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Cricketers donned snow pants and parkas for a Nordic-style cricket tournament on McGill University’s McTavish Reservoir field Saturday.

The annual Snow Cricket World Cup is going strong in its fifth year, giving “sticky wicket” a whole new meaning.

Cricketers drudge through ankle-high snow, chasing a tennis ball instead of a cricket ball.

Tournament organizer Angus Bell says the snow cancels out skill.

“All technique goes out the window,” said Bell, a member of Montreal cricket club Pirates of the St. Lawrence.

“I’ve been playing cricket for 20 years, you could find someone who’s playing for the first time today, and they’ll be at the same level.”

Parc-Extension’s Howard Park will become the home of Montreal’s first permanent, publicly-accessible cricket training ground in the spring of 2012.

The facility is a joint venture between the Royal Bank of Canada and the Pirates of the St. Lawrence Cricket Club. As part of its RBC in the Community initiative, the bank agreed to finance the facility after months of lobbying by the Pirates’ main organizer, Angus Bell. A grant of $25,000 was awarded to the borough for the construction of batting cages.

“Cricket is a growing sport in this city,” said Bell. “We’ve coached more than 4,000 school children in the last four years, so we need [batting cages] to take the kids to the next level. We’re clamouring for facilities.”

Further details were finalized after a recent meeting between Bell and Parc-Extension city councillor Mary Deros. Deros, who also serves on Mayor Gérald Tremblay’s executive committee as the Member responsible for youth and cultural communities, informed Bell that the Pirates finally had a home on the island at Howard Park.

The city’s public works department determined that the equipment will be erected on the site of a disused baseball diamond on the northwest corner of the park. The location was chosen by city planners in part to reflect the diverse cultural character of the area. A large concentration of people of South Asian descent live nearby, originating from places like India and Pakistan where cricket is the national pastime. No further details have been released, though Bell promises more will be forthcoming once ground is broken.

“Working with the city’s boroughs and school boards we aim to create a legacy that will enable diverse communities to build on their love of cricket and pass along a cherished tradition to their children,” said Diane Jacob, RBC’s regional vice-president for Montreal and La Mauricie, in a statement made when the project was initially announced in the Spring of 2011.

In the past, the South Shore-based Pirates had to make do by improvising with whatever they could find. Their regular playing field – pitch, in cricket parlance – was hastily set up behind a chocolate factory owned by a friend of Bell’s. To train their batsmen, the team would have to make the long trek up to a baseball batting cage in Laval in order to practice. The trip sometimes took up to two hours depending on the traffic. Also, the machines were designed for baseballs; cricket balls are slightly smaller, stitched differently, and are half an ounce heavier.

As the team has experienced explosive growth in the four years since its inception, Bell has been actively pursuing a more sensible way to train. The team will now benefit from the same world-class training facilities normally available in cricket-mad nations such as the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka.

The facility is part of a growth strategy by Pirates founder Bell. A Scottish-born cricketing enthusiast with some truly unique experiences – he once struck a ball from Europe into Asia during a match in Turkey – he has big plans for the sport in Quebec. Bell says the Pirates have already introduced the sport to people of all ages. A recent profile on the ESPN Cricinfo website declared the Pirates to be the most ethnically diverse team on the planet. Bell is quick to point out that diversity and cricket are both intimately linked with the Canadian experience.

“The first international sporting competition of any kind was a cricket match between Canada and the US,” he says. “We have representatives of 56 nationalities in our group. If every club was more accessible, cricket would be the number one bat-and-ball sport in this country.”

The Pirates are gearing up for their annual Snow World Cup, to be held at McGill’s McTavish Reservoir on Saturday, Jan. 21.

To read the full article, click HERE.

The brave men and women of Pirates of the St Lawrence descended on McGill University’s McTavish Reservoir to compete in the fifth edition of the annual Snow Cricket World Cup. Four teams contested this year’s competition, with England sealing victory in a dramatic three-way bowl-out.

Rutherford Park, site of the McTavish underground reservoir, provided the picturesque setting for the 2012 Snow Cricket World Cup. Despite temperatures below -15°C, forty-five hardy souls from six continents arrived bright and early to lay two plywood pitches across the ankle-deep snow.

Four sides – England, Canada, Australia-New Zealand, and the Celtic-Asian Bloc Alliance – battled it out for snow supremacy. While most favoured ski gear and thermal underwear, Prashant Bhawalkar showed he was made of sterner stuff. The snow cricket debutant stayed true to tradition by togging out in whites, one thin pair of socks and trainers.

The action got underway in the morning with two enticing ties. While England and Australia-New Zealand contested the ‘Ice Ashes’, Canada locked horns with the Celtic-Asian Bloc Alliance.

