Friends,
Welcome to 2010! A very Happy New Year to everyone from the Cavaliers!
As mentioned in my previous email, the Cavs are looking forward to another exciting and eventful year ahead. And what better way to celebrate the beginning than honoring the best Cavs performers from last season! That's correct, as promised, its time for the Annual Cavaliers Awards Banquet! Please find the details below.

Event : Annual Cavaliers Awards Banquet
Date : January 16, 2010 (Saturday)
Time : 6:30PM
Venue: 920 5th Ave SW, Calgary (Please ask for the Amenities Room or call 403.615.8380)
Cost : $20 per person (free for Children)
Attire : Business casual

This will be a family event so please feel free to bring along wives, children, significant others and friends. There will be a catered dinner and alcohol will be sold.
Please come join us as we celebrate the achievements from last year. We look forward to seeing everyone!

Regards,
Nishit Patel
President - Cavaliers Cricket, Calgary
403.615.8380
npatelc@gmail.com

PS. Please forward this invite to your teammates. Thank you!

Friends,
It's been yet another captivating and exciting year for the Cavaliers family. As the year draws to a close, on behalf of the Cavs, I'd like to wish everyone the very best for the holiday season. This year and this cricketing season has brought with it many changes, challenges and rewards.I'm very pleased to say that we have taken it all in stride, like only the Cavs can ;)

This year saw the Cavaliers awarded the "Most Sportsmanlike Club" award by the Calgary and District Cricket League. In a competitive league like ours, this award is a true testament to our spirit and character despite maintaining an aggressive edge.
Cavaliers I fought through some very tough competition to come out on top and retain a spot in the highest division to continue playing at the highest level of cricket here in Calgary. It was particularly important for Cavs I to do so this year as the league plans to reduce the number of teams playing in the most elite division next year. The top Cavs also saw some exceptional individual performances throughout the year from everyone in their lineup. Special mention goes out to Zahid Chaudhary, Hassan Tariq, Talal Paracha and skipper - Andrew Irwing for award winning performances this season.
Cavaliers II produced some phenomenal individual performances as they attempted to defend their division championship right up to the semis, in vain. Abhijeet Bahl, Sachin Pupneja, and Jitesh Bhasin etched some blistering knocks in all our memories. The return of reliable Kapil Pupneja brought back the renowned sting of the Cavs 2 bowling. A highlight from this season, that no one will soon forget, is undoubtedly, the inspirational knock played by Vinay Dixit. Batting single handedly (literally!), Vinay, with Vijay Ramachandran, fought to a win early in the season.
Cavaliers III also made it right up to the semi-finals with a lot of young blood on the squad. The arrival of Rajul brought some much needed brute batting prowess that skipper - Devin Rai needed to balance his successful bowling squad, spearheaded by Adeel Ata.
Cavaliers IV checked in with yet another reliable and successful season. Led by Traun Kashib, these Cavs were reliably the team to beat in the division.
Look out for Paul Wyman and Nayan Desai to make some waves next season after a great first season for the Cavs.
Also a big shout out to our very own rookies Randhir (Raindeer) Persaud and Loveraj (yes his name is Love) Mangat for turning in great all rounded performances all season.

With that, we'll leave you to celebrate the exploits of the year. Thank you all for being a part of the Cavaliers family this year and hope to see you all at the annual Cavaliers Awards Banquet in January (details to come...watch this space)!
May your joys know no bounds, Cheers!

