EIS Cup news from Italy (21 Jun 1999)

21 June 1999

EIS Cup news from Italy

The semi-finals of the 1999 EIS Cup in Italy produced an outright 2 - 0 win with Tecnessenze Pianoro easily disposing of Favilli Maremma Grosseto whilst Capannelle Sharp and Bologna Web Italia will need to play a decider on June 27th.

The defending champions won on home soil by 5 wickets the first match although Grosseto performed better than expected recovering to 119 thanks to Sampath (72) despite Pianoro's accurate bowling (De Mel 4/27, Ciappina 3/9). Pianoro knocked off the runs with a certain ease despite good bowling by Tronchi (3/25) mainly thanks to an excellent knock by Jayasena (80).

The return match saw the champions bowl out Grosseto for 159, a score surpassed for the loss of only 3 wickets. Favilli, as usual depending too much on one player, in this case Rajiv (103), could not match Tecnessenze in good form as they prepared to travel to Limavady for the European Clubs Festival. For Professor Parisi's boys, the match was easily won by an opening stand of 115 between Jayasena (62) and Andrea Parisi (47), the former also bowling very well (4/25).

More evenly poised the other semifinal between Capannelle Sharp and Bologna Web Italia. Game 1 played in Rome saw the visitors prevail by 24 runs. One of the most exciting games of the decade saw Web Italia totalize 167 mainly thanks to a superlative innings by Akhlaq (106). Sharp replied in fits and starts. At 130/7 it was anyone's game when Bologna's skipper Khalim Khan run out Capannelle's Kiwi Chandler (40) whilst the batsman was gardening the pitch. This unpleasant episode created an unpleasant feeling on the field as Capannelle subsided towards defeat.

Bologna, however, failed to settle the matter on home soil being bowled out for 144, again being endebted to Akhlaq (67), sustained only by skipper Khan (39 n.o.). A solid Sharp batting performance saw them run out easy winners by 6 wickets mainly thanks to Chandler (4/22 and 30) and, battingwise, Deane (50).