Wednesday Div 1 (2006)

No better way to start the 2006 Sultans campaign with a solid win. Our opponent in the first game for 06 was the Middies, who batted rather well, while we struggled to hit our straps after the off-season. The third pair slogged their way to 52 to help the team post a total 99, and left certain Sultans shaking on the two-line as the ball repeatedly flew past at a bazillion miles an hour. Needing triple figures to win, all Sultans contributed evenly with the bat, winning three skins on our way to victory #1 for 2006.

Round two of the season saw Sultans come up against Nads. In not so typical fashion, the fielding Sultans were on the ball early, taking wickets to see Nads firsts pair down to -16. Good fielding form continued for the remainder of the match, with Nads only managing to post a total of 16. This was reeled in by the first pair, with the remaining Sultans batting admirably to steer us to a comfortable victory.

Without star player Jeff for the second week in a row, thinks looked a little shaky early as Leppers got off to a relatively good start, their first pair posting a healthy 25. Two negative overs from Gilly and one each from Ranga, Howesy and Chenz brought the game back into our favour, with none of Leppers other pairs managing to post a score over 5. A shaky third pair the Sultans only hiccup en route to victory three in season 06. It was encouraging to notice that on no less than 5 occasions Sultans took wickets from consecutive balls, including a hat-trick by Ranga in the 6th over.

The derby! Sultans versus a re-formed van wilders outfit claiming that chuck norris doesn't sleep. A dissapointing effort by Sultans in our first attempt at batting first in 2006. While we started strongly, our middle pairs failed to contribute significantly to the team score. While defending 62 is by no means impossible, we were unable to take wickets with any consistency, allowing TCN to take a comfortable three-skin victory.

With both sides a player short, Sultans used the gaps in the field to their advantage on out way to a team total of 104, with all batsmen contributing. Bundy Bears second pair got away from us, but the first, third and fourth were all contained, Sultans cruising to yet another 3 skin victory.

Sultans got off to a flier in the field, and maintained the steady flow of wickets throughout the innings to see Middies struggle through to a total of 11. The front court was on fire, fed by a bowling attack delivering line and length. Overall a well rounded performance in the field, with special mention Leigh Hansen who was filling in for his first Sultan game (we think). Lethal's second over had Middies Andy and Dave shaking in their boots, mixing it up with fast full tosses followed by short sharp deliveries well aimed at the crown jewels. With the pressure off, we batted well on our way to a comfortable 103 run win, and our first four-skin of the season.

The second Sultans/Team Chuck Norris derby for season 2006, and a perfect opportunity to right the wrongs from round 3. Not afraid to enter the court and field with 6 men, we got luck as Gilly and Ranga arrived just as Waz was starting to get twitchy. While we didnt let any of the opposition pairs get completely on top of us, it was our ability to burn their third pair for negative six that enabled us to chase the very gettable target of 69. A batting order shake-up by the Sultans skipper proved somewhat of a bad idea initially, however some excellent chopping from the remaining Sultan pairs managed to get us over the line in a thriller, with the last two balls of the match blocked out by Browny #1 to seal a memorable victory.

Fresh from our 1 run thriller, we came out all guns blazing against old mates Chugs. Browny #1 and Jeffro #21 earned themselves a drink early on, but were outdone by a spectacular batting display from Ranga #35 and Browny #2 who put on 70 for the third skin, including a mammoth 43 from overs 11 and 12, with Browny #2 smashing four 7's in six balls. A negative fourth partnership the only blemish on our way to amassing 139 runs. With a huge total on the board, we could have been forgiven for taking it easy, but wickets were on the menu as a focused and determined Sultans outfit played to the best of their ability. Amazingly, all four of Chugs batting pairs made negative runs, but still managed to take one skin off us on their way to their second website scorecard in Sultans history.

Another derby, but this time it was T.C.N's turn for revenge. A lacklustre batting display cost us dearly, with a total of 19 being very difficult to defend. To our credit we stuck to our guns and took wickets early and in the third, but their second pair got them over the line, before their final pair cut loose. With the game played at a high level of intensity, the final scoreline doesn't do it justice. Dissapointing to lose, but a great game nonetheless.

Not a lot to comment on here. It was good to win the second skin after tying the first. Dissapointing that our second half couldn't maintain the good start laid down by the first two pairs. Dissapointing that we couldnt defend a reasonable total. Full credit to Badgers, they outplayed us on the night.

