No match report for this game as I wasnt there and didnt really get the story from the game afterwards. 

​

Notable performances on a very humid and hot day were.

Double D with an enormous 60 

T Bag with a steady 37 

Peanut with an unlucky 18(great catch got him out)

​

Peanut with 3 wickets for 28 runs from 5 overs.

So its not a big report! I wasnt playing but sounded like we restricted Daredevils well to only a 146 all out. Montana picking up 3 wickets as he continues to improve on the cricket skills......Sounds like we had a hard time batting against some ferocious bowling from Daredevils.....some good performances...but ultimately we didnt get over the line.

So another batting collapse from the middle order or as they may become known the higher lower order saw the Ducks lose to a Determined Hawks side who appeared to have only one batsman.

​

Hawks batted first and were restricted to 179/9 off 25 overs. Not so bad considering the opener scored 100 and only one other player got double figures. followed by extras at 19!

​

Peanut and Tbag seemed to be bowling ok and each picked up a couple of wickets. Dardevil bowled tight and the others , Ewok, Pup and Mugabe chipped in also with some tight bowling.

​

The Ducks reply looked good apart from the early loss of Tbag. Peanut and the Butcher put on a healthy 68 for the 2nd wicket but then the damage happened ...we lost 5 wickets for 11 runs in three overs and the fate was set in stone. Only Devo with 11 really troubled the scorers. and Ducks crashed out to defeat by 61 runs. 

Anyway its Nanjing next and we all know what happens there will stay there unless of course we win again!

DUCKS WIN! 

​

Batting first on a hot day the ducks got off to another great start from Fruit Bat and Tbag the dynamic duo put on 151 for the first wicket. A truly great feat that will probably never happen again. T bag falling for 57 then next ball Fruit bat for 81  a mini collapse ensued seeing the Ducks reach 170 for 5 down. Big Cheese steadied the ship with a powerful 34 not out and the Ducks finished on 207 off 25 overs, their highest total to date.

​

Needless to say Phoenix came out with the usual style of pinch hitting and slowly started to make inroads into the Ducks total. Some very tight bowling from Big Dave Nicholson helped pin them back whilst Dardevil helped to pin down the other end. Mugabe bowled like he rules, with authority and contempt for non natives. Ewok keot his figures almost tidy and helped to slow the progress also. Cheese bowled relatively tidy but can always improve. The balance hung in the final over......Phoenix needing 17 to win and 16 to tie. Cheese stepped up and showed his experience, getting hit for 2 6's early on.....5 needed off 3 balls, a run out later and a single saw the Phoenix needing 2 to tie and 3 to win cheese held firm and bowled.....a suicide single wasnt enough for the phoenix( the square leg umpire ajudged that he couldnt see the run out) so Phoenix finished 1 run short of the Ducks total......BOOM! First Win of the season!

​

​

So the Fun bus departed Paddy's at the usual early hour of 8am on Sunday morning full of an elite group of athletes......well lets not get carried away.....Tbag and KGB turned up sporting jian bings and other street food much to the disgust of Double D. The Wizard was collected from a still open Paddies, no one was quite sure if he'd been there all night but you cant tell with the Wizard.

Despite the traffic of Beijing on a holiday weekend we made it to the ground on time unlike the opposition who made it by the nick of time before conceding the points.

​

The Ducks won the toss and put the Phoenix into bat.

With the usual wide first ball the game was set. No one had noticed we only had ten men as Ash or the "flash" as he will become known hadn't turne dup on time.....Thankfully little fruit bat Jacob had come along so was honorary 12th man for the first two overs!

​

Some great bowling from Sir Danny Alexander troubled the batsmen with his left arm inswingers and Cheese even bowled a few good balls. Young "Pup" (Max) held on to a rocket of a shot that would have probably taken his face to the boundary if his little claws hadn't snaffled it. Tbag held a dolly(surprisingly) and Pup held onto another easy chance. Cheese managed to take 3 wickets all bowled with classic in swinging deliveries, the only 3 good balls he bowled in his spell. The Flash (Ash) stormed in for his first Ducks over and picked up a wicket early on. The Ducks fielded well and should have kept Phoenix to a smaller total but the big hitting Liam (98) did some damge as did a late flurry from another guy. Some sorry looking bowling figures ensued. Seeing Phoenix finish on 234/6 off 25 overs.

