openers, three wickets fell in quick succession to leave VRA at 3 for 33. More wickets fell as the batsmen tried to raise the run rate. Milo Fordham and Sam Freeman played aggressively to bring the game back in reach of VRA but Sam’s wicket in the penultimate over was a large blow. VRA now needed to hit a 4 in order to win the game with Haseeb on strike. The ball of pumped straight past the bowler but the wet outfield significantly slowed the ball down as it was cut off by long on. 2 runs were ran which meant VRA fell an agonising 1 run short. VRA will play VCC again this Friday, where they can hopefully seek revenge.
Alec Pulver
Match report VRA Dames vs HilKamp, 18/6
VRA ladies beat Hilkamp
40 overs - 18th of June
With no less than 13 people we arrived to VRA in schizo-weather. Luckily the rainclouds blew over Amsterdamse Bos the moment we started our game. Who ever won the toss doesn’t matter, we were doing exactly what we wanted to do, we were fielding first. With two people to rotate in the field, there was plenty opportunity for everyone to shine.
There was a promise made to get some quick wickets, from me to Icara, and I put all my efforts as a captain into making that happen haha. Icara and me opened the bowling and immediately put on some pressure. Quick LBW and we saw the first batsman leaving the field. Haas came on and started bowling amazingly, we had an almost catch by Katie - amazing effort- and a catch was just bound to happen. Maartje rocking it in the covers got batsman number 2 out with a beauty of a catch. It was time to put on our magical bowler Annefleure, the catch possibilities were flying around. No surprise there, Git caught no less than two catches on Fleurtjes bowling in the covers. Such good stuff. Anne bowled batsman number 5, we also had a nice and tight run out and then Lot came on bowling. Two amazing wickets, one into the hands of wicketkeeper Sassy and the other one went into the hands of miss midwicket Fleur. Git also had amazing overs and got a wicket through a running catch by Lot. Maartje was looking very good on the boundary with her bionic arm. Sarah, katie and Titia were stopping every ball, throwing in skillfully, everyone really kept the runs down. They didn’t dare to run and when they did we had a run out. Muhaha. It just all looked sooo good from wherever I was standing in the field. I’m so proud of the team! All the bowlers and fielders really did so well.
All around a great team effort and we had them all out within 23 overs for 76.
Haas 1-4-5
Fleur 2-13-3
Lot 2-14-3
Git 1-5-2
Nathi 1-7-5
Git and katie opened the 2nd innings, we had 40 overs to get to 77 runs and a strong batting order. So we were going in confident and collected. Time to get used to being in the middle for our batters. Katie sadly had to leave the field relatively quick, but she looked great out there. Git was guiding our batters. Anne was up next, looking and sounding like a proper batter. She and Git were building up a partnership. Anne has such long legs, she has the Maartje-thing going, as if they only need 3 steps to get to the other side of the wicket. They had a partnership of 43. Then Lot came into the middle and banged out 7 runs not out and together with Git took us to the finishline. Git had 33 runs not out, with a combination of great cricket skills and calmness and creating a comfortable atmosphere to get the less experienced batters to shine aswell. Great stuff Gittie! Meanwhile we had some fielders substituting for the Hilkamp ladies and I was feeling like Sal in our Quick1888 game earlier this season. Sitting with your legguards on the whole 2nd innings haha.
Great stuff team! #winning
The third innings we had a serious pool off, which was loads of fun and a few stayed to dance a bit at the wicket cricket fest that the HCC guys were throwing. We witnessed Pauls bowling skills on a improvised wicket next to the downstairs bar, there was a LOT going on downstairs. Lots of laughs. Less than 2 weeks from now the VRA women will be touring to Kent, to play three games of cricket in the beautiful Royal Tunbridge Wells and Canterbury area. We are full force prepping for the tour at the moment. It will be awesomeness. Next week we’ll be playing an away game at VOC. I haven’t heard anyone about the WOTM after the game, but I have nominees for the team! 1. Git, for great bowling, fielding, amazing batting, catching and her happy spirit :) 2. Lot, bowling, batting and a running catch 3. Fleur, magical bowling, pressuring the batsmen into hitting catches and catching skills 4. Anne, fielding, bowling out the midstump and looking amazingly good whilst batting 5. Sarah, for not giving away a single run during her first cricket game with us. Skills!
Match report VRA 4 vs Kikkers, 19/6
Fell Short but Hard fought.
It was nice weather for a good day of uninterrupted cricket. The game was at ground-3. The team started with Shady's customized warm-up drills for VRA4. The team has started enjoying these drills - especially the grass piano and just rolling over the grass.
Riding on the momentum of a good win last Sunday against Quivive-3, the plan was to keep it exactly the same like last week with no alterations. Win the toss, choose to bat, play the full quota of 40 overs, defend it with our mighty bowling attack and have fun while doing all of it. It was easier said than done.
