Pirates of the St Lawrence versus McGill
Sunday 29 August 2010

Pirates of the St Lawrence slumped to their ninth defeat of the season on Sunday, mauled by a McGill side by 4 wickets at The Candy Fields.

After posting 217 for 6 in 40 overs, the youngest Pirate side to date was left without answers, as the visitors chased down the target with 22 balls to spare.

Batting first on a concrete track with a lightning-quick outfield, the Pirates top order was blown by accurate seam bowling and over exuberance. At 37 for 4, the scorecard mirrored the hapless Pakistan team. But Phil Roche and Thiery Milot came to the rescue, lashing 40 in 6 overs.

When Milot was caught at backward point off a miscued drive, former Surrey Under-12s star Daniel Brodie marched to the crease. He and Roche added 128 for the sixth wicket – only the third hundred partnership of the season.

Roche, looking in scintillating form, notched up his third fifty of the season, smiting three sixes and seven fours en route to 85 – his highest score for the Pirates. Brodie, happy to nurdle and flick to leg, recorded an excellent fifty on debut.

217 would have been enough to bury the previous McGill team, but not this bolstered outfit. Multiple edges and gloved chances flew into the safe hands of keeper St-Jean, but every appeal fell on deaf ears and no batsman walked. Having given only 18 wides in the first innings, the Pirates came in for severe punishment – 29 being awarded in 36 overs.

Shoaib batted beautifully, maintaining his composure in the heat. He survived a barrage of pace from Syed and Roche. Syed produced a brute to dismiss Ali off his glove at gulley after drinks to make it 77 for 2.

Wisden collected two wickets in an over, including the dangerous Hayat first ball. Opener Saad top-edged a long hop so high that Wisden had time to turn to Bell at midwicket and enquire if he was going to take it. In the end, Wisden was left with no time to think about it, and pocketed the catch without embarrassment. Hayat somehow top-edged a ball that landed six feet down the wicket and was heading to first slip as a wide, sending it ballooning to Phil Roche at gulley.

But the boundaries continued to flow. When one batsman departed, another capable of finishing the game arrived. Bell bagged two wickets in quick succession, momentarily giving the home team hope. But with Shoaib unmovable, the Pirates were left wondering how on earth they could win again.

Pirates of the St Lawrence versus McGill
Sunday 29 August 2010
The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire
Match type: 40 overs per side
Weather conditions: Devilishly hot
Toss won by: McGill
Result: McGill won by 4 wickets

Pirates of the St Lawrence Innings

Henry Wardley lbw Shafkat 2 (6 balls)
Angus Bell (c) ct Ali b Shafkat 10 (1×4, 18 balls)
Sundar Krishnan lbw Shoaib 9 (1×4, 15 balls)
Thiery Milot ct Yousuf b Hayat 17 (3×4, 23 balls)
Farooq Syed ct Saad A b Hani 7 (1×4, 16 balls)
Phil Roche ct Saad Y b Hayat 85 (7×4, 3×6, 84 balls)
Daniel Brodie not out 51 (4×4, 73 balls)
Gohar Ali not out 4 (5 balls)
Hugue St-Jean (wk) DNB
Matt Legault DNB
Tom Wisden DNB

Extras 32 (Byes 8, Leg Byes 3, No Balls 3, Wides 18)
Total 217 for 6 in 40 overs

FoW (1-7, 2-21, 3-27, 4-37, 5-77, 6- 205)

Bowling

Shoaib 8 overs, 1 wicket, 31 runs
Shafkat 6 overs, 2 wickets, 33 runs
Saad Y 3 overs, 0 wickets, 16 runs
Hani 4 overs, 1 wicket, 28 runs
Hayat 8 overs, 2 wickets, 46 runs
Amir 7 overs, 1 maiden, 0 wickets, 23 runs
Ali 4 overs, 0 wickets, 29 runs

McGill Innings

Yousuf ct Ali b Syed 18 (3×4)
Saad A c&b Wisden 33 (5×4, 1×6)
Ali ct Roche b Syed 19
Hayat (c/wk) ct Roche b Wisden 0
Shoaib not out 70 (10×4)
Saamir b Bell 5
Ahmed st St-Jean b Bell 1
Hani not out 28 (5×4)

Extras 44 (Byes 11, Leg Byes 1, No Balls 3, Wides 29)
Total 218 for 6 in 36.2 overs

FoW (1-29, 2-77, 3-82, 4-148, 5-160, 6-164)

Bowling

Phil Roche 8 overs, 0 wickets, 39 runs
Farooq Syed 8 overs, 2 wickets, 28 runs
Tom Wisden 4 overs, 2 wickets, 25 runs
Daniel Brodie 1 over, 0 wickets, 14 runs
Gohar Ali 4 overs, 0 wickets, 40 runs
Matt Legault 3.2 overs, 0 wickets, 26 runs
Angus Bell 6 overs, 2 wickets, 37 runs
Thiery Milot 1 over, 0 wickets, 8 runs