Australia-New Zealand, ably led by Richard Horne, caught the old enemy cold. Despite a valiant effort by England, under the captaincy of Tom Wisden, it was the Antipodeans who clinched the ice urn.

On the other field, Canada overcame the Celtic-Asian Bloc Alliance in a keenly contested tussle. Despite a quick-fire 22 not out from the Alliance’s snow cricket veteran Angus Bell, the host nation pulled off a dramatic come-from-behind win. Canada’s captain, Matthew Legault, led from the front to seal a last over victory over Sam Mulligan’s Celtic-Asian Tigers.

In the second set of fixtures England bounced back to beat Canada, while Australia-New Zealand consigned the Tigers to their second last-over defeat.

After a break for Australian pies and hot soup courtesy of Tourtière Australienne, the four sides braved the conditions once more. The final games saw the Celtic-Asian Bloc Alliance secure the wooden spoon thanks to a comprehensive defeat at the hands of the English. In the other fixture, Canada delivered their second impressive performance of the day to beat Australia-New Zealand.

The victory meant Canada, England and Australia-New Zealand finished the day with two wins apiece. With the temperature falling by the minute, the three sides took to the field to contest a bowl-out to decide the winner.

With an unguarded set of stumps to aim at, each member of the three teams was called upon to bowl one ball. After Australia-New Zealand were eliminated, Canada and England duked it out for this year’s title. In the end, Tom Wisden’s England held their nerve and were crowned the 2012 Snow Cricket World Cup champions.

Batsman of the Year: Angus Bell

Bowler of the Year: Phil Roche

All-Rounder of the Year: Angus Bell

Fielder of the Year: Matthew Julius

Wicketkeeper of the Year: Richard Horne

Pirette of the Year: Margie Marlin

Best Batsman from a Non-Test Nation (excluding the British Isles): Thiery Milot

Best Bowler from a Non-Test Nation (excluding the British Isles): Matthew Legault

Best All-Rounder from a Non-Test Nation (excluding the British Isles): Hugue St-Jean

Most Improved Batsman: Tom Wisden

Most Improved Bowler: Faheem Awan

Most Improved Fielder: Ahmad Rashid

Seasoned Stalwart of the Year (Batting): Robert Savage

Seasoned Stalwart of the Year (Bowling): Brahma Melaram

Seasoned Stalwart of the Year (All-rounder): Bhajooram Sukhdeo

Junior Pro of the Year: Aneeq Sakrani

Selfless B*****d of the Year: Sundar Krishnan

Beginner of the Year: Dave Blechynden

Indoor Specialist of the Year: Tony Jiggins

Best Fielding Play of the Year: Dan Hogg’s one-handed catch (with a sprained left wrist) v The Nowrang Gang

Clown of the Year: Prashant Bhawalkar

Played: 19
Won: 5
Lost: 13
Abandoned due to weather: 1
Cancelled: 9

Saturday 31 April – Middlebury-Dartmouth Medlé – Middlebury College, Vermont, USA – cancelled

Saturday 7 May – West Island Tigers – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – cancelled

Saturday 14 May – Sukhdeo’s Select: A Guyanese XI – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – cancelled

Saturday 21 May – McGill – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – lost by 167 runs

Saturday 28 May – Sukhdeo’s Select: A Guyanese XI – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – cancelled

Saturday 4 June – McGill – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – lost by 102 runs

Saturday 11 June – Queen’s University of Kingston – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – cancelled

Saturday 18 June – Bengal United – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – won by 8 wickets
Sunday 19 June – Boston Gymkhana – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – lost by 57 runs

Saturday 25 June – Bengal United – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – match abandoned due to rain

Saturday 2 July – Ontario Tour – Inverhaugh Cricket Club, Guelph – lost by 88 runs
Sunday 3 July – Ontario Tour – Stoney Creek Cricket Academy, Hamilton – lost by 27 runs

Saturday 9 July – West Island Tigers – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – lost by 151 runs

Saturday 16 July – Colonial Cavaliers of Boston – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – lost by 3 wickets
Sunday 17 July – Colonial Cavaliers of Boston – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – Twenty20 – lost by 63 runs

Saturday 23 July – Concordia University – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – lost by 31 runs

Saturday 30 July – West Island Tigers – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – won by 15 runs

Sunday 7 August – Rolls Royce Aviators – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – cancelled

Sunday 14 August – New Edinburgh (Ottawa) – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – won by 3 wickets (Granville & Roche Method)

Sunday 21 August – Bengal United – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – cancelled

Saturday 27 August – The Nowrang Gang: A Guyanese XI – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – lost by 4 runs

Monday 5 September – Primes CC – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – cancelled