Sud won the toss. The captain reiterated the plan while few guys who knew what is gonna be said took this moment to think about some pleasant moments of their lives. The batting order remained the same from the last match and the top 4 were geared up for the 1 p.m. start with few customary knocks before going on the field. The stage was now set for VRA4 to show its true potential which has been due for some time.
Rahul Bhatt & Viju opened the innings. After few overs of treading cautiously, Viju got a ball which ought to be punished - short in length, no much pace and aimed at the stumps. The ball seemed to have a mind of its own - to take a top edge and land into the safe hands of mid-on. The ball won this encounter. This time Viju was not as distraught as the last few times when he was given l.b.w. He took the challenge with the ball and knows that he can get on top of the contest the next time around. Khalid joins Bhatt. In the mean while, Bhatt had inconspicuously asked for Lakki's Kookaburra and wasted no time in unleashing some flurry of sixes and at the same time instilling fear into the opposition. One such mistimed hit landed in the shaky hands of long-off without been spilled. The opposition's joy knew no bounds. Score was now 34/2 in 7 overs. Thapa was the next man in. Khalid was determined to take over from Bhatt and take the team forward but fate had other plans. The ball sneaked under his bat and the sticks tumbled. That was the moment when all his innings in this season flashed in his mind at once. Score was now 36/3 in 8 overs. JD joins Thapa to rebuild the innings. Runs weren't hard to come by. Singles and Twos were taken easily. That's when Thapa got a peach of a delivery pitching outside off and jagging back in to peg his middle-stump back. Thapa consoled himself thinking that the best of batsmen could have been out to that delivery. Score now was 52/4 in 12 overs. Top 4 batsmen in the hut.
Shady goes in - to the field (pun intended). Two experienced guys at crease. One Mr Dependable and the other in glistering form brining his nuances from the Top class. Caution mixed with aggression when needed. Loose balls were punished. Aptly aided by the opposition by peppering wides almost every over. Guys were awestruck when there were overs bowled without a wide. This was turning out to be a very good partnership. Thats when JD gave his wicket away trying to make room and hitting the ball to the off to an innocuous spin bowler. The edge was gleefully accepted by the keeper. JD soon realized his folly and walked back to the pavilion reminiscing his better knocks. This turned out to be the highest partnership of the innings -79 , followed by the second highest contributor - the extras (57). Score was now 131/5 in 25 overs.
Harpreet joined Shady. He started off with a sweet looking paddle scoop off the spinner for a double. The start looked promising. With bulk of overs left and few recognized batsmen left in the dugout, these guys were steadily ticking off the scoreboard with Harpreet scoring a massive six over square with the Kookaburra. Harpreet once again tried to clear the flags but that turned out to be his nemesis - caught somewhere between mid-off and long-off. Was a good partnership of 42. Two balls later Shady tried a cheeky dab to the third man off the same bowler which ended up in a nick to the keeper. The nick dawned upon him that he will only play more naturally from here-on. Sharad skied the first ball he faced. 3 wickets in the same over. Score was 174/8 in 34 overs. Sud seemed to be stranded at the other end. Ram's runout soon after didn't help the teams cause. Awais joined Sud. Sud managed a lusty blow for a six. Tried something similar again only to be caught at mid off. Total score was 190 in about 37 overs. Looked 20-25 runs short than intended.
Still good enough runs on the board to defend. The plan was simple - keep tight lines, give your best on the field, keep the energy levels high and not to think too far ahead. Kikkers had a top heavy line-up of batsmen. Each capable of taking the game away on a given day. Ram started off the over. A boundary was scored off an over-pitched delivery which the team learnt was their batsmen's strength later. Thapa bowling from the end was miserly with runs. 14/0 in 4 overs. Then a couple of boundaries made it 27/0 in 6 overs. A breakthrough was needed. First bowling change was made. The need of the hour - Sharad was brought into the attack. Unni - their opening batman was beaten by pace. He seemed to be checking with the umpire whether he had called a no-ball, it was infact the grunt by Sharad which confused him. The batsmen sensed they had an ìssue at hand and were more cautious now.
Awais started from the other end and in no time the first wicket well. Unni tried to whip the ball towards leg but missed it and saw his stumps rattled. Sharad maintained the pressure at the other end and soon the other opener gave his wicket - caught by JD at point. Their two best batsmen were now at crease. Both of them were clearing the boundaries easily and punishing any ball which was even slightly over pitched. When Chandan was at crease a catch came begging at square leg which was put down by Ram. Chandan was in no mood to relent. He tried to clear the ropes off JD's bowling which went high into the sky only for Vijay to come nicely under it at long-on and take an excellent catch. 80/3 in 17 overs. Match still evenly balanced. VRA 4 still looking for that one elusive wicket to tilt the game in our favor. Amit Dixit held fort from one end and was striking the ball nicely and taking singles towards the end of the over.