Nishit Patel
President - Cavaliers Cricket, Calgary
403.615.8380

Cavs 1 broke their 4 game losing streak on Sunday with a 6 wicket win against Predators. The win moves Cavs into 5th place, and a step closer to qualifying for the 2010 Elite League.
Predators won the toss and elected to bat first on a warm, sunny day at Inland Athletic Park. Zahid (4/35 off 10) and Talal (2/36 off 10) took the new ball for us and reduced Preds to 4/20 with some great new ball bowling. Spinners Ritesh (2/39 off 10) and Adit (1/31 off 9) continued the good work, and Preds were 6/60 and we were looking to bowl them out for under 100. A combination of good lower order batting, dropped catches and substandard bowling in the last 15 overs allowed them to reach 9/221 off their 50.
Cav's chase got off to a good start, with Abhijeet (36) playing his best innings in premier so far, combining with number three Talal (36) to put on 40 odd. The loss of these two and Talha in quick succession left us at 4/97 off 22, the game evenly balanced. Andrew (56*) and Zahid (64*) set about resurrecting the innings, and were able to score at 4-5 an over with little risk, due to good placement and running between the wickets, and the target was down to 49 off 10 overs. A few low scoring overs ensued, and 25 were needed off 3, but with 6 wickets in hand and two set batsmen, we were still in good shape. A huge 6 from Zahid in the 48th over brought the target down to 14 off 12, and from here we did it easy, scoring the winning runs off the 3rd ball of the 50th over after an unbroken 125 run partnership.
A great team effort, from probably the youngest premier team in Cavs history, the oldest player being only 25, and three guys 17 and under. We need to back it up in the return match against Preds next Sunday, in which a win will guarantee us 5th spot and keep us in the race for the top 4 playoffs.

Dear Friends,
2009 marks the 10th anniversary of Cavaliers Cricket! Since its humble beginning in 1999, the Cavs have come a long way and grown into the largest cricket club in Alberta. Its time we celebrate our proud past. As part of our 10 year celebration, we are organizing the Ahuja Cup tournament and a BBQ on July 15, 2009 (Wednesday). The entire event has been generously sponsored by Mukul Ahuja and his family, who founded the cricket club in 1999. So please come out to the event and enjoy some light cricket and great food with everyone.

Event : Ahuja Cup tournament and BBQ
Date: July 15, 2009 (Wednesday)
Time: Games start at 5:30PM
Venue: Riley Park (Large Ground)

Please RSVP to this email and let us know if you will be making it to the event and if you are bringing any friends or family along. This will help us plan for the food we need to order. Also, If you wish to play in the tournament, please inform us of that as well so that we can make the teams for the tournament. Please note that if you do not inform us, we may not be able to accommodate you on any of the teams at the last minute.

Thank you,
Nishit Patel
President - Cavaliers Cricket, Calgary
403.615.8380

Premier Division - Cavs 1 v Canasia Sunday, May 31, 2009 at Inland Large After 2 successive losses, this shaped up as a must-win game. We welcomed back key players Hassan Tariq and Grant Broadhurst, giving us more depth in both batting and bowling. Another lost toss, and we were fielding. A much better effort in the field today, which is crucial on the unforgiving Inland, although we were still far from perfect. Zahid Chaudhary bowled well to take 2 wickets, Adit Sharma returned to his 2008 form with 2 wickets in a tight 10 over spell from the 25-45 over stage, Hassan also bowled a great restricting spell in the latter stages to take 3 wickets, and Kishan & Grant also did their jobs, allowing us to restrict Canasia to 227 after it looked like 260+ was on the cards after 30 overs. 228 is a very gettable score at Inland, but against a strong Canasia attack including Canadian bowler Khurrum Chohan, it would take a big effort. Openers Andrew Irving (50) and Kishan Gajjar (18) gave Cavs a great start with 59, and then Hassan Tariq joined with Andrew and took the score to 101 after 27 overs, with Cavs in the box seat. A collapse of 5/25 turned the game on its head, and with 14 overs remaining, Cavs needed 102 runs with 4 wickets in hand. Grant Broadhurst (16) and Zahid Chaudhary added 66 of these before Grant was run-out at the end of the 47th over with 36 still required. Adit Sharma came to the crease, and immediately got going with 2s and 3s. Zahid was playing a great knock, but when he fell on the 5th ball of the 49th over for a fantastic 54, 15 were needed from 7 balls. As Kapil Pupneja strode to the crease, Andrew, having already acted as a runner for Zahid, stayed to run for Kapil, who strained a groin in the field. With the batsmen having crossed, Adit was on strike for the last ball of the 49th over, and despite the ball only travelling just outside the 30 yard circle, the batsmen scampered for 3, leaving 12 to win off the last over, Adit on strike. Two 2s and a 3, and Kapil was facing up with 5 needed of 3 balls. A swing and a miss, Adit steals a run to the keeper, and the umpire signals wide! 3 off 3. A single to Adit, and another to Kapil, and scores are tied. One to win of the last ball. Field is up. Batsmen about to run for anything. Pressure? Not for Adit, he plays a “tennis shot” over mid on, away to the boundary, and Cavs have stolen a victory from the jaws of defeat, after earlier appearing to do the opposite when we collapsed from 1/101. Adit finished on 26n.o. off 13 balls, having only played one dot ball. One of the greatest wins in Cavaliers history, we won because in both innings were were the best team in the last 10 overs. We’re now back to 2-2, and in 4th place. We need to get over the niggling injuries to some of our players, and keep working hard in preparation for our match against arch rivals St Johns next Sunday, after which we have a 3 week break.

