Cossonay CC went into the Swiss T20 against Power Winterthur, on a windy but an otherwise perfect

cricketing weather. With strong competing squads, in their eye catching coloured jerseys and with a

nicely prepared Cossonay ground, the atmosphere was all set for an electrifying season opener.

Losing the toss Cossonay were put to bat. Sriniketh and Sathya opened the innings cautiously,

negotiating the initial swinging white ball. Sriniketh was the first victim in the 3 rd over, when he

mistimed a pull shot, lobbing a catch at square leg, of the bowling of Shahnawaz. Arjun joined Sathya

at the crease, and the pair played some glorious cricketing shots, hitting fours and sixes all over the

park. The duo put a quickfire 72 run partnership, with Sathya being the aggressor and Arjun playing

the supporting role. Sathya was bowled for a brilliant 44, in attempting a pull, as the ball richoceted

on to the stumps off his pads. Lalit replaced Sathya and hit a couple of boundaries, before getting

bowled in trying to dispatch the ball out of the stadium. At that stage the score was 99 runs in 13

overs for the loss of 3 wickets. The next set of batsmen, Yeti, Matt and Kishore ably supported Arjun

and most importantly kept the momentum going. Matt hit a couple of text book cover drives and

square cuts for boundaries, showing his batting class. With Arjun’s clean hitting at the other end,

Cossonay put up a strong total of 167 for the loss of 6 wickets. Arjun returned unconquered for a

well made 53.

Aware of the batting strength of Power Winterthur, a disciplined bowling effort was required.

Himank and Kishore opened the bowling for CCC. Power’s openers Afzal and Osama looked ominous

as they dispatched Kishore for a six each in the 2nd over. Himank soon bowled out Afzal with an

inch perfect yorker. Jasbir, who replaced Kishore, was fiery with his pace and bounce and picked

up the wicket of Osama, safely caught in the deep by Matt. Power kept the scoreboard ticking at a

good rate, punishing the loose balls and benefitting from the extras given. When Himank and Jassi

finished their spells, the scoreboard read 74 for the loss of 2 wickets. The game was evenly poised

at this stage. The next bowler, Arjun, continued with his fastish off spinners and bowled 2 tight

overs. He got rid of Amir, caught by Himank, bringing the dangerman Shahnawaz onto the crease.

Kishore, from the other end, was economical in his second spell, removing the well set Asad. Fresh

from his exploits for the Swiss National Squad in the DBMT, Shahnawaz looked in fine touch, as he

hit two powerful sixes of Arjun’s 3rd over, accelerating the scoring. With 6 overs left and 67 runs to

score, Power needed some lusty blows at the end. Cossonay brought on Vaibhav, who was saved for

bowling the death overs. Although smacked for a straight six of his slower one, Vaibhav came back

to pick up the wicket of Shahnawaz, caught by Lalit, and bowled out Mubarik. Lalit from the other

end clean bowled Zahid and mounted the pressure even further. At the end, Power fell short of the

target by 37 runs finishing on 131 for the loss of 8 wickets.

The mood in the dressing room was upbeat after a convincing and well deserved victory. It was

a spirited team show, with the players cheering and backing up each other. Yeti, the skipper,

was shrewd in his decisions with respect to the batting order, the bowlers used, and in the field

placements. All the six bowlers picked up wickets and bowled to the field placements. With a little

more discipline in catching (2 difficult catches were dropped J) and in bowling (in reducing the extra

runs given), Cossonay CC look a promising squad for a silverware this season.