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SA9 DISHING IT OUT

MCC SA9 were still in the Qurbaani spirit as they slaughtered Aryans on saturday. Bowling first the lads bundled the opposition out for a meagre 51! They knew the MCC Big Deals- Mr and Mrs Chairman,and Farhaad were coming, and topped it up with a great performance. However, the "kalegi" braai was the highlight of the afternoon!!!!





And the captain has the last word, he CAN catch!!!

WEATHER REIGNS SUPREME

All MCC fixtures washed out this past weekend...

Yassis it was only Swaar for Swaraj

The SA 8 team made the great trek to the Masala Desert (LENZ) for the fixture against Azad Swaraj. It was useless to predict what the wicket was going to do coz it was just an Astro wicket. Captain Braveheart Rashaad Rawat choose to bowl first on the astro turf and it proved to be a good decision as Hamza Bhai and Muhajir "Broekies" Rawat ripped the opening line up to shreds. The opposition were reeling at 6 runs for 3 wickets at one stage, but as usual we slacked of and underestimated the opposition who were able to muster up a brave 100 all out.

The mental strength of the team was key to pulling of a win against a team who play mind games throughout the entire innings. Avi "Clueless" Goven and Hamza bhai were victims of these mind games and the saying of "HOU KOP" or "HOLD YOUR HEAD" proved to be the deciding factor in ensuring the victory was in the bag.

Hazrat Joe Chotia bagged the man of the match performance for his batting performance of 38 runs and overall the team dynamics are now all falling onto place.

We now march on the the next fixture Boeta over and out..

SA8 MCC vs. Midrand 7/11/2009

Once again a super effort from our bowlers as MCC restricted Midrand to 130 all out. Pick of the bowlers Muhajir Rawat with figures of 3/19.

Looking at our batting scorecard, it sure seemed like our batsmen upfront were playing "tata ma chance" as we lost 3 wickets with only 30 runs on the board. Once again Muhajir “brookies” came to the rescue and played a patient knock of 26 not out to secure victory.
Man of the match: Muhajir Rawat for his 3/19 with the ball and 26 not out.

Awesome team performance and nice to see the Skipper happy :)

MCC SA5 DOING THE BUSINESS AGAINST BEDFORDVIEW

Another sterling performance by SA5 as they march up the table.

Bowling first, MCC restricted Bedfordview to 158/6 in their allotted 40 overs. Aadil superb with the new ball,taking 2/17 in his 8 overs.Consistent great pace by Aadil has been a highlight of the season thus far,always keeping the openers honest, and getting a good start with the ball.

On the batting side, Moosa Patel hit some form with a splendid 48, and the match concluded with another man of the match performance by Farhad scoring 50 not out.

The captain was stern towards his players after the game however. Too many wides,batsman throwing their wickets away at crucial times, and some indiscipline creeping into play.The team though is improving as a unit. A winning culture instilled in the players as well.There is a chance for league glory this season. All players got to pull their weight and rise during crucial fixtures, and the results I am sure, will speak for themselves.

SA9 TRIUMPHS AGAINST LCC

Naeem Nathi - Man of the Match scoring 42 not out and also taking 2 wickets.

Marlboro Cricket Club SA9 bowled out LCC for 133.

It looked liked they were heading for defeat at 54/5. In stepped Naeem Nathi and Muhammad Seedat.They steadied the innings, but in the nineties disaster struck. Mohammed had to retire due to illness(or old catching up with the toppies??). MCC Legend Ismail "Jones" Loonat strode in and he and Nathi went on to finish off the match. Jones not out for 11.

Disappointing examples set by the captain (Mr Dislocated Finger) and vice captain(butterfingers), both dropping catches!!

All round a good performance by the lads.

CONGRATS TO OUR MAN BHANA

Great developments off the field...




Bhana, we salute you.

MCC Secretary Mohamed Bhana got engaged to Fatima( sister of ex-secretary Naeem Loonat's wife) on Saturday evening.

Speaking to blog reporter Eboo at the reception, a cool Bhana quipped:
"This feels better than scoring a century!"

