EMC cricket champs – HOWZAT!

by Liam Landrigan and Joel Shields, Cricket Convenors

The ICC Cricket trophy has returned to Emmanuel College ending a 22-year drought in the long-running College sport. Our 15-man squad were victorious on all six occasions they played over the two-weekend tournament.

Following a five-week pre-season of intense training and hard work, and kitted out in their IGA Marketplace St Lucia training shirts, the men were all extremely well-prepared and full of excitement leading into their first game against King’s College on the first weekend. A strong team performance, with contributions from all players, led to Emmanuel scoring a match winning 122, led by 35 from the bat of Will Carlile. A clinical bowling performance saw King’s crumble under pressure and the Emmanuel men start the season off with a big win.

The following morning saw the team take on St Leo’s in an important match. Captain Liam Landrigan led from the front with a classy 46*, assisted by a clutch 35 from James Lindsay, helping the team post 128. Two wickets to Lindsay and a brilliant spell of 2/2 from Ethan Harvey helped secure a 43-run victory for Emmanuel.

The afternoon game against Cromwell saw a comprehensive 115-run victory thanks to 69* from Landrigan and a hard-hitting 58 from fellow opener Chris Roberts. Two wickets each from Harvey and Justin Somerville in combination with wrist spinner Michael Scaysbrook, who took three scalps, saw the men finish off the weekend with three wins and a ton of momentum heading into the final weekend.

After a tough week of training the men were extremely pumped leading into the final weekend, which required another three wins to claim the title. Saturday saw the team bat first against Union College, posting an impressive 149 in the first innings, led by 69 of the best from William Harris. Another strong bowling performance led to a comfortable victory over the farmers.

Sunday morning’s game versus St John’s College was an unofficial final, as both teams were undefeated in all their previous matches. After electing to bat first, John’s posted 128, restricted by some clinical bowling from Somerville and James Heading. Facing a strong John’s bowling attack, opener Roberts got the team off to a flying start with a quick-fire 29 before Landrigan and Harris combined to see Emmanuel home in a clinical display of pure batsmanship, scoring 45* and 53* respectively. Emmanuel’s outstanding performance, defeating John’s by 9 wickets with 10 balls to spare, effectively secured the title with one game to go.

The afternoon game saw International House challenge Emmanuel in what was to be the final game of the competition. A strong bowling and fielding performance from all players meant the team required 84 to secure the trophy. Openers Harvey and Joel Shields chased the total in 7 overs, scoring 51* and 25* respectively, comfortably securing the tournament victory.

Credit must go to all 15 squad members, as well as to waterboy Liam Mulherin, for their commitment, dedication and hard work throughout the season. Every single player contributed and is congratulated for their efforts on and off the field.

Special thanks to the team’s official sponsorship partner, IGA Marketplace St Lucia, who contributed to the introduction of training shirts and purchase of equipment. Their assistance was greatly appreciated by the Emmanuel’s cricketers and the College, and we would love to continue this partnership into the future.