HAVERFORD, Pa. - Haverford Cricket faced off against Merion Cricket Club this past weekend in their first of two matches on Saturday afternoon. The Fords built on their strong performance against Philadelphia to execute a comprehensive defeat of Merion.  

Fielding first, Haverford once again turned to sophomore Sidd Phatak and junior Eugene Yang to share the new ball. While Phatak's fiery pace kept the run rate low, Yang struck first with junior captain Rebecca Stern completing a catch behind the stumps after Yang's ball found the bat's outside edge. Haverford continued to push after the power play with Stern completing a second catch in the seventh over. This time it was first year Ishpuneet Singh who found the batter's edge.

Stern continued to showcase her glovework later in the match, taking a third catch in the middle overs. The push for wickets continued with Phatak enacting a runout after a laser of a throw caused a direct hit in Singh's very next over.  After injury sidelined sophomore Deep Patel, sophomore Joshua Corbett was given his first opportunity to bowl of the fall.  Corbett showed he was up for the task.  After the batter sent his very first ball soaring for 6, Corbett recovered and took his first wicket two balls later.  

Corbett wouldn't stop there. Two overs later he took his second wicket.  After the Batter struck the ball fiercely to point, sophomore Nathan Moore made a catch which can only be described as tantamount to catching a bullet. Corbett's final ball brought his third wicket and with it he surpassed in four overs his wicket tally from the previous seasons. 

Sitting at 94-5 in the 18th over, Haverford reintroduced its opening pair in an attempt to shut down Merion. The two made quick work of Merion's tail end, with Phatak striking in consecutive overs and Yang taking his second wicket of the match before sophomore Mohanish Bajaj bowled the final Merion batter out in the final over. 

Superb fielding and bowling meant the Fords needed just a manageable 128 runs to win in their 25 overs. Senior captain Samuel Monks once again opened Haverford's innings with Bajaj. With Monks being dismissed cheaply in the fourth over, followed by Stern only five balls later, Bajaj took on the role of steadying the innings. 

Bajaj scored cautiously, seeing out 46 deliveries for 36 runs. This renewed stability let Phatak play his strokes freely. The pair put up a 70-run partnership before Bajaj was dismissed and Phatak was forced to retire due to an injury. Despite the loss of their two stalwarts, Phatak's vital of 43 runs of 47 deliveries, meant the Fords were well poised to finish the match with a flourish. 

This flourish came from Moore.  After struggling in previous games with stumpings, Moore was eager to show his off-season improvement.  Beginning cautiously, scoring just three off his first eight deliveries, Moore quickly opened up with a blitz of 23 runs off his next 12 balls.  Moore's 26 runs was not only his personal highest score, but also surpassed his run total from his rookie season.

Merion bowlers had no response for Moore's blitz, with Yang scoring the winning runs alongside Moore in the 22nd over.  Haverford's decisive six wicket win over Merion demonstrated their strength of a team in batting; Corbett's stelar wicket-taking in the absence of Patel showed the Fords well-rounded bowling attack, while Moore demonstrated the side could bat effectively down the order.