On behalf of the players and supporters of MCC, we wish Mohamed and Fatima well on this joyous occasion and all the happiness and contentment in your future lives together.

Mumbai boy hits record 439 in school cricket tie

MUMBAI: "I swear I'll never hit another 400 in my life. Slogging on the field is way easier than posing!" joked 12-year-old Sarfaraz Khan as he flopped down with fatigue on the grass at Cross Maidan after the glut of cameras made him pose and pout with his gear on till they were sure they had had enough of him.

The 12-year-old lad from Springfield Rizvi smashed his way into the record books when he scored 439 against a hapless Indian Education Society in the U-16 inter-school Harris Shield three-day match on Wednesday. Sarfaraz faced 421 balls and hit an incredible 12 sixes and 56 fours - which tots up to a near-triple century in only fours and sixes -- over two days. This is the highest score by an individual in the 113-year history of the holy grail of school cricket in the city, and with it Sarfaraz erased the previous mark of 422 by Sanjeev Jadhav of Shardashram Vidyamandir in 1986.

The Harris Shield is the same tournament that launched Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli, representing Shardashram, who strung a record 664-run alliance against St Xavier's in 1988. Incidentally, Tendulkar's 329 and Kambli's 349 rank among the top ten in the tournament's history. Interestingly, the Rizvi total of 750-9 declared in 122 overs was a notch higher than what Tendulkar and Kambli's team amassed (748-2 in 120 overs).

Resuming at his overnight score of 225, the spangle-eyed Sarfaraz walked in with a message - 300. The only time the Std VI lad took his eyes off the ball was to take in the numbers coach Raju Pathak was putting together on his fingers, indicating his next target. "I am a complete target person. You tell me you want this and I'll give it to you. Once I touched my triple century, word came in about Sachin Tendulkar's mark of 358. That conquered, I managed 400 and that's when the record came into the picture. I was thrilled to bits."

SA5 PUTS SCAW TO THE SWORD

MCC SA5 put in a wonderful performance to record their third victory of the season.

After a downpour at our home oval, Chairman Zain quickly arranged to move to fixture to Scawlands. Bowling first on a rather sleepy wicket MCC bundled out the host for a meagre 134. Chief destroyers Nasier 4/33 and Juju,turning back the years 4/19.

The chase with a large storm loooming, was awesome. After openers Moosa and Zain departed, Eboo looked good scoring 39 off 42 balls, and Farhad 50 not out off 59.Nasier ended the game with a huge six!

However, yet again we struggled to kill off the game after taking the early advantage.In my opinion, we are under-estimating the oppositions lower order and bowling erratically rather than sticking to what we good at. If we stick to the basics and make the batsman look for the runs, the wickets should take care of themselves. We are improving and this season looks full of promise.

Next fixture: Away to Bedfordview...

MAN OF THE MATCH SA5 AGAINST SCAW

(Farhad Essop 50 not out) & Nazeer Hafijee (7 overs 4/19)

CONGRATS BOYZ!

SA9 ON WINNING WAYS

The MCC SA9 team overcame Zulfikars XI with a fine all round team performance.




Amod was in fine form scoring 59



Nathie also had a great afternoon scoring 40* and taking 3/36



OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Patrou's chicken tikka was awesome!!!

Captain Makda once again dropped a eeeeeeeeezy catch.

Brilliant individual effort by Chodree with a great direct hit onto the stump!!



ONCE AGAIN AN ENTERTAINING AFTERNOON OF CRICKET ENJOYED BY THE LADS.

video of wickets SA5

HOPE IT WORKS! SORRY NO SOUND

SA5 AGAINST AZAD SWARAJ

The field look like the back of a pickitup truck as the SA5 XI arrived at Lenasia Progress Grounds, eager to continue where they left off after a convincing victory against Old Maristonians 7 days before.
After some picking it up, and sweeping excess water off the playing area, the game began with MCC bowling first.
It seems Nasier's usage of Sheen for 'curvy' hair from Pops paid off, as he went on bamboozling the Swaraj top order with a 'fifer' 5/25 off his 8 overs.
At drinks Azad Swaraj 71/6. But slow over rate cost 40 penalty runs.9 down for 158. Target 199

The chase was dismal.
Swaraj bowling was superb. Moving the ball all over the show,our batsman not upto the challenge. MCC finished on 145
Moosa , Kadwa , Eboo , Archie ,telephone numbers.
Farhad the only batsman with respectability, 69. (Some other sorta number!)

