Cricket @ The Eyes of The Immortals - Road to the Finals of the Gold Cup !!!

THE IMMORTALS

It was just another spring weekend, back in February-March 2008, when a bunch of cricket freaks got together, to play some shots, throw some balls, shake off some rust off their aging bodies, and to see whether that zeal, that aggression and that burning desire of playing cricket is still within themselves or has the pangs of studies and working fulltime caused that enthusiasm and hunger wither away ...

Well, so it had to turn out, everyone did find that the youth, the aggression and the desire to win and prove their best is still burning amongst their inner self, and that marked the creation of a team, a team that would see the best and the worst of all, on the field, and will also carry the happiness of success and the pains of failure off the field...

Cricbay, The Immortals, was like a new horizon for all of us in the team, and that's how this journey of cricket began for us ...

The team was formed, the players were all excited, the cricketing talent, hidden or unhidden, had come out, the rust had been shaken off, and everyone was pumped up to play the very first season here in the bay area, and such was the tempo within the camp, that even without playing the first ball of the tournament, scripts were being written about how The Immortals would fare in this league.

Being absolutely new, having played none of the teams before, the very first season, the very first time playing in a baseball kind of a field, adapting to the 20-20 type format, we just imagined how it would be, and everyone was getting pretty excited...

Who new what was in-stored, for the next couple of months, and how this stint would turn out to be... But having come far now, we all have one thing to say - Cricket has never felt any more better than this ...

We have made it to the FINALS of the GOLD CUP which itself speaks highly about The Immortals, and how this bunch of young blood have come off their age and have dedicated their efforts and energy each weekend after weekend to take their team to this position ...

Rewind back, and let me walk you through the journey of being an Immortal and how the team reached the FINALS of the GOLD CUP ...

ROUND 1

The Immortals' Naiveness and Growth

Game 1 – Allstars –
The opening game is always a mixture of anxiousness, and the desire to win .. as the saying goes, all that starts well, always ends well ... And so the team did that by winning this important opening matchup and we started our journey with a small celebration, with more to come later ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1783

Game 2 - Kings –
Riding high on the first win of the tournament, but falling short to some players due to injuries, The Immortals faced the mighty Kings, who by reputation were rated quite high amongst the league, and well they did prove themselves... We lost, and so did our high hopes and wild ideas and dreams, which made us all think twice that is playing this league really gonna be worth it ???
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1786

Game 3 - Squared Leg –
The stage was set, 1 win, 1 loss, and with a see saw battle in our mind about the type of cricket we all were playing, we got a decent score, but it was not going to be enough, and Sqaured Leg got the upper hand, and won this game, pushing us on the backfoot, and now, the buzz in the camp, was about experimentation ... Time to adapt to changes ... Confidence was still in the hunt ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1791

Game 4 - Bhajjis Monkeys –
With some old USC colleagues playing from the opposition, and with the game on our home ground, The Immortals, had one thing in mind, play the natural game, no pressure ... And so it happened, after two severe losses, the team scored their highest score amongst all the games played so far, with all guns blazing, and then dismissed the opposition, to register an important win, and that too by the biggest margin so far for The Immortals... Success comes slowly but with determination ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1794

Game 5 - Syndicate CC –
With some good batting practice in the last game, The Immortals won this matchup, chasing a decent score, well within the allotted overs, and that again cemented our confidence into the batting order ... Had we reached the pinnacle ? Could be call ourselves a good team with this win.. The analysis said - 3 Wins, 2 Loss ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1800

Game 6 - Chargers –
Clash of the titans, in its own sense, these two teams meeting for the first time, The Immortals having played all the games so far in a baseball type field, faced another challenge, of playing this important game against a team notorious for pulling off big victories, and which boasted of players scoring half centuries .. But the challenge was to adapt to the 360 degree type ground ... It seemed so, that The Immortals were not ready and did not have a plan to contend the opposition, and found themselves chasing the highest total so far amongst all the games ... The Immortals were on the backfoot, as they lost their top 5 wickets, but as we The Immortals always say - "IT AINT OVER, TILL ITS ALL OVER" - The middle order proved to the team, that Faith and Confidence can overcome any opposition, and this BIG Victory, really sparked the players for the future games ....
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1801
(Complete Story – Click Here)

Game 7 - Raiders –
The tides of success from the last game, were washing the faces of each and everyone in The Immortals camp, and they were all fired up to end the Round 1 on a winning note... But the cricketing Gods had thought otherwise, and what was to come, was a loss in the closing game of Round 1, but this time, there were no anlaysis, no talks, and each player on the bench hung their heads in despair, as they realized, that now The Immortals is not only Fun, but also a Passion ... For the first time each player really took the loss severely upon their hearts ... But mind you the Confidence was still there ... The burning desire to take The Immortals forward was still there ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1808

ROUND 2 –

The Immortals' Fighting Spirit

Game 8 - Bay CC Red –
The last loss pained a lot to The Immortals, and they won this matchup against the Bay CC quite easily and thus once again opened a new round, with a win in their hats.
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1921