Saturday 10 September – Rolls Royce Aviators – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – won by 90 runs
Sunday 11 September – Concordia University – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – won by 9 wickets

Saturday 17 September – West Island Tigers – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – lost by 95 runs

Saturday 24 September – Bengal United – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – lost by 7 wickets

Saturday 1 October – Primes CC – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – cancelled

Saturday 8 October – Sukhdeo’s Select: A Guyanese XI – The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire – lost by 4 wickets

On Monday afternoon it was possible to land a large seaplane on the field. Cap’n Bell, after discovering his bag had been left open to the elements throughout the wet weekend by Steady Palmer, spent the best part of two days pumping 2,000 litres off the wicket (and out of his pads) while drying the jute mat on palettes. Unseasonably warm weather aided the drainage, and by Saturday, with a forecast of 24 degrees, The Candy Fields was restored to full fall glory.

Sukhdeo’s Select appeared to have wandered off apple picking in the morning, arriving almost an hour late and thus forfeiting the power of negotiation at the toss. ”I think either we should bat… or you should bat. One of the teams,” suggested Sato Panday. The Pirates, bolstered by the return of Bullivant and Mridha, decided to break with tradition and bat.

With the mat stretching and the saturated gravel loosening by the ball, multiple re-pegging and duct-taping was required. Hari Sukhdeo did for Wisden with an in-swinger that hit the top of off stump fourth ball, causing further delay. It was almost midday by the completion of the first over.

After a bruising encounter versus the Bengals two weeks prior, here was a premier grade attack almost on a par, on a surface far crumblier. Mridha and Bell battled against a ball that swung, seamed, and bounced bewilderingly, adding 11, when the former gloved a hook shot into the hands of short backward squareleg, moved there five seconds prior.

Zayid-al-Baghdadi arrived at the crease on debut and was given a peppering by the bowlers. Even as he fell for a fourth ball duck, oblivious to what a ball crashing into the stumps meant, he was still Iraq’s greatest ever cricketer. For a further minute he stood his ground until the umpire fingered him back to the tent.

At 3 for 12 with no sign of the bowlers letting up, there was a danger the match would descend into a Twenty20. But Bullivant and Bell survived, as they had done the previous game, against a barrage of pace; first negating Sunny, then former Bangladeshi pro Kafe, who nearly killed the captain with a ball to the heart, and then the rest of the Guyanese big guns. Barely a loose ball was offered.

”Can someone get my black cap from my bag, please?” asked Bullivant, reflecting the seriousness of the situation. Never before had an Australian uttered those words.

Bell and Bullivant added 57 when Bell, after snapping his sodden and swollen bat, switched to Bullivant’s Kookaburra and was gobbled in the gulley next ball.

Roche tried to get the score moving and was caught, for the third time in succession, off a lofted drive that threatened to break fingers.

Legault, whose game and six-pack have matured tremendously this year, displayed Canadian grit in a stand worth 43, taking the Pirates over the hundred mark. Like a trusted caddie, he advised Bullivant to try the nine-iron, which, despite the Free Montreal Doctor ripping across the park, resulted in two large sixes landing over long-on near the power grid.

Bullivant’s fifty – his second for the club and a remarkable achievement after barely any cricket in two years – came off 75 balls. He was unlucky to be run out two balls later, scrambling back to the non-striker’s end when a dangerous second run was turned down. The innings, in conjunction with his 34 not out last match, carried his average to 86 for the season.

Indoor cricket rules resumed for the last three overs, as Ludhani, Rashid, Sakrani and Awan scampered like mice, somehow running threes with the ball in the bowler’s hand. The innings closed on 132 – a score that looked 50 short against a Premier-grade line-up.

Spurred on by the thought of six months’ inaction, the Pirate openers – Roche and Legault – hared in, beating the bat repeatedly. The breakthrough came with the score on 16, when Legault rattled Raj Sukhdeo’s off stump with an in-swinger.

Another quick wicket and the batsmen on the boundary would have had to put down their vodkas. Roche looked to have struck the gloves on the way to the keeper on two occasions, but without the UDRS in this series, the batsmen survived. A partnership of 64 ensued, which all but took the game away from the home side.

Rashid and Bhawalkar maintained pressure at each end, as the Pirates sensed a wicket and a West Indies-style collapse. Bhawalkar was rewarded for his steepling bounce and accuracy, when Khan mowed one to Legault at point.

With the score on a Nelson, Bell had Vijay stumped in his first over, four short of 50. In partnership with off-spinner Sakrani – the Laval Liberator – the squeeze was put on the Sukhdeos.

The dangerous Hari Sukhdeo was bowled by Sakrani, and then 113 for 4 became 114 for 5 when Panday suffered the same fate at the other end.

