Köln CC ist Deutscher Meister 2012

3. September 2012

DCB REGIONAL FINAL IN BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG. Köln CC win final against Cricket Lions Karlsruhe by 7 wickets

KARLSRUHE: The 24^th DCB Regional Championship Final was held this Sunday, 2^nd September, in Baden-Württemberg, the youngest region in the DCB family. Cricket Lions Karlsruhe, representing the South, hosted Köln CC from Northrhine-Westfalia, representing the North. With heavy dew on the outfield at the beautiful SSC ground in the morning but a forecast for sun in the afternoon, Köln CC captain, Rishi Pillai won the vital toss and elected to field first.

CLK suffered their first blow in the second over, when opener Imran Khan was caught at mid-wicket but Anand steadily kept the scoreboard ticking over. Anand’s thoughtful and concentrated innings of 58 lasted through 9 different partnerships and was a huge psychological influence on the CLK team. The pitch gave little to either batsmen or bowlers in the first hour, but Köln patiently dug in while CLK struggled to get the ball to the boundary in the moist conditions. Arsalan ripped out the middle order in the 15^th over and Sumeet followed in the 25^th over, both bowlers having the chance of a hat-trick. Upbeat fielding and superb work behind the stumps from Satya gave Köln CC the edge and CLK were finally bowled out for 155 off 32.2 overs.

The sun emerged during the excellent lunch break so when Köln CC opened with captain Rishi and Azhar, they faced different conditions on the pitch. Azhar fell in the 3^rd over to a fine catch from CLK keeper Samit. Sumeet then joined his captain at the crease and blocked or rotated to give Rishi the majority of the strike. Rishi unleashed the talent which has brought him into the national squad, hitting a powerful innings of 84, before being trapped LBW to Riaz in the 17^th over. Sumeet’s attempt to accelerate was stopped with a magnificent overhead catch from CLK sub Gerry at deep mid-on, leaving Irfan and his partner Kavin to bring the title back to Köln with a boundary 4 in the 20^th over. Köln CC last won the DCB title in 2005.

This low-scoring game does not truly reflect the grit and determination shown by both team in this game. CLK fought bravely, despite losing the toss against Köln CC, the more experienced team, who were tighter in the field and more confident in their batting. Thanks go to host CLK and Captain Waheed Ahmed for superb hospitality, Sajid Sekandar, Haider Syed for supporting organisation, to umpires John Campbell, Andrew Schou and the Scorers Wraye Wenigmann and Janardhan Siddaiah.

The DCB Sport Director Indrajith Fernando also thanked the National Coach Keith Thompson, the DCB President Dr. Brian Fell and the DCB General Manager for all the assistance received in organizing the DCB Bundesliga.