THE 2007 FCA SCOREBOARD 
Tampere vs Helsinki (Saturday, September 8) - SM45 Bronze Medal
Tampere won the toss and elected to bat on a cool but sunny morning at Ruskeasuo, with only 9 players. More to come soon... **. Scoresheets missing... MoM: None awarded. Result: Tampere 107/8 (~19 overs), Helsinki 110/2 (~16 overs). Helsinki won by 8 wickets.
Tampere vs SKK (Saturday, September 1) - SM45 Semi-Final (reduced to 20 overs-a-side)
SKK won the toss and elected to bat with the weather looking promising ... and then it suddenly didn't. A hailstorm just before the umpire called "Play!" left the already soft and uneven Pansio (Turku) ground a mess. A lot of hard work finally enabled play to get underway shortly before 16:00 - for a 20 overs-a-side match... with some boggy areas, 27m boundaries, and some puddles still adorning the outfield. The Tampere bowlers were unable to sustain any pressure and the runs flowed. Armed with a suddenly very muddy ball, only Bhupinder (4ov. 0/27) and Sridhar (4ov. 2/29) caused any concern to the SKK batsmen lead by T.Ilva (59) and B.Young (42) - and spilling 3 relatively easy chances didn't help. A slowly drying outfield was a mixed blessing for the Tampere batsmen, as they aimed to chase down a solid 190/5, but G.Brady (3ov. 2/5) was once again the main tormentor. Mandar (49) battled well with Shaan (23), but once they fell, the tail succumbed meekly to the spin of S.Rodgerson (3ov. 4/22) and T.Ilva (2,3ov. 2/18) - losing the final 6 wickets for 5 runs - to be all out for 121 in 17,3 overs. Result: SKK won by 69 runs. MoM: None awarded.
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Photos: Jari Schabel
Tampere vs FPC Eagles (Sunday, August 5) - SM45 Quarter-Final
FPC Eagles won the toss and elected to bat on a fine morning at Messukylä. Bhupinder (14, 9ov. 2/39) again struck early, and David Howells in his first game behind the stumps looked sharp - pouching two very good catches. Wahid (8ov 3/40) bowled especially well, and with Sridhar took the remaining wickets - but not before some good batting took the visitors to 9/232 in their complement of 45 overs. Tampere decided to try a new opening combination, but Moheb (0) only lasted 4 balls and Wahid (18) followed soon after trying one too many fancy shots. Sridhar and Shaan then put together an 89 run partnership at over a run a ball, before Sridhar was controversially adjudged LBW. The FPC Eagles seized the opportunity and snapped up some quick wickets as the now unfocussed Tampere batsmen, well guided by an in-form Shaan, overhauled the target with over 5 overs to spare - 7/235 in 39,5 overs. MoM(3pts): Shaan (60no), MoM(2pts): Sridhar (97, 3/51). Result: Tampere won by 3 wickets.
Empire vs Tampere (Sunday, July 29) - SM45
After a couple of weeks of rainy summer weather, Tampere were asked to host this Empire home fixture because the grass Viikki ground was not fit for play. Unfortunately, the rain clouds followed the lads to Tampere, and shortly after they arrived, the heavens opened and the Messukulä ground was also flooded. Only some hard work by both teams ensured that the ground was finally fit for play (albeit still very soft) for a reduced over match. The delayed toss was won by Tampere who elected to field, and Bhupinder (7ov. 2/26) once again struck early. With Empire needing to win, and win well to qualify for the SM45 Quarter-Finals, Zahed Kamal (returning from temporary self-imposed "exile") forged good partnerships with I.Mohammad (26, 7ov. 2/43) and ex-Tampere O.Sadiqui (63, 4,4ov. 1/27) to set up a very competitive total of 8/229, with another inspiring performance by Wahid with the ball. The calculators were out... and for Empire to qualify for the Quarter-Finals at the expense of SKK on superior NRR, needed to bowl out Tampere for about 100. Tampere however started their chase well and were 1/48 after 8 overs when play was again interrupted by rain. The matting was efficiently covered well enough (by covers and cars!), and the match was again reduced after a short break - revised target of 203 in 31 overs. A change of bowling, however, immediately changed the face of the match - an effervescent Zahed snapping up the wickets of Mandar (32), Sridhar (13) and Shaan (22) to ensure the momentum was with Empire. Suddenly, Empire were again in sight of a Quarter-Final berth, and lifted their game accordingly. With the run-rate slowly climbing, careless play then gifted the remaining wickets, and Tampere ended well short of the target. MoM(1pt): Wahid (35, 6ov. 2/19). Result: Empire 229/8 (35 overs) - revised target 203 (31 overs), Tampere 139/10 (23,4 overs). Empire won by 63 runs.
