2016-17 Cricket: Preseason Part 3

These last ten preseason games include the Northeast's four games and five games for the Eastern Hills, as well as one exhibition game between the defending champion Boston Swifts and expansion franchise Stonebridge Wolves to even out the participation. We begin with...

Home Depot Forum, Web City: It's a battle between underachieving Northeastern teams. Sally plucked 542 right off the start for Archtown, a very strong performance early on. Shadow fired back with 729 for Web City, giving them the lead after the captains' turns. Sleepy B. answered with 304 for the Arrows, covering the deficit in reasonable form. Ted answered with 96 for the Spiders, allowing the visitors to take a narrow lead at the halfway mark in his go-for-broke effort. Ruby collected 319 for Archtown on her turn, adding to the lead pretty well. Shiny slipped up with 144 for Web City, allowing the deficit to grow with a player each to go. Dusky tacked on another 402 for the Arrows, more than enough for them to feel good with their effort. Dani's 258 left the Spiders in a disappointing loss for their troubles.

Home Depot Forum, Web City: The Spiders host another game, this time a Halloween Derby in the preseason. Harrison's Sydney got a bit unlucky with a deflection, ending her turn at just 167. Shadow chipped 211, putting Web City in front but not by much. Twinkie II pounded 807 for the Specters, giving them a very massive lead. Ted produced 326 for the Spiders, not a bad result, but not all that helpful in the game state. Lexi debuted well for Harrison, adding 420 to their offense in her first game with the team. Shiny took on 496 for Web City, trying to reduce their deficit a little bit. Sugar showed very well with 553 for the Specters against her former team. Dani kept pace well with 572 for the Spiders, but this left them behind in the end.

Nestle's Warriors Park, Central: The Warriors and Lumberjacks made minimal changes and will battle in their only tune-ups for the season. Fluffina had a terrible start to the game, scoring a pathetic 7 points. Twilight belted 793 in response for Central, establishing a significant lead at the start of the game for the hosts. Diddley managed just 112 for the Lumberjacks on his turn, as the visitors seem very uncomfortable. Dustin didn't do a lot better, taking only 211 for the Warriors. Bryant appeared consistent at first in his new role on the team, but a bad hit left him with only 96 for Maplewood. Central's rookie Mario essentially guaranteed a win for the hosts, tallying 594 in a steady performance. Waluigi was not nearly as good for the Lumberjacks, taking only 89. Gizmo iced the Warriors win with 402, a thorough domination for the talented team. The Lumberjacks have more questions than answers after falling so flat.

Mercedes-Benz Field, Harrison: The final Northeast match features a rebuilt team against last year's regular season champions. Goldy managed 375 after a rough start, and it was a similar ending for her despite the respectable score. Sydney chipped 457 for Harrison, earning them a modest lead early on. Puff III could not get into a rhythm, settling for a meager 144 for the Eagles. Twinkie II looked to be going for more, but got stopped at 152 for the Specters, keeping things level. Kirstin rocked 487 for Everton, giving them a noticeable lead. Lexi answered with 500 for Harrison, maintaining their lead as the final players come to bat. Blizzard had 370 for the Eagles, forcing a response out of the hosts. Sugar botched the rally for Harrison, with her 148 causing them to take a hard-fought loss.

Subway Field, Stonebridge: The Wolves open their stadium against the heavily-rebuilt Tridents. Precious, the only player in this game not on a new team, showed her veteran savvy in pounding 669 for Pronger. Juno struggled with getting lift on her hits, and ended up with only 164 for Stonebridge. Zach answered with 231 for the Tridents, not a great response. Frosty made things interesting with 522 for the Wolves, cutting deeply into the deficit. Spot fumbled his way to a score of 69 for Pronger, exemplifying the growing pains the team is sure to experience this year. Cobalt didn't do much better, taking just 64 for Stonebridge as they stay within striking distance late in the game. Potter posted 240 for the Tridents, which isn't quite enough for them to feel comfortable with. Prism answered with 456, guiding the Wolves to their first preseason win with the strong showing.

