Europe: Italian T20 semi-finalists settled as 50-over competition starts

Action continued in Europe last weekend as the sun bathed the region and some of the continent’s best

Italy’s T20 Championship reached the quarter-finals stage on Sunday, with Fresh Tropical, Jinnah Brescia, Padova and Asian Latina getting through to the semi-finals.

The most comfortable victory of the day was at Padova, where the home side posted 221 for seven in a match reduced to 19 overs a side, and then restricted Neptunia to mere 75 for nine.

And the tightest was at Rome’s Campo di Carne, Asian Latina successfully defending its total of 132 all out by limiting Roma to 124 for eight in a thrilling finish.

Elsewhere, Fresh Tropical beat Bergamo by five wickets at Settimo Milanese, while in a local derby at San Gervasio Jinnah Brescia secured a three-wicket win over Brescia.
As the T20 championship reached its final stages the 50-over championship was getting under way, with the first three matches in the eight-group, 32-team competition.

In Group C Janua Brescia had a comfortable six-wicket victory over Cividate and Kings XI beat Bergamo United by 111 runs as they chased a DLS target of 256 after the Brescia-based side had made 285 for eight.

Rome Bangla got off to a good start in Group H, making 271 all out and dismissing Royal Roma for 233.

The only match in Jersey’s 40-over league saw Farmers Caesareans beat the Under-19 side by 38 runs.

A second-wicket stand of 120 between Joel Dudley (71) and Franco Marais (82) was the basis of the Farmers total of 253, and although Josh Lawrenson, who had earlier taken four for 36, matched this with a partnership of 135 for the third wicket with Asa Tribe.

Lawrenson made 67 and Tribe 70, but after their departure the innings fell away, and the U19s were all out for 215.

In the Czech Republic Prague could thank a 35-ball knock of 60 from Sudesh Wickremasinghe for their 33-run victory over previously-unbeaten Brno, while Vinohrady held on to take the points by just 2 runs against Prague Barbarians, despite opener Jahanur Hoque making 57 for the losers.

In the remaining game Prague Spartans beat Bohemians by three wickets, Kranthi Venkataswamy making 57 from 46 deliveries; Sazib Bhuiyan claimed four for 21 for Bohemians but still ended on the losing side.

Austrian Cricket Tigers maintained their unbeaten record in Austria’s Division 1 T20 league, Muhammad Shahbaz (89 not out) and Balwinder Singh (49) sharing an opening stand of 98 to set up their nine-wicket victory over Vienna.

Mark Simpson-Parker made 60 not out in Vienna’s total of 159 for six, having steered them to a seven-wicket win over India Vienna the previous day with his knock of 44.
A scintillating innings of 135 from 62 deliveries by Saif-ul-Islam for MASK A against the same club’s C team was the highlight when the Oslo T20 league got under way in Norway; his side finished with 236 for two, and then dismissed their opponents for 132.

There were wins too for Fjord A over Falken, Bislett Ducks over Helsfyr, City over Friends and Bjørvika over Christiani, while the match between Klemetsrud and Fjord B was abandoned after Klemetsrud had made 174 for seven in 18 overs.
Two unbeaten sides, Costa Vikings and Malaga, met at the Cartama Oval in a double-header in the Spanish Southern League on Sunday, and by winning both the Vikings established themselves firmly at the top of the table.

In the first match a 65-ball, unbeaten 82 from Nadim Hussain Malik enabled Malaga to reach 165 for six, but after they lost an early wicket the Vikings were untroubled in reaching their target in 16.4 overs without further loss, Paul Edgeller (78 from 49) and Maanav Nayak (56 from 44) putting on 149 for the second wicket.

The second game was much closer, despite the fact that Sameer Nayak’s 121 not out, made from just 52 deliveries and including ten fours and eight sixes, carried the Vikings to 199 for three from their 20 overs.

Waqas Ahmed countered with a 59-ball 103 for Malaga, but with 18 still needed at the start of the final over Richard Hatchman bowled him with his first delivery, taking another wicket with his second, and with just one run coming from the rest of the over the Vikings completed a 16-run victory.

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