With only 17 chips left to gamble, further wounds were inflicted. First, Ludhani plucked a blinder out of the sun at point, behind his head, to remove Ramkissoon. And then Awan, sliding around the field all afternoon like a penguin possessed after its stolen egg, clung on to a towering top-edge off Sunny at 45 degrees behind square. Giddy scenes were witnessed as the Pirates skipped across the square to cuddle him.

But after scoring 132, the result was a foregone conclusion. The ship was broken, but not beyond repair.

Cometh 2012, the Pirate fleet will be bigger and better prepared to plunder booty aplenty.

Pirates of the St Lawrence versus Sukhdeo’s Select: A Guyanese XI
Saturday 8 October 2011
The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire
Match type: 37 overs per side
Weather conditions: More August than October
Result: Sukhdeo’s Select won by 4 wickets

Pirates of the St Lawrence Innings

Tom Wisden b H Sukhdeo 0 (4 balls)
Angus Bell (c) ct H Sukhdeo b M Ramkissoon 30 (2×4, 55 balls)
Manoj Mridha (wk) ct N Ramkissoon b Singh 7 (21 balls)
Zayid Al-Baghdadi b Randy 0 (4 balls)
Darren Bullivant run out (R Sukhdeo) 52 (5×4, 2×6, 77 balls)
Phil Roche ct N Ramkissoon b M Ramkissoon 1 (2 balls)
Matthew Legault lbw Rubel 10 (24 balls)
Ahmad Rashid ct Ramgulam b N Ramkissoon 2 (6 balls)
Naresh Ludhani not out 6 (3 balls)
Aneeq Sakrani ct M Ramkissoon b Rubel 2 (3 balls)
Faheem Awan not out 0 (0 balls)
Prashant Bhawalkar DNB

Extras 17 (Byes 5, Leg Byes 2, No Balls 3, Wides 7)
Total 132 for 9 in 37 overs

FoW (1-0, 2-11, 3-12, 4-69, 5-78, 6-121, 7-123, 8-126, 9-129)

Bowling

Hari Sukhdeo 5 overs, 1 maiden, 1 wicket, 11 runs
Sunny Singh 7 overs, 2 maidens, 1 wicket, 14 runs
Randy 2 overs, 1 wicket, 13 runs
Raj Sukhdeo 5 overs, 0 wickets, 16 runs
Kafe Khan 4 overs, 1 maiden, 0 wickets, 9 runs
Mahesh Ramkissoon 6 overs, 2 wickets, 24 runs
Bhajooram Sukhdeo 5 overs, 0 wickets, 20 runs
Naresh Ramkissoon 2 overs, 1 wicket, 8 runs
Rubel 1 over, 2 wickets, 4 runs

Sukhdeo’s Select Innings

R Sukhdeo b Legault 8 (2×4)
K Khan ct Legault b Bhawalkar 28 (2×4)
Vijay (wk) st Mridha b Bell 46 (7×4)
H Sukhdeo b Sakrani 11 (1×4)
M Ramkissoon ct Ludhani b Sakrani 10 (1×4)
S Panday b Bell 1
S Singh ct Awan b Sakrani 4
B Sukhdeo (c) not out 5 (1×4)
N Ramkissoon not out 0
Rubel DNB
Randy DNB
R Nowrang DNB

Extras 24 (Byes 5, Leg Byes 4, No Balls 0, Wides 15)
Total 135 for 7 in 26.3 overs

FoW (1-16, 2-80, 3-111, 4-113, 5-114, 6-121, 7-131)

Bowling

Phil Roche 4 overs, 1 maiden, 0 wickets, 15 runs
Matthew Legault 4 overs, 1 maiden, 1 wicket, 17 runs
Naresh Ludhani 2 overs, 0 wickets, 18 runs
Ahmad Rashid 5 overs, 0 wickets, 18 runs
Prashant Bhawalkar 4 overs, 1 wicket, 24 runs
Aneeq Sakrani 4 overs, 3 wickets, 19 runs
Angus Bell 3 overs, 2 wickets, 9 runs
Faheem Awan 0.3 overs, 0 wickets, 4 runs

In the small Quebecois town of Otterburn Park, just across the Richelieu River, on a field between a chocolate factory and a volcano, a revolution is taking place. French may be the official language but cricket is the lingua franca.

The revolutionaries call themselves the Pirates of the St Lawrence, and their mission is straightforward: cricket for everyone.

Male or female, novice or expert, young or old, the Pirates will welcome you into the fold, and they don’t care where you come from. Indeed, they revel in introducing cricket to people from non-cricketing nations, and their success has been extraordinary. In under five years they have become the most multicultural multinational cricket club in the world.