The Intel Pitch, Diamond: The Tridents will try their throwbacks for the second game of their preseason, facing a shakier than usual Gems side. Precious didn't do so well this time around, only managing 40 points for Pronger. Smokey swatted 456 for Diamond in response, giving them a good lead. Zach covered that deficit with his 441 for the Tridents, but this just scraped them ahead. Citrus had only 87 for the Gems, keeping them in the lead but by a much smaller margin. Spot took 176 for Pronger, a weak effort from the rookie who has yet to put it together. Pedey grabbed 216 for Diamond, adding modestly to their lead in the late stages of the game. Potter's 169 didn't help a whole lot for the Tridents, leaving them vulnerable at the end. Rosalina swung 519 for the Gems to seal off a fairly confident win.

McDonald's Pitch at Pirates Park, Atlantic: Two of the teams from the 2013 expansion square off in this preseason match. Jasmine collected 495 for Freedom, as the captain appears to be in midseason form. Delila had only 288 for Atlantic, leaving them slightly behind. Stinky took a bad swing and ended at 33 for the Cascades, a disappointing appearance. Isabella hardly did better with 57 for the Pirates, failing to make a strong first impression for her rookie campaign. Roxy popped 321 for Freedom, extending their lead a bit more again. Americus got it all back with 324 for Atlantic as she worked against her former Waves teammate. Nikolai couldn't do much with a ball set behind his bat, and he ended with 50 for the Cascades, leaving them vulnerable. Klaus' 177 proved to be just a bit short for the Pirates, allowing the Cascades to snag the win.

Subway Field, Stonebridge: The Pirates practice their back-to-back routine with an expansion team a short ways up north. Delila saw a favorable bounce send a ball to the back 4s, keeping her turn alive long enough to finish with 679. Juno fired back with 555 for Stonebridge, cutting the deficit quite significantly. Isabella again faltered, putting up a measly 96 for the Pirates. Frosty choked at 54 for the Wolves, allowing the deficit to grow slightly. Americus put up 152 for Atlantic, growing the lead a little bit more. Cobalt did what he had to for Stonebridge, covering the deficit very closely with his 326. Klaus didn't get a lot for his effort, scoring 240 for the Pirates. Prism couldn't figure out the angle she needed, falling at 33 for the Wolves as they suffer the loss.

FedEx Ground, Eastside: The Tridents will wear a throwback home jersey despite the road situation, as the first team to appear at the new home of the Sharks. Precious couldn't quite pick the corner for Pronger, falling with 211. Chelsea answered with 433 for Eastside, giving them the initial lead. Zach finally connected on his preseason efforts, corralling 603 for the Tridents to pull them ahead. Taylor fired back with 550 for the Sharks, repairing most of the recent damage. Spot couldn't cover the deficit, taking only 112 for Pronger, as it appears the growth for the rookie will extend into the regular season. Niki gained a little for Eastside with her 195. Potter got the Tridents pretty close with his 243, and the Sharks will be asked to make a contribution to earn the win outright. Paps dropped 132 on his former team, enough to give the Sharks the win.

Subway Field, Stonebridge: Finally, the Wolves host the Swifts as the lucky expansion franchise will try to measure up to a highly decorated team. Patches successfully performed a triple-backhand and then built upon that to score 784 for Boston. Juno poked only 99 for Stonebridge, faltering against a much stronger opponent. Puff II kept the Swifts offense going with her 583, boosting the lead quite well. Frosty showed off some power for the Wolves, cranking out 615 on her turn. Gradley countered with 1319 for Boston, muscling up for one of the best performances of the preseason and effectively securing their win. Cobalt grabbed 260 for Stonebridge, but they'll likely take the loss in the end. Sweetheart iced the Swifts' efforts with 345 in a convincing victory. Prism took 264, and the Wolves lost the game.

That's it for the Preseason. The 2016-17 UPCL Cricket Regular Season will get underway in the coming days, with the games counting going forward.

2016-17 Cricket: Preseason Part 2

The second part of the preseason is ready to go, with appearance from the Southwest and Southeast divisions, including one cross-over match to help balance the schedules. We begin with...

