Cricket Wins Match Against British Officers

Gulesh Shukla
Gulesh Shukla

HAVERFORD, Pa. - In a thrilling match versus British Officers Cricket Club, the Haverford XI claimed victory on Cope Field on Saturday, April 13. 

Haverford batted first, facing some difficulty early on as the Officers showed off their skill in fielding. After the usually high-scoring senior captain Nathaniel Rolfe was bowled out on the fourth ball he faced, senior captain Andrew Cornell and junior Ethan Flicker stabilized the batting to score a combined 39 runs. The Fords encountered some more trouble as they saw a streak of several strong batsmen bowled. 

The depth of the Haverford squad shined through the dark shadow cast by the British Officers. Sophomore Kaito Nakatani used his lightning speed, and keen insight to help propel the Fords forward. First-year Gulesh Shukla harnessed his massive strength and slammed a shot over midwicket to score the first six of the match. It appeared that the underclassmen showed up hungry, and runs were the main dish on the menu at Cope Field.

Some quick runs scored by Shukla alongside sophomore Emile Givental allowed Haverford to reach a respectable 145 runs after the end of the 25 overs. Shukla put up an impressive 35 runs off 22 deliveries, while sophomore Emile Givental put up a slightly less impressive 16 runs off of 10 balls. 

After a brief intermission, Haverford took to the field to defend their solid total. Rolfe also opened up bowling for the Fords, bowling a series of fastballs. Senior Paige Powell made her cricket debut fielding at square leg. The strongest batsman for the Officers was finally brought to his demise with a hearty catch from sophomore Malcolm Thompson. It was only a matter of time for the Fords to secure a win, as none of the opponent's batsmen could seem to get a strong grip on Haverford's bowling attack. 

Towards the death-overs of the match, a beautiful relationship blossomed between bowlers junior Ethan Flicker and Nakatani. The two combined well to drastically reduce the BOCC run-rate to bring the Fords to a more comfortable position, eventually halting the British Officers at a mere 127 points after the final over.