All in all a lesson learnt. Elementary error not completing the allotted overs costed in the end.
Men of the Match: Farhaad and Nasier.

Southern Wipeout

Match day 4 and after a rained out game the previous week it looks like the storm follwed the SA8 team to southern suburbs.The heavy cloud cover and threatening thunder and lightning was just a sign of what was to come.

Captain Rawat was paak this week and won the toss, electing to field first. The southern suburbs team were restricted to 147 all out in the 40 overs and the MCC SA 8 team did well to keep Mr Extra runs under control.

The time came to bat and even after the early loss of Muhajir "Broekies" and Hazrat Joe Captain Rashaad lead from the front hitting a few huge sixes( 2 of them right out the ground) making 57. We seemed on track to have the game in the bag but we were deceived by some really deceptive slow bowling and the team was bundled out for 139.

There were no excuses for the bad performance and perhaps we needed the loss to give the guys a wake up call. Team spirits remain high and going forward all players are going to have to pull their weight and lift their game.

Man of the Match was award to Rashaad Rawat for his batting performance

This is Boeta Signing out

Should we stop entertaining the products endorsed by cricket players?

Should we stop entertaining the products endorsed by cricket players??

HAPPY DIWALI

To all our Hindu players and supporters, and their families, joyous and happy Diwali greetings to you!
May you have a splendid day and even more festive evening!

Cricket Explained

This is the correct position the wicketkeeper should be in. Note the slightly bent knees for easy manoevering to both sides.
The Batsman's focus should still be at the bowler.
White clothing must always be worn.
Cricketers should always appreciate fine legs..

Heavy Weather.....

Match day 2 and weather predictions seemed to be indicating that a full day’s play would not be on the cards, however it looked like the weather man got it wrong. The rain clouds threatened but that’s all it was.

Looks like Captain Rawat was Napaak as he lost the toss and we were put into bat. Baker seems to have the right ingredients and continued to "bake" a good opening partnership with Hazrat Joe Chotia. Hazrat Joe was in superb nick and and in the words of Geoff Boycott (With a heavy Pommie Accent) "Hazrat Joe played each stroke like a master violinist" scoring 58 and after viewing the stroke wagon wheel he covered the entire oval. Mr Muhajir "Broekies" was seriously affected by his Royal Duck last week and proved a point by scoring an impressive 49 and bowling 8 over’s for 27 runs and 1 wicket, thus earning him the man of the match award.

Avi seems to be taking the castle test cricket really seriously and looks to he following in the footsteps of his mentor Jacques Clueless. Hamza Bhai showing his Paki power blasted 25 of 25 Balls and the others all chipped in giving us 191 for 5.

The bowling started of quite well and Azhar "Powder" Moosa seemed to have set the scene for a wicket fest with an early wicket but this was not the case. The bowling attack made "HEAVY WEATHER" of the situation and our 12th man Mr "Extra Runs" featured prominently again. Giving the opposition a strong belief that they could actually pull of a win. In the end we managed to win the game by 10 runs and I am sure Uncle Haroon "Timer" will have some strong words for the come next training session.

Overall the team spirit and commitment remains at a high as we progress and with hard work we will surely see the fruits of our labour.
This is Boeta Signing off. Shup

SA5 AGAINST ROODEPOORT CITY

It was a first class performance from the first team as they notched up the first victory of the season.

Having loss the toss the top order for once performed admirably, albeit against 8, with all batsman getting in on a somewhat difficult wicket. Farhad top-scored with a man of the match 53 off just 44 balls.
275 the total in 40 overs.

The bowling department was superb!
New ball pairing Aadil and Safwaan after giving the wickie some work to do got the ball to talk, and removed the top four cheaply, and the match all but sealed.
The old man and the tall one wagged their tails a bit, the tennis pro entered the fray with some classic 5 iron hooks, all in vain as Roodepoort City were dismissed for 77- in time for the 5 o' clock show!