Blades Fusion ProGlide Park, Swordpoint: The Blades debut their new logo on their own pitch against the rebuilding-on-the-fly Torpedoes. Smudge struggled on this turn, taking 253 in a shaky appearance for Infinity. Snowball belted 696 for Swordpoint in response, putting them ahead by a decent margin. Solaris picked up 197 in a rocky debut for the Torpedoes, but he did show flashes of brilliance. Dreamy fired back with 446 for the Blades, extending their lead at the midway mark. Whiskers corralled 497 for Infinity, cutting deeply into the deficit. Swordpoint's diminutive rookie Bandit replied with a massive 1134, likely securing the game for them. Mr. Snowman pulled back with 512 for the Torpedoes, but they'll take a loss despite the strong effort. Stealth had only 51 for the Blades, but that was plenty to ice off their victory.

Cisco Tysini Field, Tysini: Two very stable franchises will meet up in their only preseason games. Chris tapped 238 for Capital City to start this game off. Princess also struggled, and her 171 put Tysini marginally behind in the early stages. Missy grabbed 368 for the Sharpshooters, putting them a bit farther ahead the second time. Leandra's 484 for the Hummingbirds gave them a lead at the halfway mark. Sprinkles choked with 48 for Capital City, and they now face quite a steep hill to climb with little time to do it. Charli's 162 didn't inspire much confidence for Tysini, but it did modestly add to the lead for the hosts. Nicole's fresh start got off to a good first impression, as her 656 for the Sharpshooters forced a significant response. Brownie couldn't muster the necessary points, scoring 215 as the Hummingbirds take the loss.

Pepsi Prestige Park, Lighton: Another long rivalry gets a little preseason action, as these teams meet in Lighton to get a first glance at one new player each. Spice really botched her turn badly, taking a score of 0 after accidentally touching a ball backwards before anything reached safety. The last player to 0 was the former Victoria player Kavan, who did it last season, albeit without any harm. Acorn chopped 679 for Lighton to give them a sizeable lead. Yekaterina posted 289 for the Spurs, but they are already in deep trouble. Spirit replied with 319 to help the Prestige a little more. B. Chapman collected 566 for Victoria to recover some of the damages. Twinkie I went for 393 for Lighton, keeping their lead quite large at this late stage. Wario didn't really get a chance to show off his muscle, as an awkward bounce ended his turn at 13 for the Spurs. Salmo showed good form for the Prestige, with his 665 cementing a big win for the hosts.

Nissan Infinity Stadium, Infinity: Now, we have the border skirmish, as the Southwest's Torpedoes host a heavily remodeled Defenders from the Southeast. Bianca looked very comfortable leading off for Southridge, pummeling 773 on her turn. Smudge, Bianca's mother, countered with 519 for Infinity to keep them in range. Debby of the Defenders answered with 357 in her first appearance since early April in any league action, due to an unintentionally long suspension, and even this doesn't officially count. Solaris faltered with 168, allowing the Torpedoes to fall farther behind. Stephanie put up 290 for Southridge, a reasonable effort to sustain their lead. Whiskers knocked 723 for Infinity, erasing the deficit quite nicely and making it a close game before the final players get their look. Hughbert took only 153 for Southridge in a floundering effort. Mr. Snowman couldn't beat it with 130 for the Torpedoes, but it's still too close to call definitively.

GE Stadium, Southridge: The Defenders make the short trip home to face Castle Derby rivals in the Flames. Crystal wasn't very efficient, but managed to score 324 for Queens on the opening turn. Bianca didn't do so well this time, scoring just 60 for Southridge in her first home game. Paige faltered as well with 96, missing a chance to solidify the Flames lead. Debby pulled the Defenders ahead with 495 on her turn, giving them the lead at the midway mark. Violetta couldn't cover the damage with 60 for Queens, putting them in a dangerous position. Stephanie slapped 560 for Southridge to really strengthen their lead late in the game. Max flailed his way to only 36 for the Flames, ending a disappointing run for the whole team in their only preseason appearance. Hughbert unleashed 943 for the Defenders to really put an exclamation point on this game.

HP Field, Midland: The newly created community of Midland hosts its first event for the Predators, playing against their Southlands rival, who are now putting the gold in Golden. Valencia put up a solid 600 in a strong preseason appearance for the longtime captain of Golden. Shawn answered with 482 in his first appearance as Midland's captain. Dusty nearly cancelled that out with her 479 for the Pilots, as these teams are engaging in a blitz offense. Rainmane slipped up at 147 after having to navigate a cluttered pitch for awhile, hurting the Predators' offense. Strut got greedy and ended with 209 for Golden, which still keeps their lead solid. Leonardo didn't do well, taking a mediocre 33 for Midland. A. Charlton did well with 319 for the Pilots, extending their lead once more. Fuchsia had only 113 in her debut for the Predators, sealing off their disappointing first loss.

