LCC -vs- FCC  (09/18/2016, FCC) 

Form Guide (last 5 games): L W L W W      

Toss: FCC (Fielding) / Drop Count (Aggregate):  1 (39)

OSUCC -vs- FCC  (08/27/2016, FCC) 

Form Guide (last 5 games): W L W W W     

Toss: FCC (Fielding) / Drop Count (Aggregate):  1 (38)

Noufal notched up his second century of the season to power FCC through to the quarters. In a remarkable display of how-to-hit*, he rendered the OSU bowlers helpless. Of the 63 balls he faced, 21 were dispatched (to fours or sixes) to all corners of the ground with a Sehwag like ferocity. Once he had his fill of a 126 runs, Uday and Hitesh maneuvered the ball around with ease until OSU's total was surpassed in a mere 19 overs. 

 

OSU had earlier scored a challenging 184 runs.  

And that would have been stiffer had Naren and Noufal strayed even a little. Instead, the two skillfully took the pace off the ball while keeping a good length to put the brakes on the scoring. Most heartening of all bowlers, though, was Sriram's revelation. Bowling an immaculate length on the fourth/fifth stump, he stayed true through his overs, faultlessly (even after a plumb leg-before went against him**). 

That discipline, and the form of our batsman bodes well for us as we move into the quarters. At stake is a championship that is ours for the taking. 

We are three games away from reclaiming it. 

    

****

* bettered only by the biryani later that night - although one can only guess what Ajay did with the third petting goat that apparently went "missing"

** off/middle stump, low on the pads. Also, another went begging to Naren.

Please point out anything that goes unreported for edits. 

CKCC -vs- FCC  (08/21/2016, TP) 

Form Guide (last 5 games): L W W W L    

Toss: FCC (Fielding) / Drop Count (Aggregate):  3 (37)

KUCC -vs- FCC  (08/14/2016, FCC) 

Form Guide (last 5 games): W W W L W   

Toss: FCC (Fielding) / Drop Count (Aggregate):  3 (34)

FCC won KUCC by 6 wickets, scoring a 139 runs in 25 overs.  

Uday led from the front again with a chanceless (and undefeated) 48. Noufal and Sriram provided a steady start scoring 41 runs for the first wicket. Tenzing provided the clam and fell perhaps a tad fortuitously (in hindsight) for Akshar, who with Uday, gave our score the required turbo before the rain played spoilsport. Uday and Akshar scored briskly - playing straight to most balls but pulling anything that drifted to the legs - to ensure an easy win. 

Early on, Ajay and Naren looked like getting a nick each ball they bowled in their opening spells despite the wet pitch offering little bounce and no lateral movement. Akshar skillfully took that out of the equation by bowling fuller to scalp thrice. Of the others, Uday took two wickets. Vic, Noufal and Satish were economical. 

FCC fielded well enough to keep KUCC at a below par score after their openers had stood strong for the first 18 overs. A freakish catch broke that -  Ajay ran from long on to catch the ball on long off, despite the ball briefly out of sight as it looked to fall behind him, he outreached himself, falling on his back with the ball. It was all effort and zero luck. Wickets fell on regular intervals after that to restrict KUCC to a much lower score then they looked like setting earlier.

All in all, FCC played a winning game. The bowling was tight (despite the extras), the fielding smart and the batting clinical. 

****

Please point out anything that goes unreported for edits. 

DMICw -vs- FCC  (08/06/2016, VOA Park) 

Form Guide (last 5 games): W W L W W  

Toss: DMICw (Fielding) / Drop Count (Aggregate):  1 (31) 

FCC raked up 309 runs on Saturday - confident runs all - to beat DMICw by 162 runs. 

Noufal, positively nonchalant, and Uday, uncompromisingly ambitious, played perhaps the two best innings FCC has seen in a while, if ever. That both came together in the same game seemed almost karmic and certainly not coincidental. On display was fluency and dexterity, nimbleness and a matured focus that has perhaps come from their many years of playing together. The two fed off each other - stroke for stroke, all purposeful and clean, strokes all around the wicket. 

And quite far, with such swift regularity that it almost seemed like an eager ball had conspired to run away.  

Then again, that ball was replaced. 

Three times. 

Noufal scored a 130 runs in 84 balls. A 139 runs with Uday - who of course built another significant partnership with the rock - aka - Akshar. The two put together 78 runs in no time - literally. In six overs, if statistical proof was needed. 

And that was no mean feat. But the actual beauty was in the manner the runs came. There was a willingness, and honesty that comes with passion. And hunger. 

Uday settled on a not out 105 runs. 

While it would normally be easy to discount any bowling effort with that kind of batting, our spinners masterful display to unsettle DMICw stood out quite delightfully. 

Naren, with a tremendous control of line and length that develops only with discipline, took four richly deserved wickets. And Vic, with a whizzz in the ball that one can actually hear, took one but should have taken more. Of the pacers, Akshar bowled with heart again, aiming the stumps with lethal accuracy to take three. And the debutante Srinivas kept a teasing line and pace to give FCC its initial breakthrough.

That said, our batting won the day. Two masterful innings, two centuries and countless highlights won FCC the game quite easily.