Ponting, the Golden Duck of Cricket!

Sorry to all you Ponting fanatics, I for one stay clear of the man. -10 points for the golden duck are bad enough but if he was your captain......OUCH! I know Katy S's Bubble Gum team had him but they also carried Gayle and he racked up 6 4's and 6 6's, so that helped soften the blow. You were also bummed if you were counting on Australia's Michael Clark who did nothing, or Brett Lee who conceded some insane number of runs (mostly to Gayle). Other players of note for the day: Yuvraj Singh had a huge strike rate (227.77) as he hit 41 runs from only 18 balls! And Yuvraj didn't do to bad in the field either. Hart's Gas is happy that he's their captain! Gambhir scored a half century and if you were lucky enough to have Ojha as a bowler (I know Norm did - well done Norm) he earned an econ rate of 5.25 and had a whopping 4 wickets! Not to be forgotten was the performance by Scotland's captain, Watson who had a strike rate of 270 hitting 6 4's.

So, to recap, India beat Bangladesh by 25 runs, The Windies ousted Australia by 7 wickets, and in a backyard 7 aside 7 over match New Zealand sent Scotland home early for dinner.

I am still in the lead with my husband and Mom hot on my heels, Team Jimminy and Hart's Gas are not far off the mark. Blair's Bombers made great strides as did the Flying Toasters. I guess you really don't have to know much to play this game.

Hang in there everyone, it is only the beginning with lots more cricket to be played. Tomorrow we will see if England can come back from their embarrassing start and beat Pakistan, while South Africa will make their first show against Scotland (I sure hope they took notes during the England/Netherladns game!)

Michael should be posting a worm soon. Enjoy!

We Need a Worm

Ok, so we are getting the worm going but we neglected to record the scores after Fridays matches. If you remember what your score was please let me know in the comments. Thanks.

Netherlands! Who Knew?

Well, Englands overthrow allowed the Dutch to overthrow England. What an upset. Catherine is certainly "Agnomaning" all over Cantebury. England batted first and put up 162 for 5. Wright was the big hitter for England putting up 71 of those runs. Bopara almost got bonus points but fell to a wicket by my man ten Doeschates after 46 runs. With Pieterson out I was a bit disappointed with England at this point. I mean, Shah, Morgan, and Collingwood (all on my team) collectively only scored 22 runs! no points from those folks. So then the Dutch went in. They played some good solid cricket and made for a most exciting final over - they needed 7 runs from 6 balls. Each ball they ran a single. Last ball they needed 2 to win. "Broad to Schiferli, 2 runs, goes for a club, Broad again fields - they run, and Broad has all three stumps as he collects it in his follow through. But he misses, and they run an overthrow. They're through and Netherlands have scored a brilliantly, outstanding upset here for the first match at Lord's!"

So, with one match down we await OUR scores. Will past favorites take an early lead or will The Netherlands win bring tidings of joy to someone new? Rumor has it that Paul has programmed a new and improved worm - I look forward to watching my line climb on the steepest of slopes.

Tomorrow: India V. Bangladesh, Australia V. West Indies, and New Zealand V. Scotland. So get to making your trades already.

As a side note to those folks joining Michael and I on Sunday: The game begins at 9:30 not 8:30 as previously mentioned. SO, come at 8:30 or 9:30 or whenever it suits you best. We will be watching the match LIVE! And, seriously, if you want to catch the earlier 5:30 match Sean and I will be up - feel free to join us.

Twas the Night Before Competition .........

and all through the world all the cricketers were stirring and finalizing their teams. Team Jiminy is chirping loudly, Blairs Bombers are aiming high, Gonubie Chinas are polishing up, the Hobos are hopping a train, the DRMTEAM is resting nicely, Hart's Gas is firing, The Flying Toasters are buttering both sides, Bubble Gum is blowing big, and the Chiloquins are having a pow wow. Arvinder/ is browsing for a new name, the Old Boggers are scraping muck off their shoes, The Smashing Windows are windexing their targets while Dr. Teeth is rinsing and spitting. Agnoman is praying hard and the Goggas are hoping not to get smashed. The dusters are dusting off their brooms and the Great Gryllidae are warming up their wings. It's GO time people. Tomorrow morning (or afternoon depending on where you are) it will all begin. With 17 teams I hope everyone is ready for a fun time!

Let the games begin!!

THIS JUST IN: We think we have found a way to watch the live match on Sunday!! We may all be crowded around Michaels computer but luckily he has an obscenely large screen! The game starts at 9:30am England vs. Pakistan. South Africa is also playing Scotland starting at 5:30 - Michael, Sean and I will be up for that one as well so anyone wanting to really get their cricket on is free to come for the early match, but you'll need to bring me a latte for early admission.

Its Party Time!

Who: anyone in the area that wants to come
What: an all you can learn cricket party
Where: Katy and Michael's Place
When: Sunday the 7th @ 8:30am
Why: Cause we want everyone to get the most out of this tournament!

England will be playing Pakistan. We probably won't be able to get the match but we can all stay in tune with the up to the minute score card and commentary on cric info. Also, Michael has the game of the century on DVD so we can all see what an actual cricket match looks like. Hopefully you'll leave a little more informed and able to read a scorecard so you can keep tabs on your team. Hope to see you all there.

Let it all hang out!

Ricky Ponting has been talkin' trash and says Australia is going for a hat trick but with Watson's groin strain they'll have to take it slowly, slowly. And Collingwood is hoping for the home ground advantage, while the betting sites give the best odds for Gambhir and deVilliers, but Michael has some secret Netherlands player that he's keeping close to the breast. So much to contemplate. As you guys create your teams there is one other thing to think about - to reveal or not to reveal. Paul is a classic hoarder, keeping his team secret even from himself. I like to let it all hang out which has come in handy while breastfeeding. Missy lets loose early but then reigns herself in at the last minute. Whatever your strategy remember there is a button at the bottom of your team: Public Viewable, yes or no?

Welcome Freshman!

As there are a number of people new to the sport who are planning to join us in this little romp I thought I would repost the rules of the game that Michael shared during our 1st foray into the land of fantasy cricket, enjoy!

You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out.

When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game.

And if that doesn't clear the sport up for you try the Cricket 101 link on the right for a slightly more technical look.