Pirates of the St Lawrence versus Bengal United
Saturday 12 October 2013
By Neville Cardus (channelling through Prashant Bhawalkar)

The mosquitoes arrived on time, this particular morning, in eager anticipation of a feast. Of this, they were not denied as two red-blooded cricket teams — one, with a smattering of blue blood — fought each other tooth and nail in the final match of 2013.

The Bengal United vs Pirates of the St Lawrence encounter was followed feverishly by amateur cricket aficionados in Montreal. While few of these turned up to watch, it can be assumed that they were all there in spirit.

Batting first, Bengal lost an early wicket to the enigmatic Legault, who produced an in-ducking yorker. However, the Bengal batsmen settled into their stride, running quick singles and hitting bad balls out of the ground — all elementary stuff according to the Geoffrey Boycott school of thought.

Young Robinson immediately made an impact, removing Anish off a ball that rose too high and too fast for the well-settled opener to negotiate. Kelly Morton gobbled the catch at squareleg. Having scored a steady 45, Anish was cruelly denied 50. A mini collapse soon ensued with Badugu entering the action by removing Shehzad (31) lbw and taking a catch off Robinson’s firebolts.

In the meantime, there was more drama on the field. Bhawalkar, who displayed uncharacteristic agility this morning, was beginning to demonstrate his talent for dropping catches. The first, admittedly under the glare of the sun, popped out of his hands at fine leg. The second, off his own bowling, was a well-middled drive that ended crossing the boundary. Worse was to follow, as he allowed a simple lob off Badugu to land in the grass at 45 degrees behind square. There were two more drops to follow, both of Clements, one a dolly at point, another, a simple gathering at extra cover. No matter where the captain moved him, the ball would follow. It was not a lofty moment in the field for the 6′ 4” Bombay pacer.

While wickets fell at regular intervals, four to skipper Bell, who finished with 43 scalps for the season, the Bengal batsmen managed to retain control over proceedings. Steady innings from Sajib and Mahfuz ensured that the visitors reached 235 for 10 in 42 overs.

A word here for Gauthier. Having shown promise with both and ball throughout the season, the young Quebecoise shattered any illusions Walid and Mohid might have had of hitting boundaries in the final over. A pair of rapid precisely-bowled yorkers ensured that she finished the innings with a double-wicket maiden.

A number of Pirates batsmen had starts, notably Varma, whose blistering 40 runs (including a six over extra cover off Mahfuz, followed by a hook to the fence for four) ensured his place as the highest scoring Pirate of the season with 723. The rest, through a series of fatigued shots, failed to capitalize on their starts.

In the end, it was left to Bhawalkar and Gauthier to ensure that the Pirates weren’t bowled out. They almost managed this feat, with Gauthier adding to her good form with the ball. In the end, Bhawalkar made the mistake of ambling out of his crease to be run out off the final ball of the season, awarding Bengal a convincing 52-run victory.

Pirates of the St Lawrence versus Bengal United
Saturday 12 October 2013
The Candy Fields, Mont-Saint-Hilaire
Match type: 42 overs per side (11 wickets)
Weather conditions: Warmest October ever – no complains
Result: Bengal United won by 52 runs

Bengal United Innings

Extras 18 (Byes 1, Leg Byes 3, No Balls 0, Wides 14)
Total 235 for 10 in 42 overs

FoW (1-9, 2-74, 3-82, 4-84, 5-161, 6-205, 7-205, 8-223, 9-229, 10-235, 11-235)

Pirates of the St Lawrence Innings

Extras 36 (Byes 6, Leg Byes 8, No Balls 5, Wides 17)
Total 183 for 11 in 42 overs

FoW (1-59, 2-68, 3-79, 4-84, 5-114, 6-129, 7-141, 8-162, 9-162, 10-164, 11-183)