HAVERFORD, Pa. - Haverford Cricket finished their fall campaign on Sunday afternoon, facing off against the University of Pennsylvania in the "Quaker Classic" which pitted the two colleges against each other, continuing the 150-year-old rivalry. A low scoring affair saw Haverford fall to the visitors in a gritty defeat.
After losing the toss and being sent to bat first, Haverford got off to a rocky start, loosing one of their opening batsmen in the first over. Captain Sidd Phatak and Senior Samanyu Kurra stabilized the powerplay, batting through the fifth over before Kurra was forced to depart after a questionable run-out call.
Phatak found a reliable partner in fellow Captain Rebecca Stern. The pair managed to put on 34 runs for the third wicket partnership before both captains departed in the 13th over. Stern contributed a reliable nine off 18 while Phatak scored 26, a relatively subdued total for the usually explosive Phatak.
Another quick wicket left Haverford at 63-5 in the 14th over, bringing Sanil Kagalwala and Aniketh Rao to the crease. Hoping to confuse the batsman with his left-handedness, the 'Fords got more than they bargained for in Rao. In his breakout innings, Rao slashed the ball around the ground scoring a quick 17 off 24 including two balls beautifully pulled for boundaries. Kagalwala provided an efficient and tempered nine off 16 including a boundary of his own to drag Haverford to a respectable 97 runs.
Haverford knew that defending a total below 100 would take discipline and perfection in the field. The bowling attack, led by Senior Captain Eugene Yang and Sophomore Ishpuneet Singh, embodied the needed discipline with tight bowling conceding just 3 extras through the first 10 overs. Yang's economy hovered just above four uns through the power Play while Singh recovered from an expensive 11-run first over to concede just 10 runs through his next three overs.
Penn's careful shot selection would prove too much for the Fords, however, as the opening batsmen saw out the first 10 overs for 56 runs without the loss of a wicket. After scoring his first runs for the college, Haverford handed the ball to Rao to bowl his first overs for the college, hoping the shake up would give the Fords their much-needed wicket.
Rao followed up his breakout batting performance with a breakout bowling performance. After a series of deliveries with disciplined lengths, the ball found its way straight into—and subsequently absolutely obliterated—middle stump.
Unfortunately, this would be the only breakthrough for the Fords, with Penn finishing off the run chase in 16.1 overs. While Haverford was dismayed to finish the season on a losing note, they were proud to end on a record of 3-2, with their only losses coming against some steep competition.
Moreso, the team showed unlimited depth and potential, with seven bowlers taking wickets through the season, as well as two players reaching half centuries (including the record-breaking centurion Phatak) and a slew of middle- and late-order cameos proving that the batting line up has more depth than the college has seen in years.