Italy: Pianora On The Run, For a Change

Sunday May 7th saw the start of the EIS Cup, Italy's cricketing championship, with Pianoro defending the pennant they have won for the last four seasons on the trot. The tournament consists of a round robin of nine in which each team plays the others over nine weekends up to July 2nd.

From September 3rd the play offs will take place on a best of three basis, first playing fourth and second playing third in the semis, the better placed teams in the preliminary phase gaining home field advantage for the eventual deciders.

Pianoro's visit to Trento, the team that had surprisingly knocked them out of the Italian Cup three weeks earlier, was supposed to be the feature of the opening round. Conversely, it turned out into an anticlimax with the champions gaining an easy and comprehensive 7 wicket reveng over the cup holders whose uncompetitive 109 in 44 overs owed much to kiwi Wayne Van Dalsum's 29. Both teams were not a full potential, Pianoro, for whom Jayasena scored 43, showing as expected much more depth in their squad. Bologna - Capannelle, a repetition of last year's acrimonious semifinal was the other main game. Much as in Trento it turned out to be anticlimatic with the visitors from the Capital easily winning by 98 runs. Put into bat in a game reduced by rain to 47 overs, Capannelle thanks to 56 by Kiwi Deane and 55 not out by Pakistani Mehmood achieved a commanding 225. Bologna were never in the hunt.

The Catania derby proved a one sided affair with Murri's Pakistani skipper Alaud (4/14) reminding everyone why he is probably the finest opening bowler in the country. Galatea having been dismissed for 58, Murri got home comfortably by 8 wickets. In the end, Lazio's match against Maremma proved the pixck of the day. 80/0 after 12 overs, the Roman team looked to be cruising to a huge score. However, just like in the Cup decider against Trentino six days earlier, wickets started tumbling fast and it was only due to a painstaking 47 by Springbok Craig Sinovich that Lazio were able to muster 174, being bowled out in the 40° over. Italy's rain rule being slightly less sophisticated than Duckworth Lewis, simple run rate off a minimum of 20 over, Maremma with the weather quickly deteriorating, need 70 off to 20 to be in control: 88/2 consequently looked a winning position. Lazio's skipper Andy Corbellari, however, thought it differently breaking the back of the Tuscan innings with 4/21, in addition to his pinchitting 34, and bowling out the side from Grosseto in the 25° over for 130 just before the heavens opened.

Round two saw Maremma as the team with the bye and Roma, who had missed the opener, make it's debut. Nominally speaking it was a top of the table clash between Capannelle and Murri and the Roman hippodrome. Had it not been for Alaud's superb bowling (4/11) it would have been a whitewash. All the same Murri managed to conceed a top score of 65 extras which couple with Mehmood's 62 gave Capannelle an invincible 169, especially if you consider Murri could only muster 45.

Bologna's derby was another one sided affair with Pianoro, having put in the opposition, always in command. A final score of 96 by Bologna was no challenge for the champions who, despite losing 5 wickets, got home with ease. Difficult to describe the game between Galatea and Trentino. The Sicilians scored 46 and the team from the Dolomites won by 10 wickets: a very long trip for a very short game !

Yet again Lazio were at the centre of the most entertaining game, not necessarily in the positive. At the Olimpic sports center of Riano Flaminio, the first Championship game on a totally artificial ground, the pitch proving superb, will be long remembered. Roma batted first and thanks to an aggressive 77 by veteran Crisanti mustered 163, being bowled out in the 36° over mainly due to Sinovich (4/21) excellent slow left arm bowling. Lazio's reply bordered hysteria: 64/1 after 6 overs quickly becoming 100/7 after 10 mainly due to Zain (6/37). No doubt the pitch was quick, the outfield lightning fast and the square boundaries only 45 meters, but clearly the team whose football section was simultaneously pipping Juventus of the Scudetto was still convinced to be playing Cricket Max. A partial rescue by the tail proved in vain with Lazio ending 132 all out in 21.2 overs !

This unexpected victory behind them, Roma hosted Pianoro in the big match of round three. The home team practically repeated its innings of the previous week scoring 169 off 30 overs (Sampath 80) with Pianoro heavily endebted to Ramanayake (6/34) cleaning the tail on his seasonal debut. Roma's bowlers yet again conceeded 100 off the first ten overs: this time, however, they did not take any wickets with Jayasena (93) setting the tone by taking 16 off Zain's second over. The similarities with the preceeding game were not finished as the end also came in the 21° over with Pianoro, also helped by Zuppiroli (34), getting home by 7 wickets.

At the other end of the city, joint leaders Capannelle, met a bit more trouble than they expected against the fast improving Maremma team. Having scored 210 in 49 overs (Walisinghe 85), the team from the hippodrome were on the defensive with Maremma 110/3 at the halfway stage. No one, however, could partner decently Hayat (98) and once he was out the side from Grosseto rapidly subsided to lose by 53 runs. Bologna got off their duck against Murri. It is now obvious that once Alaud has been seen off the Catanese prove little threat. Yet again the Sicilian skipper bowled superbly (3/21 off 10 overs) in the context of 305 runs conceeded of which extras this time were only 52 ! Bologna's skipper Khalim Khan duly compiled his first century in Italy, and the first of the Italian 2000 season, and then enjoyed the luxury of giving his less experienced players a bowl, Murri registring 86 in 37 overs.

Lazio, in the meantime, got themselves on track again by taking advantage of Galatea's hospitality.Resting a few players and not batting all that well, they made amends bowling out the home team for 71 (Liyanaachchi 5/36) in reply to their 134.

The fourth round played on Sunday May 28th gifted Pianoro with the unique opportunity of a runaway lead thanks to Capannelle's bye. The defending champions duly obliged by hammering bottom club Galatea for the biggest margin in Italian history 405 - 43 with Sri Lankans Jayasena and Ketipe both notching centuries.

Roma's no show at Catania, they were not allowed to play when they attempted to field a player under age, gifted Murri with an unexpected joint third position. This is shared with Lazio who lost the best game of the day at Trento. Half centuries from Italy's captain Kariyawasam, kiwi Van Dalsum and Englishman Bateman for Trentino, Bonora, springbok Sinovich and Liyanaachchi for Lazio, featured in this 478 run thriller which saw the home side come home 255 - 223.

Bologna were always in control of their match at Grosseto after Italian international Qureshi had reduced the home side to 21/4. A brave 33 by Italian under 19 hopeful Mazzoncini only delayed the final outcome, Bologna losing three wickets in reaching their target of 116.

TABLE

Tecnessenze Pianoro 4 4 0 15 16 79 Capannelle Sharp 3 3 0 11 12 59 Multiservice Lazio 4 2 2 11 14 49 Murri Oasi del Simeto 4 2 2 9 16 49 Bologna Web Italia 4 2 2 11 13 48 Trentino 3 2 1 9 8 41 Roma 3 1 2 6 5 23 Maremma Grosseto 3 0 3 5 9 14 Galatea Riviera dei Ciclopi* 4 0 4 0 8 5