ICC WCL Division 6 Singapore 2009

Guernsey v Norway
ICC World Cricket League Division Six 2009
Venue Indian Association Ground, Singapore on 1st September 2009 (50-over match)
Balls per over 6
Toss Guernsey won the toss and decided to bat
Result Match Abandoned
Umpires S Gurung, BB Pradhan
Scorers V Pasupathy, S Veillard

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Guernsey innings    RunsBallsMins4s6sSR Norway bowlingOvMdnRunsWktsWNbSRER
G H Smitrunout751015-74.3Aamer Waheed7.213303-4.5
R KnellerstMunawar AhmedbShabbaz Butt65885173.9Dawood50140--2.8
J D J FrithcShahid AhmadbZaheer Ashiq25223-113.6Safir Hayat30120--4.0
L Savidentnotout11--100.0Zeeshan Ali40140--3.5
*S E Le PrevostdnbZaheer Ashiq30181--186.0
K B MoherndldnbShahid Ahmad302502-8.3
J A J NussbaumerdnbShahbaz Butt704111-425.9
†T C R KimberdnbAta-ul-Aziz30190--6.3
L B Ferbrachednb
J J Warrdnb
G J Richdnb
Extras (b1, lb7, w10, nb0)18
Total (for 2 wkts in 35.2 overs)184
Fall of wickets
1-141(Kneller),2-182(Frith)

Norway innings    RunsBallsMins4s6sSR Guernsey bowlingOvMdnRunsWktsWNbSRER
*Zaheer Ashiqdnb
Safir Hayatdnb
Adeel Ibrardnb
Shahbaz uttdnb
Shahid Ahmaddnb
Zeeshan Alidnb
†Munawar Ahmeddnb
Iftikar Hussaindnb
Iram Dawooddnb
Ata-ul-Azizdnb
Aamir Waheeddnb
Extras (b, lb, w, nb)
Total (for 0 wkts in 0 overs)0
Fall of wickets

MATCH

GUERNSEY fell foul of the weather again yesterday.  In a match that they really needed to win against Norway to ensure that they stay in Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Six – after winning the toss and batting first – they were in a fantastic position of 184 for two in the 35th over before they were hit by torrential rain.  With the entire Indian Association outfield under water, there was no other choice but to call the match off at 1.30pm.

The island side’s match on Sunday with Bahrain was also abandoned and had to be replayed on Monday.  Guernsey manager Dave Hearse was not a happy man with their latest abandonment.  ‘I’m hacked off,’ he said.  ‘It was the first time we looked like a competent cricket team [this week] and we were undone by the weather. The gods are against us.  You can’t control the weather but it’s frustrating as we were in a good position in the game.’

To avoid being relegated back down to Division Seven, Guernsey have identified Norway and Botswana as the two teams they need to beat to ensure their survival having already lost to the tournament’s two strongest teams Singapore and Bahrain.

They were on course to setting a match-winning target when Ross Kneller and GH Smit batted sensibly to put on 114 for the first wicket before Kneller went for 65.  Jeremy Frith carried on the good work until he was dismissed for 25.  Smit was on 75 not out before the heavens opened.

‘I was feeling good today and it was nice to get some runs,’ said Kneller.  ‘[The rain] is disappointing but we’ve got to take the positives from it. We were on for a big score there as we executed the game plan we had.  We can go on from there and hopefully we can take that into our next game. We’ve got to focus on the positives and not get bogged down in the fact that we were rained off.’

Guernsey’s next game is today with Malaysia, back at the Indian Association. However, as it witnessed so much rain yesterday and it does not drain as well as Singapore’s other grounds, this could also be called off.  They will now replay the Norway game on Thursday.  With the amount of rain that Singapore has had in the last few weeks, people have been questioning as to whether it has been wise to host the competition at this time of the year in the city state.

Hearse refused to be drawn into the argument but did say: ‘I don’t know enough about Singapore to know whether this is bad luck or not, but out of the eight days we’ve had here we’ve only had one clear day and there’s predictions of more rain. ‘We’re here to play cricket and we want to play cricket.’

Botswana’s match with Malaysia at the Kalang was also called off while, in a reduced match at the Singapore Cricket Club, Singapore won the battle of the top two as they beat Bahrain by seven wickets under the Duckworth/Lewis method, reaching their 34-over target of 164 with more than three overs to spare.