A. Verma could not last long - was caught and bowled by JD. J. Jithin came next. He struggled a lot facing Bhatt and wasn't able to get to the other end easily. He was relieved of his misery by Awais - which he had nicked to Harpreet. 122 /6 in 26 overs. Still anybody's game with one batsman in the way of VRA4. Amit was relentless in stroke making in the meanwhile and running hard between the wickets. Their number 7 tried to put some resistance and built a partnership of about 40 runs with the bulk of runs scored by Amit. Ram was brought into the attack. He took the wicket of the Number 7 - clean bowled and giving 1 run in that over. 161 /7 in 33 overs. Still 30 to get in 7 overs. Energy still high - giving everything one could. 19 runs were scored in the next two overs without loosing a wicket. With no further risk the batsmen played sensibly to take their team home comfortably in the end. Due credit to their batsman who stood his ground. The game was lost but not the spirit.
Thanks to the club for arranging a surprisingly good lunch. It had paella, chicken curry and pasta apart from the usual sandwiches. Was good to see Avnish and Keshav cheering the team from the sidelines and passing on live updates to the group. The captain has hinted a re-jig in the batting order for the next game. He seemed very favourable to the idea of reversing the batting order for the next game. One has to wait and see. If I've missed any details it wasn't intentional.
Ram Prabhu
Match report VRA U10 vs ACC, 25/6 (away)
Off to our next game: home against Bloemendaal!
Nesbit & Sander
Match report VRA Zami 1 vs Ajax Zami 1, 25/6 (away)
Match report VRA Zami 1 vs Ajax Zami 1, 25/6 (away)
“Ajax Zami 132-7 (35 overs), VRA Zami 1 133-6” pretty much sums up a well-spent afternoon.
These simple numbers, however, cover a multitude of pre-match exotic endeavors and challenges, among which:
Getting the team together, having dwindled from a comfortable 20 players available on the preceding Monday to only 7 this past Friday, required a Houdini act from our esteemed captain Louis, a feat he pulled off by flying in 4 players from the extended VRA players' pool (a big thank you to Keshav, Sam, Karan and Vikram).
Finding the pitch in the middle of nowhere (was it Lugdunum, the Baseball pitch, HSV Biento or UVS?), which, once located, turned out to be more of a paradise for those of the bovine persuasion, featuring thick, knee-length grass.
Winning the toss: although the cunning Ajax captain claimed that weather conditions made for “a batter's paradise”, VRA thwarted this devious ploy by choosing to field first, a decision that ultimately paved the way for a glorious victory.
Naturally, many a memorable moment was shared during the match: we fielded, had lunch and batted. Afterwards, the weekly post-game analysis included eleven professional PoVs, all varying depending on egos, beer intake, the quality of the outside seating arrangements and the sun's strength. This ritual, a long-standing tradition taking anywhere from 2 hours up to next week's match, is not only about analyzing the actual match but tends to go back to centuries past and involves entire families' cricket history. As it turns out, fathers play an important role in their sons' introduction to and enjoyment of cricket. Therefore, in order to secure the continuation of this tradition, all cricketers will need to start large families and teach their cricket children well.
Lastly, some highlights which shall not go without mention: while at the start skies were grey with the occasional drizzle and forecasts spoke of more dreariness yet to come, it all ended in a beautiful, sun-drenched evening laced with cold beers. A stork flew in from The Hague to watch the game for a bit, perched on a lamppost nearby. Two accidental spectators were scared away. It is never a good idea to step on a cricket ball. Ajax serves an incredibly diverse selection of fried snacks. Stay calm, we shall win in the end.
Arthur Vreeke
Match report VRA Dames vs VOC, 25/6 (away)
VRA – VOC home game away…. How many cars does a ladies cricket team require to get 10 players to an away game? We broke an all time record with ….. 5 cars!
Even though the T20 competition was over – we played 20 overs instead of 40 on request of VOC. Good news for some of us . Captain Nathi lost the toss (again!?) and we started with fielding. Just before taking our positions there was a surprise for birthday girl Git, she was given an exotic tiara to wear. The palm trees were waving happily, made our opponents jealous and one lucky girl succeeded in wearing it for a moment.
Nathi and Haas were the opening bowlers, the young VOC players only managed to make a few runs against them, while the VRA ladies tried to get their bearings on artificial grass. This resulted in a great start of the match and set the trend for the remainder of the 1st innings. Ica bowled 4 great overs, Lot bowled 2 wickets, Git took 2 (1 caught behind and 1 LBW), and Sally, our wicket keeper for the day, stumped one of the VOC girls, after a few warnings, on Annefleur’s bowling. They have to learn, even if it is the hard way. Cherry on our cake was Annefleur’s maiden 4th over! Score after 20 overs was 5-89.
