The Summer League got under way with two matches in excellent weather on Saturday – the field was in great shape thanks to the new mower. In some ways the league started the way it ended last year- with Rahul Vashishtha smashing boundaries and the Avengers winning. Rahul took only 14 balls to reach fifty – the batting highlight of the day, as the Avengers needed just 8 overs to register a 7 wicket win after the NL Tigers had made 97/7 in their innings. There were some new faces in evidence, as Sadman Muhtasim made a quick 14 for the Tigers, as well as bowling well to take two wickets- including the prized scalp of Rahul, well caught from a skier at square leg. Jammu Mehtab and Jaspreet Bajwa made good outdoor debuts for the Avengers, Jaspreet bowling four steady overs and Mehtab taking two wickets. Madhu Bandara had the best figures, taking 2/4 from 2 overs. For the Tigers, M Zilani battled hard for his 20, and Adeel Ilyas made 22.
Scorecard

Video is available on the Avengers youtube channel
The second match featured a rematch between the teams who contested last year’s Herringshaw – Liverman Cup, NSK and Royal Challengers. Royal Challengers batted first, but struggled against some good NSK bowling. Amit Neghandi made a patient 22, and Manvir Mann hit well at the death for 24 as the Challengers made 101/9. Nick Baxter bowled 4 overs for 8 runs in his return to the League; and Deep Patel, Amit Sundly and Rakesh Negi each took two wickets. Talha Riaz took three catches in the outfield, none of them easy.
In reply, Abhishek Doshi (20), and Rakesh Negi (15) put on 36 for the first wicket but then good bowling, notably from Amrish Desai (3/19) meant that NSK had to fight hard for a 4 wicket win in 15 overs.
Scorecard

Due to poor weather, Sunday’s Eagles-Avengers match has been postponed