Kraft Crowns Park, Royal: The rebuilt Crowns now host the expansion Predators, who are using their preseason as a travel drill more than anything. Shawn got frozen at 196 for Midland, unable to save a high-arcing ball from hitting the wicket. Nightfur, now the acting captain for Royal, replied with 335 in a serviceable first effort. Rainmane swatted 640 for the Predators, giving them a good lead for all her troubles. Jake got enough of it back with 504 to make it a three-point game, a virtual tie, for the Crowns at the midway point. Leonardo flipped 287 for Midland, giving them a small cushion. Kayla had trouble getting much lift, but her 455 carried Royal ahead with a player each to go. Fuchsia picked up 355 for the Predators, forcing a response from the hosts. Cassie couldn't do it, getting shut down on 63 for the Crowns as they take a loss.

HP Field, Midland: The Predators complete their trifecta against the Defenders, who are wearing their Greek-inspired third jerseys. Bianca didn't waste time for Southridge, carving out 631 for her team to start with. Shawn fired back with 484 for Midland, looking like a solid choice to lead this expansion franchise. Debby faded with only 108 as her double-hit went awry for the Defenders. Rainmane launched 883 for the Predators, giving them a big lead at the halfway mark. Stephanie played well, but made a poor mistake to end on 495 for Southridge, failing to cover the deficit. Leonardo replied with 456 to maintain the Midland lead. Hughbert made it to even with his 532 for the Defenders, but it should be easily beaten. Fuchsia's 128 was likely enough for a small Predators win.

Coca-Cola Field, Boston: The last Southeast game sees the champions get their tune-up in against a rebuilding team. Nightfur only took 239 on her turn for Royal, not a great start for the team. Patches faltered with 45 for Boston, putting them even worse off. Jake didn't make much of an impact, keeping the low-scoring theme going with 96 for the Crowns. Puff II smashed 845 for the Swifts, giving them a big lead at the halfway mark. Kayla got 345 back for Royal, but it was not the cleanest play. Gradley charged back with 564 for Boston, extending their lead late in the game. Cassie stumbled with 119 for the Crowns, leaving them in a loss for the game. Sweetheart ended it well with 335 for the Swifts in their confident preseason win.

That's all for this part. I'm sorry for taking the preseason so slowly, but I have a number of other obligations taking up my time instead. I hope to have the final portion done no later than tomorrow, and then the regular season can start. The league weeks may run long this year. With the UPCL in flux as it has been for awhile now, this league season may take a bit longer than previous ones. I have no updates regarding reconstruction either at this time.

2016-17 Cricket: Preseason Part 1

We've got 29 games for the preseason this year, including the first appearances of a massive rookie class and three expansion franchises. There's been silence since my notification about the data loss. As I mentioned, cricket data is completely lost for the first two seasons, beyond what is on here. There will be no full cricket record book in the works anymore. By memory, I know that Tigerette had the highest all-time individual score at 3648, and the Capital City Sharpshooters own the highest team score, although the Archtown Arrows are the most frequent team to exceed 4000 points. Specifics are unknown currently, but may be recovered on the website. The third season, last year's cricket season, is mostly salvaged via Google Docs. This year, we essentially start things over with the league in its most likely finalized form, with 36 teams and 144 players. Rebuilding of pool information will continue for the next couple of weeks, although no official league action will take place until November at the earliest. Cricket will provide us the way forward in this trying fifth year of the league's existence, and seventh overall for the league and its precursors. Great challenges can lead to great accomplishments, and that is what I anticipate this season producing. I expect it will be another enthralling offensive season, and the new scheduling for cricket should excite. The Rookie of the Year race will be particularly exciting, as many rookies are in a position to succeed from the start, while many of the players who didn't score well last season did so because they knew they were leaving. Having new players is a huge benefit to the league, and it should reflect in the games. Also new is the division system. This year, there are six divisions with six teams each, so each team has just 10 division games in the regular season. With divisional record as the first tiebreaker, each one of those games is particularly critical for every team. Finally, the UPCL will now provide the Cricket: Defend the Wicket game right here on the site. If you want to check it out, click on Cricket Game in the navigation bar at the top. Without any further rambling or delay, let's get the preseason started with the Coastal and Urban divisions. First up...