Game 9 - Hammers –
The wins were coming, and The Immortals were back in action. They knew each match going forward is going to be important to distinguish who goes into which Cups - Platinum or Gold ... One more win, and one more feather to the winning hat...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1925

Game 10 - Aptech CC –
Once again, The Immortals, facing a highly rated team, who live upto their expectations. This was one of the close matches which The Immortals fought till the end, but ended losing this game... The negative effect here was the lack of confidence in chasing a low score and winning it ... But the spirit to fight on was still prevailing as we saw each one out there giving their 110% till the last run ... But we lost ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1929

Game 11 - Raiders –
Once again, having played them before, The Immortals were seeking for a sweet revenge, and this time made sure, that the Raiders dont just walk away smoothly... The game was going to be tough, having lost once before against them, and as the scoresheet stands, this game went down the wire, till the last bowl, but nevertheless, we lost only a game, but we won lost of confidence, respect from the opposition, and above all, we were still burning with the fighting spirit ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1933

Game 12 - Geeks –
One of the nicest comeback games for the team, which was very much required, and there in the taking, The Immortals, just cut loose, and broke the shackles, by scoring their second highest score of their tournament, and yet again registering a win, by the second highest margin ... Any win big or small was bringing us closer to get qualified for the Platinum Cup...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1941

Game 13 - Cosmos CC –
Going into this game, all that really mattered to The Immortals - were the 4 important points ... With other teams in the hunt, of a spot in the Platinum Cup, we wanted to make sure, we move one step closer to being qualifies for the spot in the PLatinums ... And we did not fail .. We won this and so it was all left to the last game ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1945

Game 14 - Patriot CC –
The Matchup between the Gujjus (Gujaratis) ... The game was a nail biting finish, with both the teams fighting for a spot in the Platinum Cup, the winner to go as the lowest ranked team in the Platinum Cup, and the loser to end up in a high ranked spot in the Gold cup ... Going into the game, we were aware about the notorious nature about the opposition, which did sparked some aggression and on field spat with some players, this game was totally taken away from The Immortals through some disastrous umpiring decisions and some unsportsman type tactics from the opposition, which at one stage really took its toil and caused us to get frustrated ... But THE IMMORTALS fought it, they fought it like MEN, they fought it with a NEVER-SAY-DIE spirit, and as the scoresheet speaks for itself, the result came on the very last ball of the entire match ... Patriots Won - They entered the Platinum Cup, The Immortals WON too - Morally and Principally, thus taking a top spot in the GOLD CUP ... As one has said, the world is round, and what goes around comes around .. Your Sins catch up with you sooner or later ... THE IMMORTALS ARE NOW PLAYING THE FINALS OF THE GOLD CUP !!!
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=1937

PLAYOFFS –

Immortality at its Best

GOLD CUP - Playoff Pre-Quarters - Bay Area Titans –
From now on, each match was a DO-or-DIE game, where the winner advances one step closer to the Gold Cup, whereas the lose gets knocked out ... Each win had its own sweet taste, and each win made us feel more and more confident believing not only in our selves, but in 10 other players in the camp ... This low scoring game, really re-instated our confidence in the bowling ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=2124

GOLD CUP - Playoff Quarters - XTerminators –
Chasing or Defending, has always been a debate for The Immortals, and given any day, it could turn out to be favoring either side of the coin ... But game after game, we always prove our track record wrong .. So be it defending a high score, or whether it was chasing a low score in this game, it was going to be difficult with a good opposition ... The Immortals won and entered the Semis of the Gold Cup ... One more small step towards success ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=2152

GOLD CUP - Playoff Semis - RCPC –
The last barrier, the last front, to cross, and if done, we would be playing for the GOLD ... The batting card did not start well, and ended on a decent score, but lately the team was getting more and more confident even in scoring low, and then dismissing the opposition with a lower score ... The same script was repeated here, and The Immortals finally were basking in the glory of the win, having made it to the FINALS of the GOLD CUP ...
http://www.cricbay.com/scoresheet.asp?matchid=2171

The journey, as I always say, is a roller coaster ride, it has its own ups and downs ... The Team that sticks together, that believes in not only one's own self, but in all the members of the camp - that is the Team who would come out the real winner, irrespective of whether the game is won or not ... Its always about the team, and not about individuals ... Given all the matches played so far, one can see in our team - The Immortals as a whole has been the MAN OF THE MATCH - Amongst 17 players on the roster, there have been 11 different man of the match – This shows, that this is the team who lives as a "TEAM" ... There is no single SUPER STAR, but the team as a whole is the biggest STAR !!!

There is no doubt, going forward The Immortals would be rated as one of the good teams to be playing in the league, nothing to boast about, but we are surely a team who knows how to fight till the last moments of the game ...

That is what Cricket is all about - An easy win, is just a win, but a well fought game which even if you lose is a bigger WIN ...

Wishing The Immortals - ALL THE VERY BEST in their FIRST FINALS of the FIRST TOURNAMENT they have ever played ...

GO IMMORTALS !!!

The Immortals congratulates to all the finalists, and also acknowledges all the opposition they have played in the tournament so far mentioned above. We thoroughly enjoyed playing you all !!!