The man leading this Pirate charge is an expatriated Scotsman, Angus Bell, who seems to thrive on cricketing challenges. Before founding the club, he toured Eastern Europe in a clapped-out car, hunting down the thwack of Ukrainian leather on Albanian willow, and ending up Batting on the Bosphorus. Back in Canada, however, Bell discovered officially organised cricket in Montreal to be a dispiriting experience. “I tried to play in the league for two half-seasons,” he tells me, “but found it so unpleasant, with all the fights and lack of opportunities, that it made me give up cricket.”

Determined not to abandon the sport for good, however, Bell decided a different approach was needed. “Having seen cricket enjoyed by Slovak gardeners, Croatian wine-makers and Bulgarian medical students,” he says, “it was clear anyone will play cricket as long as it is made visible, accessible and fun.

“It is an open society here. People are willing to try anything. But you can’t just toss a beginner into league cricket and ask them to field from fine leg to fine leg and carry the drinks for 100 overs, as happened frequently in the past.”

So Bell started a new social cricket club, where players of all backgrounds and experience were encouraged to give the game a try.

“Until the Pirates came along,” Bell recalls, “there was no effort in Quebec to allow people born in Canada, or any other non-traditional cricket country, to play the game. Opening the doors to people – no matter their age, gender, nationality, ability, income or time table – saw us welcome more than 250 players in three years.”

And what an amazing array of players it is. The nationality tally stands currently at 56. From a Chinese who bowls chinamen, to Iraq’s greatest cricketer, via Matt Horne’s brother, the Pirates have passed on their love of the game to people from all over the world. And they don’t just do it in the summer either.

“Our Snow Cricket World Cup, based on the ice tournaments of Estonia, has grown into a massive annual intra-club event,” says Bell, “starring teams from Canada, Australia, England and the Asian-Bloc-Celtic-Alliance. It has even featured on national TV twice and is a recruitment boon.”

It helps that this cricket dans la neige is played at a historical site. The venue – Île Sainte-Hélène, Montreal – is where, in 1785, the first recorded cricket match in Canada took place. The Pirates hoped the isle might serve as their summer home too, but the plan fell through. Fortunately Bell has some very accommodating in-laws, who offered the use of the land adjacent to their Belgian-chocolate factory, at the foot of the volcanic Mont Saint-Hilaire. The setting, renamed The Candy Fields, couldn’t be much sweeter. “It means there are no complaints from wives or children about cricket taking all day,” jokes Bell.

With Mexicans, Vietnamese and Syrians taking part, the Pirates have evidently taken an approach of wide-ranging appeal, but the largest proportion of club members is people born in Canada.

“Canadians,” says Bell, “turn from the dark side of baseball quickly when they learn they can hit the ball more than once, in any direction, and everyone can bowl.”

With the transitory nature of expats, this is vital to the long-term health of the Pirates, he says, but Bell also notes that the social aspect of the club is critical. “Without social cricket, there is no stepping stone for kids or newcomers, no last dance for older players, and likely no future for the game.”

With 250 Pirates at the last count, cricket’s prospects in this unlikely corner of Francophone North America look far rosier than one could rightfully expect. There are only a few barriers still to overcome.

“I was shopping for shoes,” recalls Bell. ‘What sport is it for?’ asked the clerk in the mall. ‘Cricket,’ I said. ‘Cricket? You’ve got me stumped there…’ He had no idea of the significance of what he’d said.”

To see the full article, click HERE.

After a week of flooding, Bengal United made the best of the humid conditions, a sticky wicket and a plague of mosquitoes to overcome Pirates of the St Lawrence by 7 wickets at The Candy Fields. The visitors delivered a fine display to seal a comfortable victory with 15 overs to spare.

It was the third time Pirates of the St Lawrence have played host to Bengal United this season. With a certain Bengal victory ruined by the rain last time, this match was an opportunity for the Men in Black to tie the series.

Winning the toss, Pirates’ skipper Angus Bell decided to bat. After a week of Biblical downpours, the pitch had swollen and crumbled, offering bounce varying between dramatic and daisy-cutter. Things were made all the more difficult by the fact that the Bengals had brought a premier-grade attack featuring three Canadian international players. Immediately the new ball pair of Issdahk and Topu found swing in the humid conditions.

To their credit, the Pirates’ opening pair of Bell and Wisden managed to withstand the initial onslaught from the seamers. Bell, peppered with bouncers and devilish bounce, was struck on the body nine times. Together, the batsmen they set about laying solid foundations for the rest of the home side’s innings.

Given the difficult conditions, the opening pair struggled to find the boundary in the early overs. Nevertheless, they did manage to keep the scoreboard ticking over with ones, twos, and massive amounts of wides down the leg side. Wisden’s defense was faultless throughout his innings. The opener registered his best score when he made an superb 25, which included two blistering square cuts to the fence.