With a target of 90, captain Nathi decided to shake up the batting order, Git opened as usual, this time partnering with Fleur. Titia and Lot followed as 3 and 4. Our batting order never extended further than that, as Fleur went in and did a great job with 29 not out, and Lot played a nice game of hockey and hit 6 boundaries and some singles, totaling 32. Git and Titia made some contribution to the grand total as well, and so did Ms. Wide and Ms. No Ball.
Next match we play in Canterbury, ladies on tour……making our (br)exit at 7.45 am on Thursday 30 June at the Olympic Stadium. For the send-off committee – super nice that you come to see us safely off!
Lot en Titia
Match report VRA 4 vs Rood & Wit, 26/6
26 June 2016
Revenge of VRA Together!!
So boys its Sunday! Finally the much awaited game, one of the toughest of the season is here! Some players stopped drinking alcohol 2 days prior to this match, but exceptions are always there in our very own slim shady, and some maybe weren’t having sex! We will never know. But, all for this game.
And then it happened..! and this is how…
Chapter 1 – Captain Sud and the long drawn decision making!
Captain (DJ) Sud! Ensuring the batsman get a good knock in nets before the match, called the team well before the scheduled start for a focused net session. Entire focus prior to this match was on batting specially the top order.
Winning the toss was I guess the last thing DJ Sud wanted. But Murphy’s law prevailed and Captain had a decision to make. Also, few difficult changes were made in the squad by dropping few star players to bring a better balance to the team for this match.
So Back to toss.. a lot of variables (like their batting and our bowling) were pointed out by our captain before the decision finally got made. Pretty much like Brexit voting, team votes were split between bat first and bowl first. Sud, who was in favour of bowling first like me, finally justified his decision by smartly changing the variable to “guys our bowling is a variable, so lets bowl first and remove the variable from the picture”.
So now, its decided we are bowling. Again Capt Sud steals the limelight by disappearing to Pee, but again smartly coming back with a chalk to justify his absence. In the meanwhile, JD / Shady combination of acting captains in absence of Sud, decided to start the game with a man short. Sud wasn’t that impressed to be honest! Despite of a wicket! I wonder what would have happened had that over gone for 8 or more runs without a wicket … I don’t want to know.. I guess a lot of BChod / MChod/ GMalo/ MCwalo …
But Thapa saved us.. wait for the next chapter.
Chapter 2 – Thapa Express!
Behind every successful man, is a woman. That justifies Thapa’s breath taking bowling performance on Sunday. Presence of his Wify, I hope (and not her friends) motivated Thapa for the stunning inswing bowling (one of the best I have seen). Don’t forget we started with a man short and bam, before anyone could even settle in, Thapa knocked the middle wicket of the opening batsman out of the ground with a banana inswinger. Peach of a bowling performance and he continued to rock the top order of R&W and Thapa finished with over all 4 wickets giving away only 29 runs.
He was not done yet… who will forget that catch Thapa took of JDs first bowl, flying to the left, full stretch of the arm, and plucked it from thin air. I wish Sidhu was there to describe it!!
Chapter 3 – Butterfingers – The Dropped Catches, missed stumping!
Overall a forgetful day in terms of fielding with quite a few dropped catches, couple of them however, had a big impact on the game. Shady who opened the bowling with Thapa, bowled supremely well with his cross seam controlled bowling. R&W reeling at 9 for 4 wicket might have been wrapped up within 50 runs had our fielders supported Shady and got Singh out for a 0. Unfortunately, he went ahead and got a not out 55 to boost the R&W score to 103 in 40 overs.
Overall a superb bowling performance. Awais, Avnish, JD & Bhatt too had a brilliant game with the bowl.
Chapter 4 – The Chase!
With a new opening combination of Bhatt and Sud, we were pretty confident of a win chasing 103. Solid Sud was a perfect foil for the devastating Bhatt. And that is exactly what we saw. After two overs of Suds solid defense, Bhatt decided to surprise and annihilate the opponents. He played with a panache and a flair. A treat to watch and it was raining boundaries and sixes all over the pitch with Bhatt and his Kookabura. We had a flying start with 30 in 3 overs. Unfortunately, Bhatt got bowled playing a chicky shot down to third man and dragging it on to stumps. We lost Khaleed and Giri in short time followed by Sud, but then JD and Shady steadied the ship and got us in a strong situation with 6 runs to win. In an attempt to finish off in Dhoni’s style we lost JD, Keshava and Avnish which made an easy 6 wicket victory a tight 3 wicket victory. But, it was easier than the numbers depict.
A convincing victory in the end (I believe so) and a good comeback from the previous loss to R&W! Kudos to the boys!
Team for the Match: Bhatt, Sud, Khaleed, Giri, Jd, Shady, Keshava, Avnish, Harpreet, Thapa, Awais, Niksy.
Keshava Lal