Chirp of the week:
Naushaad for his line when chirps were flying around to the tennis dude, the classic ' Quiet Please' !!!!!

Highlight of the week
Farhad and Kadwa third wicket stand of 94 runs.

Man of the Match
For a sterling batting performance, Farhad Essop (53 off 44 balls) and one wicket.

Next fixture against Randburg, the boys enter the match quietly confident.

SA5 opening fixture against Scaw Metals

It was not the best start to the season for the 1^st XI going down by 2 wickets, and once again getting an early wake up call.

MCC batting first mustered just 165/9 in 37 overs, Naushaad's 28 being the top score.
Scaw were cruising, until the part time spin twins Zaheer (2/10) and Farhaad (2/12) made it a close fight to the end.
The Man of the Match award was shared by Zaheer and Safwaan for their all round performances.
Moemish of the week goes to Moosa for his dropped catch on Scaw's top batsman in the 3^rd over who went on to score 50+.

On a positive note, the side is looking good, and with some fine tuning and more drills with Uncle Haroon, things look positive for the season. And hey the Chairman took two catches, we can't overlook that! :)

What a score at SCAW

From the land of Ford Cortina’s and dice on the rear view mirror comes match day one of the MCC SA8. We ventured deep into Jaavir (Boertjie) territory only to find we playing against "CoCoNuTs".

After loosing 99% of his team while driving with Azhar "Powder" (Google the movie powder and you will know why we call him this name), Captain "wrong directions" Rawat finally managed to get the rest of his team to the grounds.

The captain chose to bat first, a brave decision on a wicket which looked like a bowler’s heaven. It was even greener than Adam Bhai's Turban. Looks proved to be deceiving and Baker had the right ingredients to bake a solid opening partnership with Hazrat Joe Chotia which gave us 54 runs from 12 overs. After Joe who contributed 26 runs lost his wicket it felt like we were at Zoo lake for a while with 3 consecutive ducks from Rashaad, Nasief and Muhajir. Baker contributed 21 and then Avi and Azhar played some Castle test cricket scoring 7 runs from 36 balls and JuJu23 added to the duck count.

Then the tail wagged like a happy dog and Hamza Bhai scored a decent 38 with an awesome show of paki power.Sunir "sleapy" Goven scored 22 and Boeta scored 19 not out, however our 12th man "Mr Extra Runs" top scored with 43 runs ensuring a respectable total of 180 was posted.

The opening bowlers Sunir "Sleapy" and Azhar "Powder" rattled the batsmen with some awesome pace taking 4 wickets each. We slacked of a few over’s before drinks and the teams energy levels dropped. At the drinks break Mr Peter Stuyvesant & some H2O revived spirits and we finished the opposition off 9 overs after drinks.

Overall it was a good performance for the first game and if the commitment and team spirit can be maintained then the season ahead looks promising.

Sunir "sleapy" Goven received the man of the match award for his 22 runs from 14 balls and bowling figures of 6 overs, 4 wickets & 27 runs...by BoEtA :)

State of the pitch

The clay was laid on the Marlboro Cricket wicket on sunday, giving it enough time to be ready for the upcoming season. More grass and fertilizer will follow, and with ample water and sunlight the 'ground staff' are in high spirits.

Barber shop stories

We all know the drill. Back in the day, before the India Papas arrived armed with scissors and amla oil, the toppies used to go to their famous hairdressers for their fancy long sideburns hairdo and bout of local panchaat. Solly in esb centre, Masters opposite the plaza, Majestic Hairdressser, legends in their day.

Back to my point. Now all the stories come out while you there. The best part of getting a haircut used to be waiting. Seriously, you hear all the dhamaal of the times. How is this relevant to us you ask?
Now to put this into context. Over recent weeks we all heard rumours that the stadium will be 'unavailable' for the next 6 months, that they are doing this and that, and we are in a spot of bother and need to look at alternates. The MSA might take over the running of the facility. We cannot play cricket as they want to put in an irrigation system.

I don't know who, or at which barbershop all this was initiated, but its all bollocks. Its business as usual and yes they are looking at putting in an irrigation system. But not at the expense of us playing. So we all can breathe easy again.

