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Cricket<br />
This has been a vintage year for the combined Wolfson / St Cross team. We had a<br />
large pool of committed players to draw on throughout the season, and translated<br />
this enthusiasm into success on the field. In the first round of Cuppers we knocked<br />
out a competitive Christ Church team on their home ground, thanks to tight<br />
bowling from our seam bowlers Andrew Powell and Abdul Khan. But sadly, in the<br />
second round, Univ knocked us out. Although we held them to 123 in twenty overs<br />
(Powell with 2/14, Shaum Bhattacharjee with 2/17), our batting was poor. After<br />
five overs we were five wickets down for 7 runs. Sami Jaffar hit a defiant 19 not out,<br />
but this was not enough to save us from being dismissed for 56.<br />
In the League, however, we have enjoyed good form, and go into the final match of<br />
the season top of the premier Second XI division. A win against Worcester will see<br />
us League champions. Because of rain we have managed only two games, against<br />
Keble JCR and Balliol, but we won them both convincingly. Ahsan Minhas hit a<br />
blitzkrieg innings of 47 against Keble, which included five fours and three huge<br />
sixes, to help us to 145 in our twenty overs. We dismissed Keble for just 99, thanks<br />
to Bhattacharjee’s 2/12 and Jim William’s 4/20. Bhattacharjee was equally effective<br />
against Balliol, conceding just nine runs from his four overs. Thanks also to two<br />
wickets from fast bowler Minhas, and economical spells from medium-pacers Tim<br />
Rose and Mohsin Javed, we limited the opposition to just 92 runs. In response Javed<br />
hit a classy 62 to see us home with eight wickets in hand and seven overs to spare.<br />
Everyone has contributed and played well, but more important than this, there has<br />
been a positive and often amusing team spirit. At least fifteen would-be players<br />
signed up each week; eleven places have just has not been enough. Special mention<br />
must be made of Bhattacharjee, who has led the bowling attack; Shrochis Karki,<br />
who has kept wicket splendidly; Paul Platzman, who has become a regular member<br />
of the side despite being an American with no prior knowledge of the game; and<br />
Anjul Khadria, for his often humorous commentary on what he believes to be the<br />
poor standard of Oxford college cricket grounds. The way we have been playing<br />
recently, he will soon get to play at Lords – which might just be good enough for<br />
him!<br />
Edward Gillin<br />
80
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