vs Lassa Super League (Div 2) Match 6
When: August 19th, 2023
Where: Sviland
Lassa Ck 148/10 (25.2 ov)
Aliens Ck 152/3 (24.3 ov)
Aliens Ck won by 7 Wickets
OH ALIENS!!!CRICKET!!!TRAVEL!!!EARLY MORNINGS!!!FOOD and BEER!!!
24/07/2023
Dennis one fine Greek holiday morning: noticed the game is moved to Sandnes, did we receive communication?
Dave: $%&#ing Hell
Benan: $#!&, this is crazy
Aliens Board: Multiple exchanges with NCF
Dennis and Damon: few messages back and forth, driving, flying, train it …lets fly and request Lassa to reschedule the game in the morning which will allow us to return the same day.
Dave: Norwegian Cricket is ridiculous (dissertation on Norwegian cricket, must read!)
Benan: I have posted the updated game on TS, but people are unable to mark their availability except for the privileged board members.
Benan: Im very busy with my fishes but I did some late evening calls, we should have 11.
Sudesh:Ill create a whatsapp group, for sandness tour only.
Dennis: Lassa are fine with playing at 10 am and they will provide us with Stumps too (hindsight we should’ve carried ours).
Thomas: Im on my own, you guys ride / fly 7 train I don’t care. I’m from Stavanger.
Pratik: Im looking at making this a weekend trip!
Dennis: can you take the teamkit then?
Pratik: Let me confirm.
Damon: we should do the flight booking centrally.
Sudesh: My weekends are busy, I don’t mind driving or taking the train.
Dennis: Bhai (Bro), 7 hours reclining seat on a train or 40 mins flight with similar costs, unless someone has aerophobia, flight option is ideal.
Sudesh: Flights sounds good
Aaron: how much of a recline are we talking about ?
Dennis: Not enough to do our warm ups right.
Thomas: Im flying, Im the Vipps man and have 3 bags included, so bring em on ..
Damon: Do you all go by different names on the passport ?
Dennis: Cricket names are good as in Crawfo, Tom, Agni, Ben and Jerrys, Bambi, Grumpy
Pratik: Change of plans for me, can I still join you guys on the flight
Damon: two minutes late, you were driving
Damon and Dennis: everyone has confirmed except Sushil
Benan: he is a smooth operator and has now confirmed
Damon: 2 return flights at the same price, only 10 minutes apart, any difference ? (Yes, one is always delayed )
Thomas: NO
Damon: Tickets booked for 10 people, Sudesh this one is for you
15/08/2023
Dennis: we are 4 days away from the game, few details to be finalized ..1..2…3.4..
Damon: things to bring in the carry on: Gloves, Helmet, Box ++++
Team: Kits, parking, bags dropping, stumps, early morning pick ups,
………after a few hours
Marcus: lets just take bats, pads and stumps in the team kit bag and bring the rest in the carry on
Damon: hmmmm why didn’t I think of that ?
Marcus: Cant do other things whilst I’m driving
Pratik: will have to drop off my bag to you Thomas
Thomas: VIPPS
Day before the game
Dennis: Ipad, teamsheet, New ball, Stumps (ah this is sorted with Vishal, Lassa) ?
Damon: New ball I have
Benan: do we need ipad, teamsheet, we aren’t the home team.
Dennis: yes, Benan. we cant travel to stavanger and not play due to lack of a back up ipad.
Dennis: 19B, elbows out
Aaron: 19C, lucky me
Pratik: I’m unable to check in.
Dennis: done it for the group now.
Sudesh: You all will fly at 6:30 pm and my flight is at 7:20, will you guys wait upon landing before we get a taxi to the ground.
Damon: Dude you have the same flight
Sudesh: Sorry, I was looking at the return flight at 6:30
Tom: I’m driving from Sweden (Drøbak), will pick Pratik and Sushil on the way.
Benan: I’m driving from Denmark (Drammen), will pick Dennis and Marcus on the way.
Damon: the rest of you meet up at mines, we will drive together.
19/08/2023
Benan: Where is Marcus, I told him Storo bus stop as the pick up point.
Marcus: YO, I’m on the ring 3, thought it will be easier for you to pick up.
Damon: we are 7 of us here
Benan: Sweating, Dennis which exit to the parking, will we make it ?
