Following our 1 run loss to Rutgers a couple of weeks ago, CUCC came out 
victorious in the return game by a margin of 8 wickets with 10 overs to 
spare.

We were playing away @ Rutgers and therefore needed to leave Columbia 
punctually at 10:30am. However, Saturday nights in New York can take their 
toll on our League side, especially our esteemed captain. Ed and Mark were 
away this weekend so Kabir was the stand-in skipper. We finally got to 
Rutgers at 12:30 and decided to play 35 overs. Kabir walked out to toss 
immediately but his luck is as bad as Ed's. We had to take the field.
There 
was bright sunshine but a very strong breeze which was going to make
bowling 
difficult. By the look of their team, it seemed we were playing a
day/night 
game but obviously no one told us as we all showed up in whites!! The
pitch 
was a nightmare with very unpredictable bounce. My condolences to Bob who 
braved through 35 overs behind the wickets and took several blows to the 
body, not to mention the thumper on the forehead on one occasion.
I started off the innings with the wind (which was a welcome change) and 
kept one end relatively quiet as I bowled my 7 overs through. Raj opened
at 
the other end and was getting a lot of movement away from the right
handers. 
At one point he bowled 4 wides in a row followed by a straight one which 
bowled their opening batsmen. After a couple of overs, Ramesh came on to 
replace Raj. Sticking to a steady line, Ramesh also picked up a wicket. By 
this time I had bowled out and taken ~2/20. Sridhar came on at my end and 
kept things tight. We had them reduced to 4/70 odd. However, we made the 
same mistake we made the last time around and they started getting runs at 
an accelerating pace. Several quick bowling changes were made to try and 
unsettle their batsmen. Ashok and Faisal were brought on to replace Ramesh 
and Sridhar. Faisi looked really determined (he should be after dropping a 
catch off my bowling). He mixed his deliveries with flighted ones and arm 
balls. He was clearly the pick of the bowlers. Seeing our offie's success, 
the skipper decided to try his hand. BIG MISTAKE!! I don't even remember
how 
many went off that one over. With Sridhar coming back, we finally bowled 
them out for 184 in 35 overs.

Needing over 5 an over, we started with Ramesh and Sridhar. Ramesh looked
a 
little unsettled by the unpredictable bounce. Sridhar on the other hand
had 
other ideas. One movement forward or backward and smash the ball out of
the 
park. He did just that! While Ramesh rotated the strike, Sridhar just 
humiliated their bowling attack. After their two opening bowlers, they 
really did not have anyone else. Finally, with the score on 43, Ramesh
tried 
to hit one across the line and was bowled. Kabir went in one drop and took 
cue from Sridhar but not before spending some time getting used to the 
bounce. Now the two started dispatching the ball to and over the boundary
at 
will. At one point I overheard their captain ask someone on the field "Who 
else can bowl man?" When we took drinks after 15 overs, we had over a 
hundred on the board and still only one wicket down. It turned out to be
an 
extended break as Rutgers sat around and ate boxes of Dunkin' Donughts and 
Hot Chocolate!! Kabir got out soon after the break which led to the
arrival 
of Faisal to the wicket. It was clear from Faisal's first couple of balls 
that he was determined to stick it out (and ofcourse to look stylish in
the 
process). It turned out to be a one man assault as Sridhar continued to
flay 
their attack. Finally with Sridhar's score on 81, 23 runs needed to win,
the 
skipper retired him as it seemed unlikely he would get to his 100. Bob was 
the next man in. After getting a close look at the wicket when we were in 
the field, Bob looked a little apprehensive. His first two deliveried
soared 
above his head followed by a grubber. A couple of lusty blows by Bob and
we 
got to our target. 186 for 2 in 25-26 overs.
Our fielding however still leaves a lot to be desired. All in all, a big, 
satisfying win.

Scores: Rutgers 184 all out; CUCC 185 for 2