See also Empire CC website report. (Photo: Gary Watkins)
FPC Hawks vs Tampere (Sunday, July 8) - SM45
Tampere won the toss and elected to field after much discussion about the placement (and subsequent re-laying) of the mat (due to standing water at Kaisaniemi), and the ominous weather forecast. Although wickets fell regularly, the associated shoddy fielding performance left a lot to be desired, with many chances going to ground and boundaries gifted. Bhupinder (8ov. 2/35) and Sridhar (9ov. 2/39) bowled well, as did Kuchey (9ov. 2/54) until he was despatched for 29 off his final 2 overs. With the FPC Hawks batting sensibly, good partnerships, together with a top score by Mr Extras (61 !!!) took the total to an impressive 8/272 - even without any half-centuries. The pressure was therefore immediately on, and some terrific early catches and tight bowling by B.Khan (6ov. 3/35), A.Bhutta (4ov. 3/15) and N.Qureshi (3ov. 3/8) ensured that Tampere never got started. Even Sridhar with his quickfire 37 (26 balls) could not halt the slide and Tampere crawled to heavy defeat, but nevertheless qualified for the Quarter-Finals as second place in Group A. MoM(1pt): Sridhar (37, 2/39). Result: FPC Hawks 272/8 (45 overs), Tampere 97/10 (19 overs). FPC Hawks won by 175 runs.
Tampere vs Vantaa (Sunday, June 10) - SM45
Tampere won the toss and elected to field on a very warm morning at Messukylä. The Tampere opening bowlers, although arriving very late, were immediately on target. Bhupinder (6ov. 3/24) took some key wickets before leaving the field injured, and Moheb, aside from the 15 wides, (7ov. 2/26) proved very hard to get away. Kuchey (6ov. 3/11) together with Wahid (4ov. 2/26) ensured that Vantaa were bundled out for meager score on a good batting strip. The decision to have a quick innings turn-around immediately proved beneficial for Vantaa, as Tampere slumped to 2/1. After a belated lunch break, Kuchey, firstly with Mandar (21) and then with Shamim (18) - who both for the 2nd week running were adjudged LBW - restored the Tampere innings. Some lax shots once again gave Vantaa a chance, but the total was never enough. MoM(3pts): Kuchey (47, 3/11), MoM(2pts): Shamim (18). Result: Tampere 140/6 (26 overs), Vantaa 139/10 (28 overs). Tampere won by 4 wkts.
Tampere vs SKK (Saturday, June 2) - SM45
SKK won the toss and elected to field on a warm morning at Messukylä. A later start was agreed due to the school graduation weekend and Tampere were immediately under pressure due to a tight opening spell by G.Brady (9ov. 4/16, 57). Some lax shots brought Sridhar (65) and Ahad (62) to the wicket, and the 101 run partnership seemed to have set up Tampere for a big score. But G.Brady's second spell quickly accounted for the two in-form batsmen, and only a solid 35 by Bhupinder ensured Tampere set a defendable target although not batting out their complement of overs. After a wonderful lunch, Tampere took to the field and didn't give the SKK batting line-up any width. Moheb's opening spell (6ov. 2/10) in tandem with Bhupinder (7,2ov. 3/19), assisted by some good field settings and some excellent fielding ensured that runs were scarce, and the required rate crept up slowly. Akbar was as energetic as ever behind the stumps, and with the pressure mounting wickets fell regularly after Moheb's direct hit ran out the in-form G.Brady. MoM(2pts): Sridhar (65, 0/36), MoM(1pt): Ahad (62, 0/24). Result: Tampere 221/10 (39,3 overs), SKK 166/10 (40,2 overs). Tampere won by 55 runs.
Tampere vs Vaasa (Saturday, May 19) - Season Opening Friendly Match - 40 overs - 12-a-side
Tampere won the toss and elected to bat on a windy (and very dusty) morning at Messukylä. Although Kuchey (17, 8ov. 2/38) and Akbar (6) got off to a steady start with the inexperienced Vaasa bowlers struggling in difficult conditions, it was the huge partnership between Mandar (43retired) and Ahad (106retired in about 60 deliveries!, 4ov. 3/24) that set the foundation after Sridhar (15, 5ov. 3/31) was run-out in a silly mix-up. After they both retired, the run-rate still moved along briskly and Tampere closed their innings on 308/10. For Vaasa, Faisal's (5, 5ov. 0/44) impressive opening spell went unrewarded, while Ravi (20, 4ov. 2/27) and Shekar (35, 7ov. 2/36) also performed creditably. After a scrumptious buffet lunch, Moheb (18, 4ov. 0/22) and Bhupinder (4ov. 0/11) were immediately on line, and Francis (9) and Shamsul (10) played resolutely before some rash strokes brought their demise. Shylesh (47, 7ov. 2/61) then played a good knock, but with wickets falling at regular intervals, the newly formed Vaasa team could not sustain any momentum and were bowled out for 163 in 30,4 overs. The remaining 9 overs were played out in order to give some of the Vaasa batsmen a little more time in the middle, and Tampere also gave some of the new prospective players a chance to show their skills. Albert (8 & 23no, 2ov. 0/15) and Shahid (1 & 39no, 7ov. 0/28) then ensured Vaasa made 265/12 (40 overs). A good day all round ! Result: Tampere won by 145 runs (/43 runs).