A pleasant late spring day with temperatures around 18°C and the complete Erlangen squad waiting outside the ground at 10 minutes to 12. The Flicx was already laid from the curtailed Friday practice and everything else was prepared in time for captain Ayub to win the toss, decide to field first and allow the match to begin at 12:35.
MCC opening bowlers Blades and Deverill were very tight and after 12 overs the score was 27 for 0 with only two boundary fours being hit. Blades had had a difficult caught and bowled chance in his spell. The first change bowlers Khan Waqas and Qureshi continued the trend and at 20 overs they were 53 for 0. The first wicket fell in the 23rd over, a superb stumping by Butt off Nielsen`s bowling. We have really missed the Viking celebrations when a wicket falls so keep it up Thomas. The wicket tally stayed the same with runs being carefully accumulated until captain Ayub struck twice in the 34th over making them 125 for 3 down. He got a third in his next over, one more in his 6th and a fifth in his seventh over. In between he had been party to a run out and Erlangen were all out for 165 in 39.3 overs. Butt had taken three superb stumpings, standing up to all our bowlers and their final score was definitely beatable.
After teas, provided for both teams by Mahmud Khan, MCC opened the batting with Sarma and Deverill. The first wicket fell with the score on 5, Deverill looping a catch from a poor ball and moving up in the duck race. Sarma stayed around for another 22 runs before he too hit a harmless ball straight to a fielder. Ayub and Butt steadied the ship but on the verge of the drinks break Ayub was out LBW to the Bavarian Lions bowler Vinay Dikshith which rather spoiled the half-way score. Khan Mahmud and Butt batted steadily until Butt went for 40, the highest score of the innings and the total now 94 for 4 down from 32 overs. Mahmud Khan fell with no more runs added, three runs later Wembridge bade everyone adieu and one run later Nielsen joined the duck race after an interesting shot. From 94 for 4 MCC were now 99 for 7 and the task was looking increasingly difficult. Waqas Khan hit a few lusty shots but departed in the 37th over with the score on 107. It was left to Altmann and Blades to bat out the remaining overs with no chance of getting the winning runs.
Bowes and Sestan had returned from the division II match against Kirchanschöring to regale us with their batting and bowling prowess at the Fräulein Grüneis watering hole before the party split for a Ruby Murray or a Thai and wine Chez Deverill.
Sarma, 9, caught
Deverill, 0, caught, 8 overs, 2 mdns, 15 runs, 0 wkts
Ayub, 16, LBW, 6.3 overs, 0 mdns, 32 runs, 5 wickets, 1 catch, 1 run-out
Butt, 40, caught, 3 stumpings, 1 run out (with Altmann)
Khan Mahmud, 14, bowled, 1 catch
Wembridge, 3, bowled
Altmann, 11*, 1 run-out (with Butt)
Nielsen, 0, bowled, 6 overs, 0 mdns, 27 runs, 1 wkt
Khan Waqas, 6, caught, 8 overs, 0 mdns, 48 runs, 2 wkts
Blades, 3*, 6 overs, 0 mdns, 16 runs, 0 wkts
Qureshi, DNB, 5 overs, 0 mdns, 23 runs, 0 wkts.
MCC, 127 – 8 in 40 overs, lost to Erlangen, 165 – 10 in 39.3 overs by 38 runs
MCC MOM: Ayub