Premier Division - Cavs 1 v Crown
Saturday, May 23, 2009 at Inland Large
After a win 2 weeks ago against Crown, and undefeated at Inland in 2008, Cavs went into this match confident of getting back in the winner’s circle. We took an undermanned bowling attack into the game, with spearhead Grant Broadhurst and medium pacers Talal Paracha and Hassan Tariq, all unavailable, as well as question marks over Zahid Chaudhary’s fitness. Our attack was put to the test immediately after we lost the toss and were asked to field first.
After Crown had a solid start, Kishan Gajjar (3/43 off 10) brought us back into the game with his nagging seamers. Adit, Talha and Vaibhav each took one each, and Kapil and Ritesh bowled better than their figures suggested. However, a below average performance in the field allowed Crown to end up on 285.
Chasing a big score, a good start was needed, and we didn’t get it. 2 wickets lost in the first over, and 4/44 after 9 overs. Debutant Sachin Pupneja led us through the carnage scoring a wonderful 59, and was joined by wicketkeeper Anand Padmanabhan (37) in a 65 run partnership to give us a glimmer of hope. However, only Abhijeet Bahl (another debutant) with 12, and Ritesh Sharma (11) were able to reach double figures, and we were all out for 167, 118 runs short.
A very disappointing performance. The bowling was OK, the fielding lacked commitment, and the top order did not bat with the responsibility required. We need to turn things around quickly, as we cannot afford to fall too far behind the top 4 if we wish to make the playoffs.

The opening T20 game for between the two Cavaliers teams was a spectacular affair, including a blistering knock by Abhijeet Bahl’s (Cavs II). Batting first, Cavs II had a steady start, but after losing 3 wickets in quick successions, their hopes dimmed for putting up a hefty total. But with Allan (Beast) and Bahl at the crease, the pendulum swung back, as they had better ideas. The onslaughts begin with Allan lofting some big hits over midwicket bagging 40+ runs to his name, while Bahl played a steady role. Right after the 10th over the floodgates opened and Bahl hit a couple of lofted drives for four, followed by 3 behemothic sixes. Out of the three, two were pulled over deep square leg and one over midwicket clearing the boundary by a good 25 meters on Riley large!! He wasn’t done yet, when in the very next over he heaved a straight six that went miles high going well past the Sightscreen. Bahl ended up seizing 82 runs to his name in merely 35 balls. Later, Cavs II’s tail got into the act with equal gusto and took the total to 172.

With a big task ahead, the two openers from Cavs I gave a perfect start to their team by scoring 53 in the first 5 overs. But, Adeel, the youngster from Cavs III, got the ball to zip with his pace and both openers succumbed to his fierce bowling in the same over. At 63 for 2, it seemed like Cavs I opened their can of worms, as Stallion Vaibhav Patel, took the next three wickets of some good caliber batsmen, thanks to smart bowling and proper field placement by the captain. The end came soon as leggie Jitesh Bhasin took the remaining wickets with his deceptive spin. Cavs I caved in only a total of only 99 runs and Cavs II sealed their first win of the inaugural T20 season at CDCL.

