On a day of English-like summer weather where most intelligent people had decided to sit next to an AC or move to Greenland the illustrious Cs ventured to Franklin Park to play Trinidad and Tobago CC. A playoff spot was there to be cemented with the Turd’s continuing to improve upon their slightly less than average season last year. There was also the promise of witnessing first hand a human spontaneous combustion. The old mercury was due to top out at around 97 and C’s did manage to arrive with better logistical support to beat the heat than the Russian Army (ok not hard)…well except for half the team who decided to leave their bats on the sidewalk in downtown Boston (maxxed out). A James Bond like car dash performed by your humble writer managed to retrieve them before some enterprising bat thief took off with them.

Didn’t matter as Old Skip, per usual, managed to lose the toss (of all days! Maxxed out) and the Turds were sent in to field. It had been agreed to reduce the match to 30 overs a piece due to, you know, everyone’s Sunday evening hair appointments, with the T&T boys asking for 25 and one, already heat affected, Cav wanting 40 ($2 AV). Sidenote, T&T asked Aman (13th man) to score for them on the app, keep this in mind for later folks.

Game on! T&T seemed to have a mission statement regarding round guys in tight shirts but they started slowly before the Viper struck with consecutive balls in the 5th. The excitement of a hat trick ball was instead followed with 4 consecutive wides ($2 Naga). It was hard going in the field from there with the boys feeling the heat, and the bowling being somewhat 2021ish in its wideness. By the end of 12 overs T&T were 71 for 2, a difficult chase if this run rate kept up. On came the Spencenator, The Wall, Boy Wonder…what do we call him now? (Also keep in mind for later that the T&T opener applauded us for having a 15 year old playing and told Old Skip to motivate him and keep him safe. Youth is the future of the MSCL etc etc ) With the second ball of his second over bowled a peach to have the batter caught behind. Praveen was bowling tight from the other end though starting to feel the effects of the world being on fire around him.

At the second drinks break, the Cavs managed to pull the rarely seen double switch (wtf is this baseball? Who let Greeny in here?), to get some weary legs off the field (AV needing 9 overs rest) and try and keep this score to a manageable total. Some bum managed to drop their top scorer in the 20th, however on being forced to run 2 his rotund self almost passed out and went off retired hurt. Mandeep came on and picked up a wicket with a sharp catch at cover by Spencer’s driver, then another with a very sharp, running catch by Sansit at deep long-on. The C’s couldn’t quite capitalize on those and Fat Barrel Boy came back on (if he dies he dies?) to finish out the inning at 161 for 5 setting the Turds a tough target of 162 in 30. It should be noted FBB complained loudly anytime anyone appealed speculatively for an edge and further rumbled he had seen us do it in a game he umpired earlier in the season. So we were in his cross hairs.

Onto the Cav’s batting, where the real shithousery begins. Arjun and Mr “What’s staying in your crease” Vishal got off to a solid start with 38 for no loss after 7, featuring a cameo from Mr. Beefsteak Tomato bowling one over before taking himself off the field again (don’t worry he’ll be back!, like the clap). Arjun was out, with Vishal a couple overs later but not before he had survived a run out when he left his crease after the ball hit the stumps but the bail didn’t fall off. One of their fielders started chatting to him while another picked up the ball and whipped off the bails. Aman at leg umpire gave him not out, Old Skip was called out onto the field and a heated exchange ensued ending with Vishal still in and Aman being removed from umpiring duties for the day. Job done $2 credit.

Mohit batted fluently, with able support from Praveen and Sansit. Along the way though we got numerous appeals, arguing with the umpire and attempted runouts on deadballs, the spirit of cricket was taking a few beatings on the field of lava today. It decided to really look sickly when Sansit smashed a line dine down the field which was caught with the fielder then rolling halfway towards the road but claiming he stayed inbounds. Being the better man, Sansit walked off with the Cavs in good shape at 112 for 4 with 12 overs left. Plenty of wickets and balls left right? Right?? The heat might’ve finally started to take its toll on all including the umpire who managed to give Mohit out LBW with one that hit his belly button, ahh MSCL how we love you. Mohit had scored a very valuable 33 off 43 though! Shrivaj got out to a nice piece of bowling and sharp chance at slip and suddenly the chase wasn’t looking so certain. Young Spencer came in and it appears Fry forgot to include his HGH shot with his Liquid IV that morning as the Cavs found themselves needing 32 off the last four, trouble indeed but we knew it wasn’t over and so did T&T (or is that TNT?) who were aiming for a slower over rate than the English test team. Mandeep comes in and the boys are struggling only scoring 7 off the next two overs.

Now we are needing 22 off the last 12 and if it wasn’t for the dehydration there might’ve been some puckering going on. Never mind says ‘big balls’ Mandeep as he strikes 2 consecutive fours to put the boys right back in it! 14 off 9! And he’s bowled on the very next delivery…By now the entire team is gathered on the boundary (minus AV who has turned his back and chair on the game…literally... after his unsuccessful attempt to persuade Old Skip to yank Spencer from the game in the interests of a win?!?!?!? He was met with a swift rebuke from Old Skip as he questioned his desire to steal Spencer’s potential chance of glory. Has he not heard of the Cavalier Create a Hero Program now in its 19th year? ) as Naga strides to the crease looking like he’s about to hurt someone....a swing and a miss…and then CRACKS a boundary down the ground on the last ball of the 29th…10 runs to win…Spencer on strike to the bowler who’d given him 4 dots ball in the last over…What does he do? Puts it on the younger Forgan’s toes and he whips it away for a boundary down fine leg, 6 off 5! The boys are fired up and T&T are starting to crack. Can it be done? Can the comeback be complete? The next ball is a dot, (may have been one or two failed mankaad attempts in there too. Remember that Carl Ashely?) then a hurried single, 5 off 3 with the Viper on strike. He strikes it well but not far enough and they scramble through for a two. 3 off 2! Naga can’t get the penultimate ball away and they only manage a single. 2 for Victory, 1 for the tie….annnnnnnnnd record scratch. Here comes the shithousery.

Suddenly Mr. Heart Problem has decided he’s scoring this match (using a book, remember when they had asked Aman to score for them earlier?) and the C’s only have 159, not 160. Various polite arguments commence including the occasional use of fruity language and Old Skip and the Tomato having to be separated at one point. T&T players yelling, Cavs players yelling, the Ump not knowing what the fuck is going on it takes a good 5 minutes before calm is restored. The official score was 160 (your humble writer was the scorer, where the fuck was my MoM?) and 2 was needed to victory…The entire team ready for the pitch invasion or the brawl, whichever commenced…
Ball is bowled,
Spencer flicks to square leg, Mis-field,
Desperate running,
BACK SAFE, CAVS WIN, CAVS WIN, CAVS WIN!!!
Pitch invasion underway, with Arjun all of a sudden leading the charge, his faith in Spencer now complete, a polite disagreement on the way back to sheds on the finer points of the gentleman’s game with the oppo, and the Turds have their sixth win in the books. Spencer somewhat obviously MoM with great efforts from everyone around. Epic, epic win.

This was an instant Cavs classic up there with the two Mad Dogs last over wins, the BCC last ball run out and super over win at St. Columba, the Chordiya Six over extra cover and quite a few other nail biting and glorious wins in the final over of matches. Nothing better.

Amicitia et Victoria was never so sweet.