It is a new look Cleveland 1 side this year. With the departure of Prasad G and Sundeep; the limited availability of Ravi N, Ravi R, Patrick; and the imminent departure of Rakesh S and Ramit the 2004 line up has lost a wealth of skill and talent. However, with the inclusion in the squad of members such as Gourav, Murali, Michael and Kiran (All from our own Team 2); Vignesh (UC), Sujay (Cuyahoga) and Jayendra it can be said that what has disappeared in the form of venom, with both bat and ball, has been replaced with a group of players whom it can be claimed are steadier in their outlook on the game. What difference such a radical transformation will have on the side remains to be seen, what is certain that the Cleveland 1 line up is still a formidable force, and all who will participate this year are bound to give a good account of themselves.

It was a steamy Sunday Afternoon the Cleveland Cricket Club ventured all the way down to Dayton to take on the Ohio Fighters, a well credentialed line up that consists of former members of the all conquering Bouncer 11. While some of us ventured that lazy 220 miles to the game on the Sunday, most took the opportunity to venture down on Saturday to Cincinnati to catch up with former Cleveland 1 star Prasad, or sniff out the nearest casino a Sunny;)

After waiting for the opposition to turn up then giving up hope on the neutral umpires arriving we of course, lost the toss. Nothing too radical there as Cleveland captains have an appalling record. However, what was completely new was that Gautam did not get the right idea as to what we were doing, after delivering a sermon on how we should bat a representative from the Fighters was kind enough to inform him that we were indeed fielding first and not batting!?!

Once the confusion was sorted out we took to the field complete with meter high drinking fountain located at wide mid on. Gautam and Ani bowled a loosening over each before Gautam struck removing Kanti caught by Vignesh at gully. From then on there was quite the procession as a steady stream of wickets fell to Gautam, Ani, Vignesh and Murali who snared three wickets in the middle order, while Gourav took up where he left off last year snaring three catches at first slip. Whilst the bowling was tight the suicidal tendencies of the Fighters batsmen was a sight to see as one after another they sought to smash every delivery they faced into next week. At the break Fighters were 6/56 after 14 ovcrs.

After Sunny removed Saomil just after the break the Fighters were positively reeling at 7/59à then came Devon!!!

Clearly sensing that the Fighters innings was nearing its end he took it upon himself to resurrect the innings and what was to follow was a stunning display of power hitting that has rarely been seen at this level. Against bowling that was not of a poor standard he took it upon himself to launch some shots into the stratosphere, clearing boundaries with ease off all of the Cleveland attack, nobody was spared, including his new brother in law Sunny, much to our chagrin. The onslaught showed no signs of stopping when Gautam shrewdly introduced Jayendra into the attack. After bowling a tight first over he then claimed the vital breakthrough, dismissing Devon for a dazzling 82, which consisted of 9 sixes, some to this day have yet to land! The tail was quickly wrapped up and in a mere 24.4 overs the Fighters were dismissed for 130. All of the bowlers bowled well, Murali leading the charge with three wickets, Sunny two, with one each to Gautam, Ani, Viggy and of course Jayendra whose one
wicket was the equivalent of about 8, dismissing the mighty Devon.

In reply Gautam and Gourav strode to the middle and the Fighters found something to cheer about dismissing Gourav in the fifth over for 4, but from then on Vignesh and an unusually circumspect Gautam gradually edged closer to the required total. Whilst Vignesh was dismissed for 12 Ani managed to keep the score ticking along (despite a couple of painful early scares) with Gautam until the skipper was dismissed for a well made 41. By this stage Cleveland required around thirty to win. Ani and Michael saw Cleveland home with a brisk partnership to reach the total of 130 in 23 overs. Ani remaining not out on 35, including 4 sixes, and Michael on 15.

In the end the win was a fairly comprehensive one and there was a lot to take out of it. The Ohio Fighters are a team that is bound to be in the thick of it at the end of the year and a win against them is a fantastic effort. All around the team effort was good, the bowling and fielding were of a reasonable standard and the batting did the job.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the kind hospitality shown towards us by the Fighters by providing us a delicious feast to devour at the end of the game, not to mention the cool refreshments to wash them down. More importantly the sportsmanship they displayed during the game was of a high standard and the nature of the game was as it should be, competitive but fair.

The drive home albeit long was enjoyable in the knowledge that we came away from such an important game with a win. Well Done Guys!!!!! Next week sees another excellent side in OSU Alumni venturing north to take on the good guys. Like the Fighters OSU will be closer to the top of the table than the bottom at the end of the year and a win against this side will be of the utmost importance!!!