Premier Division - Cavs 1 v Glenmore
Sunday, May 17, 2009 at Riley Large
After a win last weekend, Cavs entered their match against Premier Division newcomers Glenmore on a high. Paceman Grant Broadhurst and leggie Adit Sharma returned to the team for their first games of the season, and new recruit Paul Wyman was promoted from Cavs 3 to make his Premier debut. Missing from the lineup was star all rounder Hassan Tariq.
We won the toss and had no hesitation in electing to bat first in the sun. Openers Andrew Irving and Kishan Gajjar got the team off to a steady start putting on 22, but both fell to run outs, and we were in a bit of trouble at 3/45. The Paracha brothers Talal (44) and Talha (20) joined forces and added 60 with common sense batting, and at 3/105 around the 30 over mark, 200+ was looking likely. However, another middle order collapse, due to some poor stroke play against some tight bowling from the Glenmore spinners and dibbly dobblers, left us at 8/133 after 40, and in danger of not batting the 50. Paul Wyman (30*) and Adit Sharma (11*) showed the top order a thing or two, and put on 43 to guide us to a defendable, yet still disappointing total of 8/176.
Having gone into lunch with some momentum, we continued this when we got the ball, reducing Glenmore to 3/27 after 15, courtesy of a run out by Talal, a wicket to Grant, and a half-tracker from Paul's 3rd ball in Premier going straight to a fielder. Glenmore were able to gain the momentum back with a 55 run partnership, helped by some wayward bowling. Needing a wicket, Grant came back on and delivered, breaking the partnership, and when Adit struck next over, we were right back in it, with Glenmore 5/91. Another 20 runs were added, until Kishan (2/38) struck with a nasty rearing delivery that caught the shoulder of bat and presented Andrew with his 3rd easy catch of the innings at slip, and then with the score at 132, the big wicket of Parveen was in the bag, Paul taking a well judged catch at deep mid wicket of Kishan, and 3 wickets was all that was standing in the way of victory, with 44 runs required.
Unfortunately, we let the game get away from us, with a few dropped catches and an inability to build up pressure with the ball, and despite another wicket to Grant, who bowled superbly through 4 spells to end with 3/24 off 10, Glenmore passed our score 8 down in the 48th over. Congratulations to Glenmore for a well deserved win in their first game in Premier, ultimately a couple of brilliant pieces of fielding by them proved the difference, as we failed to take the half chances.
So another 1-1 start for us, for at least the 5th consecutive season. We play Crown again next Saturday, they will be after revenge after we knocked them off last week, so we need to be at our best to get back into the winner's circle. We will be at Inland for the first time this year, a ground where we are undefeated, with the long boundaries and quick outfield suiting our young team. Let's get a win and take the season series from Crown, and get our season back on track.

