A great weekend for the Cannons with all 3 teams winning (after Div 1 lost a Friday game), a good way to end the regular season in which each team has qualified for the semi final.
An understrength Div 1 team took the field against Avengers and conceded 149 off 20 overs in dewy conditions. Sagar Mandhan lead the way with the ball taking 3/18 off 4 overs. In the chase, Antony Roche found form with 40 off 36 balls, before Zeeshan Ansari put us in front with 55* off only 25 balls. Unfortunately he couldn't get enough strike in the last two overs and we fell 3 runs short amid a clump of wickets. The loss did however ensure a live game on Sunday with our opponents now needing a win to overtake Avengers. Scorecard
On Saturday, our Div 3 team took on Avengers needing a win to guarantee a playoff spot. Fielding in dense fog, catching was an issue but all bowlers kept it right as we kept them to 8/135 off 20. Kazi Rahman continued to show his development as a leg spinner with 2 wickets, while Tommy Upton only conceded 16 runs from his 3 overs while taking a late wicket. We lost 2 wickets at the start of our chase, but captain Steve Smith (21 off 24) and Hassan Hafeez (35 off 43) batted well to rebuild. Upon Steve's wicket, Jaideep Singh entered the crease and picked a great time to hit his maiden HCL fifty, smashing 57 not out off only 28 balls to take us to the target with 9 balls and 5 wickets to spare. He ended the game in style with a majestic six over cover. East Coast's subsequent win over Titans meant that our win was needed, and also wrapped up second spot in the standings. A great effort from the team to qualify after a challenging season with a lot of washouts early on. Scorecard
Div 2 played straight after against East Coast, with the result having no bearing on the standings. Taking it easy against them is never an option though, and our batting lineup put on 7/149 off 20 overs. Having fallen to 5/66 in the 9th, Saravana Chandran (33) and Nihar Shah (21) put on 58 to ensure we would bat 20, and Jawad Naimat provided the late fireworks with 22 not out off 9 balls. Our bowlers showed no mercy, bowling them all out for a paltry 66 in 17.2 overs. Hiren Patel was the star with 5 wickets for 6 runs off 4 overs, 4 of his victims bowled and one just a little bit better to get his pad in the way for an LBW. A good team effort to ensure we're ready for next weeks playoff games. Scorecard
Div 1 played again on Sunday, with a semi final spot secure, against an East Coast lineup needing a win to qualify for the semi final and avoid their club being completely shut out of playoff action. Danish Khan (24 off 13) hit 3 sixes off their skipper in the 2nd over to get us underway, the bowler no doubt rusty on his return from a 3 game suspension for abusing a set of stumps. Upon his fall, Daksh Talwar and Antony (20 off 19) kept building at a good rate. Daksh continued his superb recent form with 62 off 43 balls, before Satnam Singh came in and took us to 180 with another powerful knock of 45 off only 18 balls. East Coast started steadily but couldn't accelerate as our bowlers kept it tight. Eventually, the pressure would bring rewards as we took 3 wickets in the space of 5 balls. Despite them putting on 68 for the 5th wicket, the require rate kept climbing resulting in another collapse of 5/8, and they would end at 9/133 off 20. Two wickets each for Sagar, Satnam and Shadab Ahmed. A 47 run win securing 2nd place and serving as a great tune-up for next weekend. Scorecard
Great effort from the whole club to get all three teams in the playoffs, a feat achieved for the second successive year. Now, our sights turn to semi finals next weekend and beyond.
Thanks to all our sponsors for helping us achieve these results in 2023. These weekly recaps are made possible by Steele Hyundai & Genesis Halifax. If you need a new or used vehicle, head into one of their dealerships or visit their website.
