UPCL Cricket: Hutton Cup Finals 7) Central Warriors VS 12) Maplewood Lumberjacks

Welcome to the final series of the 2014-2015 UPCL Cricket playoffs. To get you up to speed, the Central Warriors knocked off the #10 Web City Spiders, #2 Eastside Sharks, and #6 Pacific Volcanoes to get to this point. The Maplewood Lumberjacks took out the #5 Capital City Sharpshooters, #13 Royal Crowns, and #1 Whitewater Shores. Both of these teams have faced their respective challenges in the playoffs, but they have overcome. Fun fact #1: Originally, the team in Maplewood was supposed to be the Central Warriors, but due to the street name "Maplewood Avenue," the Lumberjacks were placed in the territory they call home and the Warriors were shifted north. Fun fact #2: The teams split their regular season games, but Central won in Maplewood's home finale in Week 31 as both teams fought for playoff spots and positioning.

Games 1, 2, 5, 7 (5 and 7 if necessary)

Games 3, 4, 6 (6 if necessary)

Game 1: Nestle's Warriors Park, Central. Fluffina began the playoffs' final series with 406 for Maplewood, establishing an early lead. Twilight blew that out of the water with 1367 for Central, giving the hosts a sizable advantage. Bryant grabbed 328 for the Lumberjacks, turning in a respectable performance. Gizmo countered for the Warriors by slicing 371 to maintain the lead. Diddley pounded 433 for Maplewood, attempting to cover the gap. Noelle answered with 326 for Central, doing her part to keep the hosts in control. Cubby scored only 120 for the Lumberjacks, leaving them well short of the mark at 1287 total. Dustin chipped 144 to give the Warriors a final of 2208 in the opening game beatdown. Central owns a 1-0 series lead at this point in the young series.

Game 2: Nestle's Warriors Park, Central. Fluffina got jammed early on for Maplewood, registering only 80 points. Twilight's offense was toned down from her game 1 effort, but she still had 288 to give Central the early lead. Bryant's lazy hit resulted in just 42 points for the Lumberjacks, burying them deep in the game. Gizmo shot back with 379 for the Warriors, adding onto the lead. Diddley got cut down at 102 for Maplewood after a poorly angled shot failed to score. Noelle tallied 208 for Central, extending the lead modestly. Cubby managed just 112 for the Lumberjacks, and they ended up falling with a meager final of 336. Dustin had 177 to put the Warriors at 1052 in the end, securing another victory by a large margin. Central now leads 2-0 in the series as they travel slightly to the south for the next two games. 

Game 3: UPS Ground in Maplewood, Maplewood. Twilight continued her likely MVP-worthy postseason effort with a lead-off score of 480 for Central. Fluffina stumbled to just 45 points for Maplewood, severely troubling the home crowd. Gizmo added on with 531 for the Warriors, continuing to show up when he's most needed. Bryant put up 209 to give the Lumberjacks some meaningful points. Noelle smacked 677 more for Central, cementing them in the lead once again. Diddley offset some of the damage for Maplewood, scoring 327 points in his turn. Dustin's 657 gave the Warriors a massive final score of 2345. Cubby took a 50% penalty for the Lumberjacks, scoring just 72 points to put them at a final of 653 in a third straight loss. 

Game 4: UPS Ground in Maplewood, Maplewood. Twilight's output dropped to only 80 points after a false start resulted in a 50% penalty for the pivotal game of the series. Fluffina turned the tables on her by ripping 471 for Maplewood, giving them the early lead. Gizmo replied with only 138 for the Warriors, doing little to close the gap. Bryant slipped up with just 24 points for the Lumberjacks, leaving the door wide open for a comeback. Noelle failed to capitalize for Central, taking a measly 5 points. Diddley took an untimely 50% penalty for playing on through a technical error, and scored 185 points for Maplewood. Dustin had only 78 points for the Warriors, and they fell with a pathetic 301 final score. Cubby chipped 140 for the Lumberjacks, leaving them at 820 in the low-scoring win. Central still leads the series 3-1, and they return home for another chance to secure the championship. 

Game 5: Nestle's Warriors Park, Central. Fluffina got off to a bad start by taking a 50% penalty on her first swing, but recovered to post 221 for Maplewood despite the penalty. Twilight got back into her usual form with 344 for Central. Bryant chipped back with 371 for the Lumberjacks, keeping them in the game. Gizmo faltered with 74 for the Warriors, as the hosts fell behind in the game. Diddley failed to give Maplewood any separation, hitting only 80 for the visitors. Noelle managed to create 322 points for Central, despite taking a 50% penalty for her false start, giving her team the narrow lead again. Cubby hit 394 to put the Lumberjacks at 1066, giving the opposition something to work for. Dustin was not up to the task, hitting only 57 points as the Warriors fell with 797. Maplewood has cut the series deficit to 3-2, and they return home looking to prolong the series again. 

Game 6: UPS Ground in Maplewood, Maplewood. Twilight tripped to 72 points for Central, getting off to another poor start on the road. Fluffina blasted 537 in response for Maplewood, giving them the early lead. Gizmo mishit a ball on his turn, scoring just 42 for the Warriors as they watch another game slip away slowly. Bryant did little to separate the Lumberjacks, hitting only 72 for the hosts. Noelle's mistimed swing resulted in her scoring 152 for Central. Diddley ended up with only 48 for Maplewood after taking two false start penalties for a 67% reduction in points. Dustin slugged 685 for the Warriors, giving them a final score of 951 and forcing the opposition to produce to stay alive. Cubby's 144 resulted in a final of 801 for the Lumberjacks, eliminating them in the final round. The Central Warriors are your 2015 Hutton Cup Champions!

Congratulations to Twilight, Gizmo, Noelle, and Dustin, as well as the fans in Central for their championship in cricket. Shortly, we will update the History page to reflect this championship.

Despite a minimal offensive effort by the team, the Warriors persevered to win the championship. They played a total of 25 games, out of a maximum of 28, so they put on quite a bit of mileage in securing this victory. The Philip Hughes Award for Postseason MVP goes to Twilight, as she led the team in average and frequently came up with clutch performances that ended a lot of games before they even got started. Again, congratulations to the entire Central Warriors organization.