Premier Division - Cavs 1 v Glenmore Sunday, May 17, 2009 at Riley Large After a win last weekend, Cavs entered their match against Premier Division newcomers Glenmore on a high. Paceman Grant Broadhurst and leggie Adit Sharma returned to the team for their first games of the season, and new recruit Paul Wyman was promoted from Cavs 3 to make his Premier debut. Missing from the lineup was star all rounder Hassan Tariq. We won the toss and had no hesitation in electing to bat first in the sun. Openers Andrew Irving and Kishan Gajjar got the team off to a steady start putting on 22, but both fell to run outs, and we were in a bit of trouble at 3/45. The Paracha brothers Talal (44) and Talha (20) joined forces and added 60 with common sense batting, and at 3/105 around the 30 over mark, 200+ was looking likely. However, another middle order collapse, due to some poor stroke play against some tight bowling from the Glenmore spinners and dibbly dobblers, left us at 8/133 after 40, and in danger of not batting the 50. Paul Wyman (30*) and Adit Sharma (11*) showed the top order a thing or two, and put on 43 to guide us to a defendable, yet still disappointing total of 8/176. Having gone into lunch with some momentum, we continued this when we got the ball, reducing Glenmore to 3/27 after 15, courtesy of a run out by Talal, a wicket to Grant, and a half-tracker from Paul's 3rd ball in Premier going straight to a fielder. Glenmore were able to gain the momentum back with a 55 run partnership, helped by some wayward bowling. Needing a wicket, Grant came back on and delivered, breaking the partnership, and when Adit struck next over, we were right back in it, with Glenmore 5/91. Another 20 runs were added, until Kishan (2/38) struck with a nasty rearing delivery that caught the shoulder of bat and presented Andrew with his 3rd easy catch of the innings at slip, and then with the score at 132, the big wicket of Parveen was in the bag, Paul taking a well judged catch at deep mid wicket of Kishan, and 3 wickets was all that was standing in the way of victory, with 44 runs required. Unfortunately, we let the game get away from us, with a few dropped catches and an inability to build up pressure with the ball, and despite another wicket to Grant, who bowled superbly through 4 spells to end with 3/24 off 10, Glenmore passed our score 8 down in the 48th over. Congratulations to Glenmore for a well deserved win in their first game in Premier, ultimately a couple of brilliant pieces of fielding by them proved the difference, as we failed to take the half chances. So another 1-1 start for us, for at least the 5th consecutive season. We play Crown again next Saturday, they will be after revenge after we knocked them off last week, so we need to be at our best to get back into the winner's circle. We will be at Inland for the first time this year, a ground where we are undefeated, with the long boundaries and quick outfield suiting our young team. Let's get a win and take the season series from Crown, and get our season back on track.

Premier Division - Cavs 1 v Crown
Saturday, May 9, 2009 at Riley Large
Cavaliers gathered at Riley Park under cloudy skies for their 2009 season opener against 2008 Runner-Up Crown. Talal Paracha, Talha Paracha and Adeel Ata all made their debuts for Cavaliers, making our side even younger, with 8 players 24 and younger.
We lost the toss, and Crown elected to bat, not a bad result for Cavs with the overhead conditions conducive to swing, and the possibility that the D/L method would be required later due to the rain. Crown had us on our toes in the early overs with some good running, but Kapil Pupneja (3/21) and Hassan Tariq (3/37) put an end to this and destroyed the strong Crown top order with some brilliant swing bowling, leaving them in tatters at 6/40.
A 50 run partnership for the 7th wicket began to look ominous, before a superb direct hit from cover by ex Crown player Talha broke the partnership, and then Ritesh Sharma (2/4) and Zahid Chaudhary (1/5) cleaned up the tail in quick time, with Crown all out for 104.
Within moments of the last wicket falling, a hail storm hit the ground, but fortunately it went away as quickly as it came, and after a longer than normal lunch break, we started our innings with the full 50 overs available. After losing our first wicket with the score on 8, floater Hamza Tariq (36) and Hassan Tariq (39) added 80 in no time for the 2nd wicket, Hassan looking in ominous form, destroying anything remotely short. With 17 runs required, and victory looming, a collapse of 4 wickets for 1 run in 7 overs made the game interesting. However, veterans Kishan Gajjar and Anand Padmanabhan calmly knocked off the remaining runs, and a 5 wicket win was in the bag to start the year, a great result which will raise some eyebrows around the league.
Thanks to Hamza for floating for us, his 36 was on top of a great stumping and catch, and to Adeel who came up from Cavs 3 to complete our team and put in a good effort in the field.
We have plenty of cricket to start the season, with 5 games in consecutive weeks, on top of the T20, so let's build some momentum from this win and head into the summer break at the top where we belong. It's been many years since we started with 2 wins from 2, we're playing premier division newcomers Glenmore in their first game next Sunday, so no doubt they will be fired up. Let's show them what big boys cricket is all about.