2nd Metropolitan Cup - PWCC vs. Santiago

The long-awaited Chilean club cricket championship got underway on Sunday, at the Grange School, with a 40-over game between Santiago and Prince of Wales Club (PWCC).

Featuring three of Chile's best players, Jay Anglin, Blair Douglas and Simon Shalders, Santiago would have considered themselves favorites against the creaking PWCC lineup, but PWCC got the better of Santiago's batting and saw off a determined effort in the field to come out deserved winners.

Batting first on a typically slow Chilean pitch, Santiago went to the 20-over drinks break in a solid position at 1/95, with Shalders (40) and opener Chris Langley (38) looking set. But the PWCC's Mark Rosevear then claimed 3/21 with his left-arm seamers. His eight-over spell heralded an hour of mayhem in which Santiago tumbled to 121 all-out. Clinton Porteous (2/17) took two top-order wickets and Stuart Nelson (2-2) chipped in to remove the disappointing Santiago tail.

As Santiago skipper Anglin said after the game "We never thought 120 would be enough, we wanted at least 135." He was right, although with the pitch playing lower as the game went on, a successful defense of 121 was by no means out of the question.

But Porteous continued his good day, ensuring that PWCC's innings got off to an explosive start. He took full toll of some wayward bowling by Douglas, who was responsible for most of the 48 runs that came from the first six overs. All up, Porteous hit six fours and a six in his innings of 44, highlighted by some juicy drives. While the middle order faltered slightly, captain Nelson and Ricky Salas added 45 for the 5th wicket, taking PWCC to 108 and within sight of victory. Salas, playing his first game in almost four years showed that his timing was as immaculate as ever and looked like he could have scored the remaining runs himself until he was run out by a dreadful call from his partner.

Anglin and a revitalized Douglas came back to bowl the closing overs in tandem, prising out three more wickets along the way. It was a close thing for a while, as PWCC crept towards the 122-run target, but some poor fielding let them off the hook. Eventually Mike Cross and Mike Meade took their team over the line with two wickets remaining.