It all comes down to this, with the last three weeks of cricket action boiling down to a best-of-three series between Brute Force, the #1 seed this season, and the defending champions on Reality. The first two games are from Chevrolet Center in Everton.
Game 1: Starlight led off with just 198 in a rough opener for Reality. Rainmane chopped up 443 for Brute Force to own the initial lead. Twilight hit 279 for Reality, covering the deficit, but not giving the visitors much more to help their cause. Smokey cancelled it out with his 281 for Brute Force, retaining the lead well. Twinkie II went for 280 for Reality, failing to make a significant impact while covering the deficit. Wings swung 217 for Brute Force, leaving them a bit vulnerable at the halfway mark. Patches clubbed 497 for Reality, giving them a noticeable lead and making a game of things. Lionel couldn't cover the deficit, scoring 283 as Brute Force has fallen behind with the game getting a bit late. Spice slugged 1001 to extend the Reality lead and send their supporters into a frenzy. Pedey stumbled with 64 for Brute Force as they've lost all control. Missy tapped a measly 16 for Reality, but they close at a strong 2271. Juno had only 144, and Brute Force lost with 1432, putting them into must-win mode.
Game 2: Twilight sliced 694 for Reality, giving them a very strong start. Rainmane got frozen at 362 with a ball on her backhand, unable to drop it or swing, and Brute Force starts from behind. Twinkie II backed it up for Reality with 578, padding their lead pretty well. Smokey wiped out that secondary dose of damage with 578 of his own for Brute Force, but they're chasing the game. Patches got shut down at 176 for Reality, destabilizing their lead. Wings smashed 484 for Brute Force, doing very well to close the gap at the halfway point. Puff II managed 230 for Reality, giving them a smaller lead than before. Lionel grabbed 436 for Brute Force, giving them a lead later in the game, stirring the pot a bit more. Spice covered the deficit with 377 for Reality, but got stuck holding a backhand to limit her turn. Nightfur poked 200 for Brute Force, giving them a five-point lead with a player each to go, which is essentially peak drama. Dusty covered the deficit with her 256, but 2311 is their final, a low bar to leap. Slinks couldn't get it, taking only 239 to leave Brute Force at 2299. Reality have defended their championship, winning the Club Cricket Challenge in both of its years of existence.
Now, for the quotes from the players.
CCC MVP Twilight: "I'm happy with the results again this year. It's a shame I had to assume the captain's role, but the team rallied with one of our best players down with an injury in the knockout stages. We may not always get along, but we come together as a team well for this tournament."
Captain Starlight: "I wanted to be out their for my team, but my eye wouldn't let me, and I didn't want to get games off to a sour start. I'm proud of my sister, Twilight, for her ability to lead the team. I'm thrilled to win this tournament again. We've got a wonderful team that can win every year, and I look forward to next winter."
Twinkie II: "It was a good team effort, good balanced scoring, and we all trust each other to beat the player across from us, so we stay really focused."
Patches: "I got off to a rough start, and it kind of lasted through the wild card round, but I'm glad I was there in the lineup, contributing, when the games really started to matter for us."
Puff II: "Not my best tournament in my career. I'll try to put this behind me and give my all to the Boston Swifts in the second half of the UPCL season. I'll be better next time around."
Spice: "I didn't make the proper adjustments for the knockout round, and I was getting a bit fatigued at that point, but I'm proud of my teammates for picking up the slack and I'm glad I really took the wind out of their [Brute Force's] sails in the first game tonight. They had a great run this season, and they gave us a good fight, right up to the end. Great tournament for them, and much respect for them coming in and making a statement."
Dusty: "I could have been better. Coming in as a substitute is tough. Your team doesn't trust your abilities as much, but I made my time count despite riding the bench a few times. It's part of the tournament. If you don't produce, you don't play."
Missy: "I was sweating bullets at the end there! I thought Slinks was going to force a tiebreaker game. It was really close, she just ran out of steam. It's not easier watching it all from the bench. I'm glad we had game 1 under control before me. That was a bad time for a bad game, but it could have been worse. Shout-out to the Club Reality members playing on the coalition team, they pushed us hard in the wild card, and we're proud of them. This is a win for the whole club, not just the eight of us here on this particular team. Everyone got us to this point for this tournament."
UPCL action resumes next week, time to be determined. Please keep a lookout for the Second Round pool schedule.
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