Royals Romp to T10 Tournament Triumph!

Over the weekend of 22nd/23rd of September RBCC hosted the FWBC (Federation of Wallonia and Brussels Cricket) T10 Cup, determined to go one better than in the last edition where we lost in the final.

We didn’t get off to an auspicious start, losing a wicket to the first ball of the competition. Our opponents, ICCB, bowled well but Waqas and Mustafa responded with some excellent batting as we set a target of 88 for the loss of 7 wickets.

RBCC – Ready to go

As ICCB looked to respond Sairab set the tone by taking 2 wickets in his first over. Mishi also bowled well with figures of 2 for 10 off 2 overs. Our fielding was excellent, Siftay running an opponent out with a direct hit. In a tense finish, ICCB needed 10 off Sairab’s last over but fell just short as RBCC won by 1 run.

In our second match, the result was never in doubt as we raced to a commanding 130 for 1, Muneeb and Mishi scoring 52 and 45 respectively. In comparison, Brussels Strikers could manage only 85 with Taha taking 2 for 8. As we had already qualified for the semi-final against PCCB, our final league game was cancelled.

 

RBCC family

The semi-final was highly competitive. PCCB made a respectable 89/3 with one of their batters really going after Mishi’s last over. In reply, Muneeb went for their bowling from the start but a tense finish was in prospect until a couple of huge blows from Mustafa and Ollie saw us home with 2 balls to spare.

On to the final, a rematch as we squared up to Liege. Restricted light meant that each team was limited to only seven overs but incredibly Muneeb still managed to make 51 before being run out off the last ball, while Mishi made 31 off 15 deliveries. Liege CC were always behind the run rate with Waqas and Ollie taking crucial wickets as the visitors made 63.

Well played lads!

At the presentation ceremony, Nick thanked all the teams that had participated, the spectators for their support, and the two umpires without whom the tournament could not have taken place. In addition to steering RBCC to the trophy, Captain Muneeb won two richly deserved individual awards; best batter and most valuable player.

Muneeb: Our captain!

A great weekend of cricket and a fantastic performance by RBCC. Well done!