Otherwise, what's the best hangout spots for the latest panchaat? Latest from Match-fixing 'friends'... India to win ICC champions trophy...

What Our Members Got Upto During Off-Season

Avinash Goven started his new business,hopefully not sipping away his profits!

Miss South Africa asks the MCC Representatives for a picture and autographs


Juju and Jones at the Bullring


MR and MRS Chairman at 'the chairman'

Ramadaan Greetings

As we enter the final phase of fasting I would like to take this opportunity to wish one and all the choicest blessings of Allah in the last few nights of Ramadaan and Eid Mubarak.

The year has flown by and we are at this exciting time again where everyone has jus one word on their lips, CRICKET!

Wrap on the Season

The 2008/2009 Season, one of the most memorable in the history of the club has drawn to a close with many highlights,to the extent that this blog was also neglected! However, I have fully recovered, and will cover the happenings and events over the next few weeks.

A preview of what's to come:
-Feedback on the season, highs and lows, culminating in the MCC Awards Function.
- The hugely successful 4 loose gwaai's comedy show
- The Shaadi of Chairman Zain (hopefully honeymoon pics!!)
- Special features on MCC Players!!! Surprise Surprise, watch this space.

In the interim, enjoy the spectacle that is The Indian Premier League, the best players at our doorstep!

Finally, MCC Player Salaries are all up for renewal, here's hoping you all get new contracts!

SA4 vs ALL STARS HIGHLIGHTS

Some highlights of our last match:
Naushad offering fielding advice, then showing how not to do it! Juju doing a 'Almunia' Makda reverse sweeping- shot of the match! Maroef taking strike where?? Damm he trusts his guard LOL & Ziyad Jogee- now is that an edge or what??

MCC Cancel Overseas Tour

Marlboro Cricket Club has hastily cancelled its forthcoming International Tour, Following attacks in Lahore.All Three teams were ready to leave for the sub-continent in April. Speaking exclusively to this blog,the Club President has dispelled rumours of MCC agreeing to fulfil all remaining home fixtures against the Pakistani National Team, saying the players safety is of paramount importance. He added, ''I cant have Fulat's wife calling me, especially after the gynae fixed his finger last time! '' Concerns were also raised as to whether Nasier and Baker could travel,since they both refugees in South Africa. For Baker's dad , however a plan could be made(details were not available) During the scheduled tour, few players, including the likes of Bhana, chocos,zameer, aadil, momo, and Avi were supposed to go on the 'puri run' (samoosa run in sa).news is that they are very disappointed this aint going to happen. The tour guides, Moosa and Hamza, who also were very eager to show off their ghams, are having depression spells. Mamoo Maroef will also be losing lots of business since all the currency were supposed to be bought through him.The most relieved however has to Mariam.She been having sleepless nights as hubby Juju was nagging about organising an upgrade to SAA first class! Perks of being vice chairman! For now lets put all our efforts into making the climax of our season, the comedy night and awards function a success. Guys prepare your speeches!

MCC MAN OF THE MATCH AWARD 21/02/2009

MAN OF THE MATCH SA4: Naushad Khan (36 vs HILSON PARK)

MAN OF THE MATCH SA6: Moosa patel (42 RUNS & 3 WICKETS vs PIRATES) CONGRATS BOYZ!

IT'S SHOW TIME.............4 LOOSE GWAAI'S 2

Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s Showtime all over again!!
Diarise Friday 20 March 2009 at 8:30PM for a night of stand-up comedy guaranteed to have you laughing uncontrollably !! Brought to you by Marlboro Cricket Club..

TICKETS AVAILABLE SOON...

MCC MAN OF THE MATCH AWARD 7/02/2009

MAN OF THE MATCH AWARD SA4: Ebrahim Kadwa (37 * vs HEIDELBERG) MAN OF THE MATCH AWARD SA6: Maaroef Laher (82 * vs AZAD SWARAJ) MAN OF THE MATCH AWARD SA7: Ziyaad Jogee ( 50* & 2 wickets vs GEORGE LEE) CONGRATS BOYZ!