We fought extremely hard in the field to restrict our foe to a relatively gettable total of 35. Complacency set in, and with Team Chuck Norris turning it on in the field, we were unable to get over the line. The final pair collapsed for -4, despite needing just 15 to win the game. Some will argue that Team Chuck Norris are unsporting in their quest to recruit high quality players to fill in, while the Sultans prefer to use juniors to bolster the side in times of need.

Bursting back into the winners circle with a bang! Some consistent batting and regular wicket taking enough to propel us to a 172 run, 4 skin victory, and our second website scorecard of the season. Interestingly, there was just the one seven struck in the Sultans innings of 147, with all players opting for the chop as the preferred method of attack. Special mention to Gilly #07 and Howesy #05 who chopped everything bar the trees on their way to a total of 51.

Once again, Team Chuck Norris put in a superb performance against us, and we crumbled. Our inability to post significant, defendable totals against quality bowling got the better of us tonight, and the game was all but over after their first pair made the bulk of our runs.

The unpredictable season rolls on, this time we bounced back against the Badgers. There were no real stand-outs with the bat as everyone chimed in with a few valuable runs. Chasing 106, the Badgers started slowly, and slowed down as the game progressed. With the bowling attack delivering solid line and length, batters were forced to take unnecessary risks which cost them dearly. Three wickets off the final over, including one of the final ball from some excellent fielding by Riccardo #24, saw the Badgers crash to a total of -2 and another scorecard for the website.

Sultans struggled to get a side together for their 9:45 encounter with Mayhem tonight, only managing to get together 7 players to don the green and gold. Batting first, our first pair got the innings off smoothly with a steady 23. Ranga #35 went out to bat carrying an axe, chopping all that came before him in one of his best innings for the Sultans this season, and with Deights #11's help posted 32 for the third pair. Damo #08 and Sultans fill-in revelation Scotty Gaynor batted superbly to round out the innings, only some unlucky late wickets prevented us from posting the triple figures, the final total posted being 83. With plenty of runs to defend, we were confident in the field even with the hole left by the missing 8th player, and took our chances to win by a comfortable 32 runs.

Finishing first on the ladder, Sultans opponent for the Semi Final clash of 1 vs 2 were to be the Leppers. Having lost to Leppers on two occasions this season, Sultans were not taking this game lightly and went out all guns blazing to get the job done. We batted first and did all the right things, the opening pair hitting 40 odd to give us the perfect start. The remainder of the team continued this form, with a slight hiccup in the third not preventing Sultans from posting a triple figure total. Despite Sultans bowling and fielding well reeling in that total would always be a tough ask for the Leppers, but that didn't prevent them from giving a scare as they crept closer and closer. A few late wickets ensured the Sultans prevail and earn a shot at their 4th flag.

Grand Final

Winning the toss, Sultans elected to bat first and got off to another flyer courtesy of Chenzo and Benzo, who refused to give a single wicket as they chopped their way to 39. Gilly and Howesy chopped well for 22, before a potential disaster reared its head as Ricky and Jeffro lost two quick wickets to put themselves squarely on the back foot. Fortunately cool heads prevailed as they recovered to contribute a skin of 20. Bringing up the rear was Deights and Ranga, who chopped well for two overs before cutting loose and smashing 21 off the 16th, bringing Sultans total to an imposing 128.

Entering the field full of confidence, early wickets saw the Sultans get right on top before a couple of expensive overs allowed Middies first pair to escape with 22. It was a case of history repeating for the second pair, going for negative 9 off their first two overs but hitting back to score 21. In fact, the first three pairs were typified by equal amounts of excellent overs, and expensive overs, with similar occuring to allow the third pair to score 25 after three. This was the turning point of the match however, as Middies were on 68 and within striking distance if a final pair assault could be pulled off. Enter the Sandhus. With Chenz bowling, Benzo snapped up a front court chance and squirted the ball to Ricky to effect a run out. A second wicket in the over ensured the third pair post only 20 and left Middies final pair with the arduous task of scoring 65+ to win. An early hat-trick of wickets to Gilly in the 13th over extinguished any hope of a Middies revival. It was party town after that, with everyone cashing in to take 9 wickets off their final pair, sending the Sultans on their way to an 85 run Grand Final victory.