The openers had made a patient 77 when the partnership was broken by leg spinner Manpreet, who, with dazzling flight and spin, ripped one between Wisden’s bat and pad. The dismissal brought Roche to the middle. Looking to pick up the scoring rate, he attempted to hit over the top. Unfortunately for the Pirates, he smashed it straight into the hands of Shafin, who, after initially over-running the catch from long-on, pouched a sizzling one-handed chance.

The fall of the second wicket brought Kiwi keeper Richards to the crease. Playing in his first game of the season, he took no time to find his form, smiting a huge six over squareleg. But the quick-fire innings was cut short when Shafin trapped him LBW for 7 from 9 balls.

While wickets fell around him, Bell played a vital stonewall innings. Together with Bullivant, Bell put on a crucial 47 for the fourth wicket. The pair were denied a 50 partnership when, looking to accelerate, Manpreet, back for his second spell, bowled Bell for 33.

Together with Bertram and Middleton, Bullivant saw out the remainder of the Pirates’ innings, ensuring the home side posted a competitive total. The Australian right-hander was in fine form and delivered a fluent innings of 34 not out. Exhibiting a range of shots, he pierced the field to notch up 6 fours during his 49-ball knock.

Set 149 to win, the Bengal batsmen executed an almost flawless run chase. While the Pirates’ batsmen had found it tough going, the visitors managed to find the boundary with alarming regularity.

Despite making an early breakthrough – opener Pardeep skied to Blechynden at cover second ball off the bowling of Roche – the Pirates’ bowlers struggled to make regular inroads into the opposition’s batting line up.

United’s top order all made significant contributions and combined to make two decisive partnerships. The first was a stand of 74 between Sajib (30 from 39 balls) and Deepak (33 off 28). Fortunately for the Pirates, both batsmen were removed in quick succession by Sakrani. Along with Roche, Sakrani was the pick of the bowlers for the home team, finishing with figures of 2 for 30 from his five overs.

Any notion of a dramatic come-from-behind victory was dispelled by a match-winning fourth wicket stand between United captain, Maninder, and the impressive Manpreet. Untroubled by anything the Pirates threw at them, they put on an unbeaten partnership of 74 in quicktime.

With just seven runs needed for victory, the ridiculous situation of both batsmen refusing to run until the final ball of the over or take risks came about, as both Manpreet and Maninder sought to hit the winning runs and finish the season not out. Singles to long-on and fine leg were turned down, resulting in cries of uproar from the marquee.

Finally, with 15 overs to spare, bitten to shreds by mosquitoes, the Bengal batsmen saw their side home to register their first victory over the Pirates.

Pirates of the St Lawrence versus Bengal United
Saturday 24 September 2011
The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire
Match type: 40 overs per side
Weather conditions: Extraordinarily sweaty – perfect for breeding mosquitoes
Toss won by: Pirates of the St Lawrence
Result: Bengal United won by 7 wickets

Pirates of the St Lawrence Innings

Tom Wisden b Manpreet 25 (4×4, 67 balls)
Angus Bell (c) b Manpreet 33 (2×4, 97 balls)
Phil Roche ct Shafin b Manpreet 1 (6 balls)
Ian Richards (wk) lbw Shafin 7 (1×6, 9 balls)
Darren Bullivant not out 34 (6×4, 49 balls)
Aaron Bertram b Sajib 0 (8 balls)
Roy Middleton not out 0 (2 balls)
Aneeq Sakrani DNB
David Blechynden DNB
Andrew Granville DNB
Samuel Mulligan DNB

Extras 48 (Byes 12, Leg Byes 6, No Balls 5, Wides 25)
Total 148 for 5 in 40 overs

FoW (1-77, 2-81, 3-92, 4-139, 5-145)

Bowling

Issdahk 3 overs, 1 maiden, 0 wickets, 6 runs
Topu 2 overs, 0 wickets, 5 runs
Rakib 2 overs, 0 wickets, 16 runs
Deepak 8 overs, 1 maiden, 0 wickets, 29 runs
Shafin 5 overs, 1 maiden, 1 wicket, 21 runs
Mahfuz 7 overs, 1 maiden, 0 wickets, 30 runs
Manpreet 7 overs, 2 maidens, 3 wickets, 15 runs
Preet 3 overs, 0 wickets, 14 runs
Pardeep 2 overs, 0 wickets, 4 runs
Sajib 1 over, 1 wicket, 6 runs

Bengal United Innings

Pardeep ct Blechynden b Roche 0 (2 balls)
Sajib lbw Sakrani 30 (2×4, 39 balls)
Deepak ct Wisden b Sakrani 33 (4×4, 1×6, 28 balls)
Maninder (c/wk) not out 40 (2×4, 3×6, 47 balls)
Manpreet not out 26 (3×4, 32 balls)