Dennis: we have enough time to drop the bags and get a nice cup of coffee.
Marcus: disappeared at the airport
Dennis: Marcus we are going to the gate, see you there.
Tom: you have fast track I think.
Benan: at the security, why is my bag sidelined, OH the IPAD.
At the gate, aliens sprawled on the floor, no energy, understandably so, waking up at 4 am on a Saturday to play cricket. Agreed we are enthusiasts, but leaving middle aged comforts on a Saturday morning is no mean feat.
Dennis: Milton, did you get 2 baguettes like the La Manga trip in March this year.
Milton: Smilling from ear to ear, No Dennis didn’t get any, its too early and I haven’t slept at all last night.
Dennis: we don’t need to get into details, know you are single and ready to mingle ….
Dave: Good thing we moved the game to the morning, rain in the afternoon.
Damon: Dennis, I think I forgot the match ball in the car
Dennis: ok, ill call Vishal of Lassa ….
On the flight: great bonding in close quarters with 10 of is in 2 aisles, its never happened before on tour too, may be Mr. President wanted it this way.
Even before the start of the game 4 wickets down. Air stewardess quietly approaching Aaron and telling him, I understand your plight of sitting next to brown guys, move up a couple of rows and you will find an empty aisle all for yourself. I mean which Alien will not turn such an offer, But Aaron, well he did take it up and alienated the rest of the team.
From Vipps Thomas to Genuinely helpful Thomas: I’m on my way to the airport, got seats for 4 and then all your kits… well …
Marcus: I think we should get a couple of cars from GetAround and drive to the ground.
Sudesh: Ill check with Sixt and hertz
Dennis: I’ll get some Bolle
Thomas: the pick points are slightly away, but I can drive you there.
Marcus: %&#$ they want to see the driver and get identification ….
Sudesh : it costs 7000 NOK for 2 cars
Dennis: Ok Taxi it is, Taxi stand, a mini bus for 600 nok agreed.
Thomas: we will stop over at the super market and pick up some refreshments for the game.
Team: Good idea, some water, and Bananas please.
Marcus: (everyone expecting a pack Marlboros please),can you guys get me some chocolate milk and a six pack of coconut muesli bars please.
Thomas: Sorted.
At the Grounds
Team: The Grounds look nice, it’s a bit windy, the square boundaries are really short.
Pratik: Sight screens, that’s a luxury.
Damon: don’t get deceived by short boundaries, here let me do my favorite pastime thingy, its 42,456 meters.
Dennis: don’t force a shot, play and get out to one that’s yours.
Benan: walking around nice facilities, place for football warm ups and all, it stinks though.
Damon: no Benan that’s just country side.
Umpires arrive: couple of well mannered gentlemen, one with a thick American accent ( loud). They welcome us, tell us a couple of things like short square boundaries and short square boundaries. Its good to see Oslo teams here as we have been travelling to Oslo for years.
Dennis: I think you should read this dissertation by Dave on FB.
Vijai (from the US on WA): is that the best and biggest ground in Norway ?
Dave: It is… in one direction
Opposition Captain arrives, opens up the facilities for access to chairs ++, hey there are shower areas.
Damon: Boys Boys Boys, I know early morning and all, lets not wait 10 overs to switch on, lets get changed and be ready.
Dennis: lets do the Aliens Jingle sorry Juggle
Tom: hey this is new and quite interesting, why don’t we do that every week ?
Ah if only people turned up on time for every game.
Umpires: lets toss.
Dennis: frantic search for bails, ah found it , why doesn’t it end up in the bails pouch after the game ?. Hey benan see how you win a toss, watch and learn
Umpires: lets start on time and finish on time, FC of rain…blah blah blah .
Dennis: Heads, Lassa wins toss and elects to bowl.
Dennis: Gents we are bowling.
Benan: did we win the toss ?
