Falcons Bounce Back, Hold off Patriots
Schenectady, NY - On a day when even the weather made a 180 degree turn from the previous week, Albany High School Cricket Club came back to win the third and final match of the 2010 season, beating Schenectady High School Cricket Club by 40 runs, in a limited, 20 over match Wednesday, May 26th, 2010. The win secured a series tie for the Falcons, as the first game was rained out. It was marked contrast from the previous week, when the Patriots fought their way to a 56 run victory under less than ideal conditions: leaden skies, temperatures in the 50's, an almost constant drizzle and a damp wicket. On this day, however, there was nothing but sunshine and a blazing, searing heat. With a freshly mown ground and bone dry wicket, you could not ask for better conditions for a cricket match.
Like the week before, Albany High won the toss, but this time, they elected to bat first. Openers Floyd Joseph and Roger David began the visitor's innings with caution. Schenectady countered with bowlers Navindra Persaud and Paul Rajram, who took advantage of the quick wicket to keep the batsmen guessing. It would not be long before the first wicket fell, as Rajram benefited from some heads-up fielding when David was run out after just three deliveries. Albany then brought on one of it's big guns, Chanpreet Saran at # 3. The Albany High senior strode confidently to the middle, intent on improving upon his previous week's solid 33 run knock.
Unfortunately for him, though, Persaud had quite another idea, clean bowling the stalwart Saran for just three runs. The Patriots were elated, obviously sensing the importance of this particular wicket. But to their credit, Albany did not panic, and the task of scoring runs fell on the shoulders of Ijaz "the Terminator" Safi. After a disappointing outing the week before in awful conditions and fading light, Safi decided that there was no time like the present to display his batting prowess, especially given how well the wicket was playing. He wasted no time getting his eye in, and suddenly, Schenectady's bowling corps found themselve back on their heels, trying to solve Safi and failing at almost every turn. Their cause was not helped by some sloppy fielding on the part of the Patriots, and soon the run rate began to tick upward. Showing little regard for his safety or, for that matter, classic batting form, Safi took many risky shots that paid off in the end. By the time he was finally taken down off a nifty caught behind by wicket-keeper Richie Persaud, the Albany junior had amassed 88 runs, including 7 boundaries and 5 sixes. It was truly a masterful performance which, when combined with Floyd Joseph's solid but significantly less flashy 36, finally brought the innings to a close with a 171 run total and just four wickets gone. A pretty impressive haul for a team that just the week before had limped and slogged their way to 97 in the rain.
After a brief water break, the burden then fell on Schenectady to try and top Albany's significant total, and it was determined that they would have to go after it right from the start. Opening with Richie and Navindra Persaud seemed the logical thing to do, as both batsmen were capable of scoring a lot of runs in a short amount of time. Add to that the fact that neither batsmen are intimidated by fast bowling, especially on a batting wicket like the one in Kailberg field, and it was easy to see why the Patriots felt they could overtake the Falcon's impressive score.
Richie Persaud wasted no time getting started, lashing the first delivery for a boundary. That shot set the tone for the early going, as he and Navindra put on a terrific opening partnership in the face of the aggression of Albany's opening duo of Chanpreet Saran and Ijaz Safi. Despite several cheeky bouncers that simply resulted in no balls called by the umpires, neither Persaud was fazed in the slightest and they simply took advantage of the pace to play some delicate and effective shots that began to heat up the home side's innings significantly. After the openers were unable to break through, the Falcon's brought in their secret weapon, Samarin who finally managed to silence the bat of Richie Persaud, who seemed well on his way to challenging Safi's total from earlier in the day. An unlucky edge off a slow delivery proved to be the elder Persaud's undoing, and it was then up to Schenectady's ironman, Suraj "the Executioner" Gobind at # 3 to come in and guide the Patriot's to victory as he had done the previous week. Gobind went right to work, launching the third delivery he faced over the tree line and into the street.
However, Albany was ready for him this time. After Ijaz managed to clean bowl Navindra Persaud in the 9th over, Mohammed Hussein came on to tempt Gobind with his tantalizingly slow deliveries. Gobind seemed to forget how many overs were left, and immediately tried to lash Hussein for six only to learn the painful lesson that batting in cricket is both an offense activity as well as a defensive one. Hussein's delivery was right on the stumps, and Gobind's eagerness to score runs quickly was his undoing. The third wicket fell for no additional runs.
Schenectady's first three batsmen had raced out to score 85 runs in 9 overs, and it looked like the home team was headed for another win. But cricket is a game of glorious uncertainty, as all who play the game know too well. With Gobind's dismissal, Albany's bowlers could smell blood. They quickly began to pressure the middle order, never letting them get settled, and wickets began falling like the soft rains of the previous week....that is to say, with alarming consistency. The only significant partnership for the Patriots came at the 7th wicket, where Devenand Rajpaul and Jonathan Ramnauth managed to cobble together a 25 run stand, but it was far too little, and far too late. The tail end simply evaporated, despite Shavez Ramnauth's plucky 5 run, not out knock, including a well struck boundary. Schenectady finished on 131/9. The Falcons were justifiably elated, as they displayed a balanced bowling attack, with Saran, Ali and Hussein each taking two wickets for 21, 23 and 6 runs respectively. Add to that some excellent fielding, including three catches by Ijaz Safi, two by Hussein, and a stumping, and it's clear that Albany deserved this hard won victory.
Afterward, both sides were treated to some excellent West Indian cuisine, courtesy of Sham and John Persaud. After some feasting and socializing, both teams gathered for photos and trophy presentations. For Albany, the Best Bowler award went to a surprised and humble Mohammed Hussein. Between the two games, he managed to take 3 wickets for just 31 runs, and he also held several catches in the field. Schenectady's Richie Persaud won Best Bowler for his 4/54 haul. On the batting side, Albany's Ijaz Safi was the hands-down Best Batsman winner with his impressive 88 runs knock, 5 sixes and 7 boundaries. Suraj Gobind was Schenectady's Best Batsman winner, with his two game total of 103, including 4 sixes and 4 boundaries. All four cricketers were shining examples of grit and determination, and both teams can learn a lot from watching how these four play the game.
The Intercity High School Cup between Schenectady and Albany, now in it's 4th year of existence, is now deadlocked at four wins each over that four year span. One thing's for sure, barring Mother Nature's interference next year, the tie WILL be broken! This contest was an excellent example of the potential that cricket has in upstate New York, and it would be tremendous if other schools in the Capital District could join in and get a club together to compete. We hope to build on the last four years of success in the future and continue to make upstate NY a cricket destination. Thanks to the sportsmanship of both sides, this tournament promises to be even more competitive in the future. Well played, sirs!