Extras 20 (Byes 6, Leg Byes 3, No Balls 1, Wides 10)
Total 149 for 3 in 25 overs

FoW (1-0, 2-74, 3-75)

Bowling

Phil Roche 5 overs, 1 wicket, 18 runs
Andrew Granville 3 overs, 0 wickets, 26 runs
Aneeq Sakrani 5 overs, 2 wickets, 30 runs
Aaron Bertram 3 overs, 0 wickets, 9 runs
Samuel Mulligan 2 overs, 0 wickets, 21 runs
Angus Bell 3 overs, 0 wickets, 21 runs
David Blechynden 3 overs, 0 wickets, 18 runs
Roy Middleton 1 overs, 1 maiden, 0 wickets, 0 runs

West Island Tigers Innings

Lakhwinder ct Syed b B Sukhdeo 50
Jagit Singh (c) c&b B Sukhdeo 18
Tejinder Singh b Granville 13
Hassan (wk) b Granville 0
Manish ct H Sukhdeo b Savage 83
Samil b B Sukhdeo 10
Vikrant b Bell 33
Amritpal not out 20
Rajan ct R Sukhdeo b Savage 0
Ashok b Bell 9
Bhaskar b Syed 5
Sandeep b Syed 0

Extras 33 (Byes 15, Leg Byes 2, No Balls 1, Wides 15)
Total 276 for 11 in 38.3 overs

FoW (1-70, 2-102, 3-103, 4-121, 5-158, 6-217, 7-238, 8-239, 9-256, 10-276, 11-276)

Bowling

Phil Roche 4 overs, 0 wickets, 11 runs
Matthew Legault 4 overs, 0 wickets, 32 runs
Hari Sukhdeo 4 overs, 0 wickets, 15 runs
Prashant Bhawalkar 1 over, 0 wickets, 11 runs
Bhajooram Sukhdeo 8 overs, 3 wickets, 42 runs
Andrew Granville 4 overs, 2 wickets, 25 runs
Farooq Syed 2.3 overs, 2 wickets, 25 runs
Raja Sukhdeo 2 overs, 0 wickets, 33 runs
David Blechynden 2 overs, 0 wickets, 34 runs
Angus Bell 4 overs, 2 wickets, 23 runs
Robert Savage 3 overs, 2 wickets, 31 runs

Pirates of the St Lawrence Innings

Raja Sukhdeo b Ashok 24 (3×4)
Angus Bell (c) b Ashok 26 (2×4)
Phil Roche (wk) ct Manish b Ashok 2
Hari Sukhdeo ct Hassan b Lakhwinder 35 (3×4, 2×6)
Farooq Syed ct ? b Manish 20 (1×4, 1×6)
Matthew Legault c&b Sandeep 8
Robert Savage run out 0
Andrew Granville (wk) run out 0
David Blechynden b Sandeep 4
Prashant Bhawalkar b Rajan 0
Bhajooram Sukhdeo ct ? b Manish 17 (2×4)
Andrew Granville not out 16 (3×4)
Prashant Bhawalkar run out 1

Extras (Byes 5, Leg Byes 3, No Balls 1, Wides 19)
Total 181 for 12 in 39.3 overs

FoW (1-51, 2-55, 3-55, 4-97, 5-132, 6-135, 7-135, 8-141, 9-141, 10-145, 11-179, 12-181)

Bowling

Sandeep 6 overs, 2 wickets, 36 runs
Amritpal 5 overs, 0 wickets, 19 runs
Manish 8 overs, 2 wickets, 25 runs
Jagit 3 overs, 0 wickets, 19 runs
Ashok 4 overs, 3 wickets, 13 runs
Tejinder 4 overs, 0 wickets, 20 runs
Lakhwinder 2 overs, 1 wicket, 7 runs
Rajan 2.3 overs, 1 wicket, 12 runs
Sahil 2 overs, 1 maiden, 0 wickets, 4 runs
Vikram 2 overs, 1 maiden, 0 wickets, 9 runs
Bhaskar 1 over, 0 wickets, 15 runs

Prologue – Saturday, 10.30 am
”Bikram? It’s Angus. Are you close?”
”Actually, we will be twenty-five minutes late. We’re on our way to Dorval Airport to rent a car…”

At 12.20 pm, with just four Concordes and a spectator to muster as an opposition, Pirates of the St Lawrence took to the field in the surrealist game of the season. Lost on the wrong side of the Champlain Bridge – itself down to one lane – with no clue of the roads to take thereafter, and facing heavy apple-picking traffic in the Montérégie – it looked unlikely that the remainder of the students would ever arrive.