​

After the usual beer/drinks break the Ducks started their innings. Tbag and Dingo(Dene) opened and got off to a flyer..74 before the loss of Dingo at 7 overs, Pup joined Tbag and looked good until he nicked one to the keeper.This saw DD come to the crease and start his home run hitting....Tbag departed on 39 Double D on 29 

Cheese strolled in looking to make up for last weeks duck and didn't disappoint.....Some big shots ensued but the Ducks were running out of time and overs and batsmen...Sir Danny got a first baller to the keeper and Big Kahuna offered solid resitance but looked out of practice to the short ball which is all Phoenix seemed capable of bowling. Cheese had a late flurry hitting 3 huge 6's in a row but even his colossal efforts couldnt move the score close enough. Ducks finished on 188/6 off 25 overs just a few to short.....Cheese finished on 51* with a Mugabe 0*.

​

Onto next week were we see a repeat of the fixture and look to get revenge on the Phoenix !

So the second match of the season rolled onto the calendar like a spring sunrise breaking through the clouds......

As a rag tag assembled in front of Paddy O'Shea's at an ungodly hour to catch the venga bus towards Dulwich the more respectable members of the team(the ones with cars) made their own way to the ground.

Arriving at the hallowed turf we found the grass long enough to stop even the hardest of hit Fruit Bat(Matt Richmond, he brings healthy snacks) cover drives it looked like a good day for cricket, it certainly was!

Losing the toss the Daredevils decided to bat first. Ducks took to the field and performed the usual first ball ritual.....9 slips......Wide ball. Back to normal.

​

Peanut started well from the Rugby ground end and Cheese struggled to find his youth and line from the Football ground end. It was However Cheese who got the breakthrough with one of his Quicker balls to clean bowl an unnamed opener.

Daredevils progressed well but slowly and pressure from Dardevil(Darshak) and Later Ewok saw the Devils struggling to accelerate to a total they would have been happy with.

Zia batted well as always and nursed the Devils towrds their final total of 163 of 25 overs.

Notable mentions in the field where Devo who despite shelling a few catches held on to Zia's edge and got a cuddle from Cheese. Ewok bowled tight as did The Professor and Dardevil.

Fruit Bat and T Bag opened the batting and looked positive from the off. Quick singles and a lesson or two in shot selection saw us move forward at a steady pace. T bag unfortunately  got a thick edge and played seeing the Ducks lose their first wicket. The Butcher joined the Bat at the crease and things looked good....a quick fire 22 from Butcher until he departed...bringing Cheese to the crease this time the hulk of a man couldnt get it off the square before gifting a catch to Slip. Peanut hit 22 quick runs before being bowled by a beauty from Zia. Darshak and Fruit bat were left the task of finishing....needing 12 off the last over a big 6 from Matt and a few quick singles and a few wides helped us to tie the scores with 1 ball left. Despite the heroics of the last dash all out kamikazi running Dardevil got run out by a whisker and the game finished as a tie.

Fruit Bat finished with an impressive 83* carrying his bat through the innings. 

​

Daredevils 163/4 off 25 Overs

Ducks          163/5 off 25 Overs

​

The opening game of the 2017 season held many high hopes for those in the Ducks camp.

On a sweaty overcast Beijing day The Ducks led by Tbag won the toss and decided to bat.

Tbag's first success of the season, it was a initially a great choice as the 1st XI bowling attack sprayed the ball over the place and saw us reach 53 for no loss.

​

This unfortunately changed in dramatic style as new Duck Matt who was going well was caught out trying another mighty blow. The report will now skip to the last wicket partnership of Mugabe and Viceroy as the rest of the upper, middle and lower order simple didnt perform. 53 for 1 to 69 for 9 in ten overs!!!

Mugabe and Viceroy held firm and belligerent like the dictatorial/colonialism they represent steering the ship on to a semi respectable 103 of 25 overs (not respectable).

​

To be fair to the bowling attack of the Ducks we bowled quite well and took 5 wickets against a strong opposition. Peanut(Byron), Darshak(DarDevil) and Viceroy bowled well but any loose deliveries were dispatched in true flamboyant style. Some great catches were held in the polluted swirling misty skies and Mugabe even got a ten from the Canadian judge for nailing the dismount gymnast style.

​

We would like to thanks E Xtra for contributing 42 to the Ducks total he's going to be in with a shout for the averages this year!

​

Great to see some new faces turning out for the Ducks such as Max and his dad Dean also Peanut and Dardevil and Matt bringing his A(B) game.....Next week we have lots of Ducks available so make it known early as paid up members and those who attend practice/social events will be in the frame.........

​

Ducks 103 for 9 off 25 overs lost to 1st XI by 5 wickets ( they knocked of the total in twelve overs)

​

​