By Richard Boxall

The European Cricket Series has come to Cyprus again. This event, which takes place in various countries and is organised by the European Cricket Network, consists of an intense two weeks of 10-over matches, competed by 11 Cypriot clubs, with 5 matches played on each day.

The teams are split into two groups, following which they enter a knockout stage based on positions in the groups. The first week of the competition saw Nicosia Tigers finish top of Group A after winning 9 of their 12 matches.

It was a keenly contested group, with all of the teams winning (and losing) at least three of their games. Tigers lost twice against Napa Royal Kings, who finished second in the group, while Amdocs pulled off a 10-wicket win against Everest in their first game, only to finish bottom of the group and be eliminated from the competition before the knockout phase.

Everest were the only other team to beat Nicosia Tigers after racking up an impressive 123-2, with Jeevan Lamsal making 61.

Six batsmen scored over 200 runs in group A, led by Sehran Ahmed of Napa Royal Kings who hit 401 at an average of 40 and a very impressive strike rate of 226. Nine bowlers took 10 or more wickets, led by Gaurav Sagwan (Amdocs), Bhuwan Khatri (Everest) and Naveed Akhtar (Limassol Qalandars) who all took 11. Gaurav also scored over 200 with the bat – a fine all-round achievement despite his team’s disappointment.

Group B is now under way, and early results suggest a close contest with Markhor, Sri Lanka Lions and Moufflons prominent, but there is still a long way to go. After the group matches are completed, the quarter finals will be played on Saturday and the semi finals and final on Sunday.

Group A standings:

1 Nicosia Tigers won 9 lost 3 points 18

2 Napa Royal Kings won 8 lost 4 points 16

3 Everest won 6 lost 6 points 12

4 Limassol Qalandars won 4 lost 8 points 8

5 Amdocs won 3 lost 9 points 6