Dennis: Lets not aim to be bowling all 30 overs at them, we need to get them all out and we shouldn’t be chasing more than 140 here…
Good bowling and fielding effort by Aliens to restrict Lassa to 148. Damon and Tom shared two wickets a piece, followed by Dennis getting 1. Thomas was the Ball magnet for the day. Aaron bowled well to get a couple of wickets through catches to fielding positions that were questioned. Benan cleaned up the rest with a couple. Milton grabbed a skier in windy conditions, Sushil, Tom, Benan, Dennis and Damon caught the others. Lassa bundled out in 25,2 overs. The bails coming off regularly contributed to our slow over rate, No it wasn’t batsmen getting bowled or Pratik our reluctant WK crashing it every time he collected the balls for a potential run out, but due windy conditions, stumps not the right kind and the obdurate umpires. Sushil even tried the sticky tape.
Chasing 149, Aliens started well with Marcus and Pratik, Pratik despite garbled screams from Dennis of his bat sounding broken smashed a bowler for 3 boundaries (2 6s and a 4). After scoring a quick 33, he was out targeting the short square boundary on the offside, Marcus was adjudged caught behind when the ball actually hit his elbow (reason you need colored gloves and not whities), Sudesh got out to an inswinger. Damon and Dennis at the crease at 44/3, built the innings together to achieve the target in 24.3 overs and shared an unbroken 100 run partnership, with the dugout busy scheming how to get both batsmen to 50 runs each, Damon scored a boundary to finish on 52* and Dennis on 47*.
Umpires: This is one of the best teams we have come across, professional, well organized and well conducted.
Aliens: Thanks, we are happy with the trip too, especially with the consistency in the decisions and that we won .
After post match formalities, Aliens reluctantly requested Lassa if we could be dropped off at Sandness to which they obliged.
Dennis: where are those bananas when you need them ?
Thomas: I think we can get to Maccas and then you can all bus it to the airport.
Dennis: hey we have a Mathallen here in AMFI mall.
Starting to rain now …..
Team: Beer, Beer, Beer, Food, Food,Food ..
Sudesh: Ill buy the tickets for our bus ride to the airport.
Thomas: See you in Oslo gents.
Aliens: Good Man Thomas
At the Sandness airport
Aaron: I have checked in for all.
Sudesh: after security clearance, we should all get ice creams and then sit at the bar.
Lots of cricket talk and Aliens past, of course no trip is complete without reminiscing amazing incidents and the people involved.
Milton: you guys can talk cricket all day, I haven’t slept last night, it was a long Friday night for me, I’m still young and restless.
Beep..Beep..beep… messages fly in that our flight is delayed. Yes, there is a difference between the two return flights, the one we were scheduled to fly was delayed and the other on time.
Sudesh and Tom: Lets go back to the check-in desk and work our charm, to get us on the earlier flight.
Few minutes later
Team: Hey the display at the gate says we are boarding now, are we on the delayed flight or the new one ? Its says final call now, but where is the plane ? what have Sudesh and Tom done here ?
An hour and few laughters later, time for boarding …beep beep beep.. Oh this is two seats on either side of the aisle, a lot closer than on the way in to Stavanger
Airline staff: sorry Pratik, you have already boarded. Please step aside. Sorry Damon, you have already boarded, please step aside. Are you guys travelling as a group ?
Damon and Pratik: Tom and Sudesh must have caused all of this ..
Damon: I’m the president of this group and I booked the tickets, I’m getting on this plane, try stopping me.
Pratik: Let me just sneak through with the President …
On the plane …..
Pratik: Dennis, what’s your seat no?
Dennis: 11B
Pratik: cant be, I’m also 11B.
Dennis: oh wait a minute, I should have scrolled to my ticket on the app, its 10B…..
On the flight: all 10 wickets down.
Dennis: Benan, ill pick up the bag, you collect the car from drop n go and be ready to scoot.
At baggage collection, the rest of the team have dispersed, but Damon, Aaron, Milton and Dennis
Damon: Shaking hand with Milton, Bye Milton
Milton: Hey Damon, I’m riding in your car.
Damon: Sure, I shouldn’t shake your hands ?
Dennis: No more energy left to laugh, dragging the bag to the parking only to see Benan not there at the car and keys not collected.
Dennis: what happened Benan, is the counter closed ?
Marcus: where were you, I’ve run out of smoke, can you stop by Kiwi ?
Benan: I got lost and then I found Burger king, couldn’t resist.
The END. ….
At the stromso game on 03/09/2023
Sudesh: hey guys some of you haven’t paid up for the bus travel from Sandnes to airport.
OH ALIENS!!!CRICKET!!!TRAVEL!!