Melaram started the revolving door of wickets, inducing an edge to gulley and then a caught and bowled to leave the opposition with just guest umpire Sato to bat. 17 for 2 quickly became 19 for 3, as the ever-improving Bousfield claimed his first scalp for the Pirates or anyone, caught by Bell diving at short midwicket.

Recalled to the crease, the dangerous Umar swiped two fours and a flat six over cover before succumbing to Llewellyn-ap-Daffyd – back in the side after an 23-month hiatus – when he mistakenly rocked onto back foot to the fourth U-boat of the over.

With the scorer padding up for the third time, it looked to be a wasted afternoon for all.

But then, at a quarter past one, the rest of Concordia gang arrived by hire car and suddenly the score was 86 for 4 after 11 overs. Game on.

Uncle Sukhdeo – with just two balls and two wickets to his name this season – began with a third wicket first ball. His average and strike rate will take some beating.

Super Sub Sato slapped the leather admirably, taking the Concordes past the hundred mark with a towering straight six off his Guyanese counterpart. But just as a nervy second innings chase on a crumbling surface looked on the cards, the Pirate spinners picked up the last 7 wickets for just 21 runs, dismissing their guests for 107 in a shade over 25 overs.

Normally a menace on a track with cut, the Concordian bowling attack looked as though they were lost at Mirabel, en route to Ottawa, as debutant Mridha and Rashid flayed them to the forest. Mridha preferred playing square of the wicket on the off side, Rashid hooked compulsively. When the latter fell caught and bowled, Horne entered in a hurry and upped the run rate.

The big New Zealander retired on 39 not out in the 14th over after 29-ball bonanza. Mridha, the consummate professional, and Katia-Kid Julius, playing his final game for the Pirates, cake-walked the home side to a 9 wicket win in just 16.3 overs, Mridha finishing on 49 not out.

The entire game had taken less then the journey to and from the airport.

Pirates of the St Lawrence versus Concordia University
Sunday 11 September 2011
The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire
Match type: Farcical, 37 overs per side
Weather conditions: Bloody oath, mate
Result: Pirates of the St Lawrence won by 9 wickets

Concordia University

Umar ct Rashid b Melaram 7 (1×4)
Bilal c&b Melaram 6
Ashfaq ct Bell b Bousfield 1
Shahid lbw Sukhdeo 15 (1×4)
Umar b Llewellyn-ap-Dafydd 18 (2×4, 1×6)
Sato b Sukhdeo 22 (3×4, 1×6)
Salman lbw Bell 5
Zeeshan b Bell 0
Haroon ct Sukhdeo b Bell 2
Bikram (c) b Julius 7 (1×4)
Shaun not out 1
Salman run out (Bell) 1

Extras 22 (Byes 3, Leg Byes 2, No Balls 0, Wides 17)
Total 107 for 11 in 25.3 overs

FoW (1-11, 2-17, 3-19, 4-45, 5-86, 6-86, 7-92, 8-94, 9-96, 10-106, 11-107)

Bowling

Brahma Melaram 4 overs, 1 maiden, 2 wickets, 10 runs
René Bousfield 4 overs, 1 maiden, 1 wicket, 13 runs
Brian Llewellyn-ap-Dafydd 2 overs, 1 wicket, 28 runs
Roy Middleton 3 overs, 0 wickets, 26 runs
Aneeq Sakrani 4 overs, 1 maiden, 0 wickets, 15 runs
Bhajooram Sukhdeo 3 overs, 1 maiden, 2 wickets, 2 runs
Angus Bell 3 overs, 3 wickets, 5 runs
Matthew Julius 2.3 overs, 1 wicket, 8 runs

Pirates of the St Lawrence Innings

Manoj Mridha (wk) not out 49 (6×4, 51 balls)
Ahmad Rashid c&b Salman 9 (2×4, 11 balls)
Richard Horne retired not out 39 (5×4, 1×6, 29 balls)
Matthew Julius not out 10 (2×4, 9 balls)
Aneeq Sakrani DNB
Brian Llewellyn-ap-Dafydd DNB
Roy Middleton DNB
Bhajooram Sukhdeo DNB
René Bousfield DNB
Brahma Melaram DNB
Angus Bell (c) DNB

Extras 1 (Byes 1, Leg Byes 0, No Balls 0, Wides 0)
Total 108-1 in 16.3 overs

FoW (1-18)

Bowling

Bikram 3 overs, 0 wickets, 16 runs
Salman 5 overs, 1 wicket, 20 runs
Ashfaq 5.3 overs, 0 wickets, 33 runs
Umar 1 over, 0 wickets, 18 runs
Haroon 2 overs, 0 wickets, 19 runs