Volkswagen Stadium, Viewpoint Sound: The Meteors debut their new logo, along with a gold accent on their purple and gray home jerseys. Snuggle led off with 650 for Oceanside, a strong effort from the veteran captain. Please note that scores will be approximated, not official, in the preseason. Mams posted 312 for Viewpoint Sound, as she assumes the captain role after a purging of their roster. She would have been cut, but earned immunity thanks to a good year of pool. Caitlin (formerly Alyssa) had a rocky start for the Waves, taking only 51 after a false start wiped out her first turn. Hoot scooped up 936 for the Meteors, as the former Trident lifts them into the midway point lead. Celestia didn't appear to cover the deficit in her debut, picking up a reasonable 272 for Oceanside. Nibbles countered with 196 for Viewpoint Sound, keeping their lead fairly steady. Dewey went with 734 for the Waves in his first league appearance, lifting them to around the 1700 mark in total. Dominic, the well traveled journeyman, put up 309 for the Meteors, appearing to give them a win with around 1750.

Microsoft Pitch, Del Sur: The Spanish Derby rivals meet up for a preseason match now. Easter grabbed 275 for Todavía in her opening effort. Panda gave Southern a bit of a lead with his 336, a reasonable showing for the captain. Sierra botched her turn with only 21 for the Stills, hurting their chances in this game. Hoppy had only 57 for the Monarchs, a poor first appearance for the rookie but enough to maintain the lead for now. Sparkles clobbered 775 for Todavía, giving them a significant lead at this stage. Pounce did alright to take 352 for Southern, but they've got work to do if they want to win this one. Bells picked up an extra 256 for the Stills, and they hope that will count for the win. Shannon hauled in 376 for the Monarchs, a good debut in her new batting spot, but the Stills took the win by a decent margin.

Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: The main rivalry of the division is next for these two teams. Snuggle began with 192 for Oceanside, which he could have done a bit better with. Watermelon looked much sharper for Pearl, slapping 515 with relative ease to give them the initial lead. Caitlin faltered with 135 for the Waves, unable to cover the deficit. Neopolitan was hardly better, working with 180 for the Surfers to keep their lead stable. Celestia looked pretty good for Oceanside in her first appearance, picking up 318 to get them a bit closer. Boots made a good impression with 521 for her new team, probably securing Pearl's lead as well. Dewey answered with 492 for the Waves, but it's likely too little to steal the game away. Wings, playing from a new position in the Surfers lineup, answered with 475 to take the win for a team looking in good form early on.

Microsoft Pitch, Del Sur: The Monarchs get their second preseason game against the Meteors. Mams had a bit of a rough turn, scoring 176 for Viewpoint Sound as their new captain. Panda got Southern going well with his 408. Hoot fell with 164 for the Meteors, a score that demands much more for the visitors as they navigate a rebuilding time. Hoppy did alright for the Monarchs, collecting 294 as they continue to lead halfway through the game. Nibbles gave Viewpoint Sound a chance with his 429, cutting into the deficit. Pounce staved off the trouble with 243 for Southern, although the game is a bit close heading into the final players. Dominic did okay with 266 for the Meteors, but they're expected to fall in this game. Shannon capped the Monarchs win with 359 in her turn.

Verizon Field, Pacific: The final Coastal preseason game goes here. Mams poked 192 for Viewpoint Sound, still not yet in good form for the regular season. Starlight got beat by a ball that just jumped over the end of her bat, putting her at 158 for Pacific. Hoot looked very bad in hitting only 45 for the Meteors on his turn. Ms. Kitty pulled the Volcanoes ahead with her 434, giving them a noticeable lead at the halfway mark. Nibbles covered it for Viewpoint Sound with his 424, already taking some looks at being a star. Leonette was undeterred for Pacific, upping their lead with her 464. Dominic served up 445 for the Meteors, forcing a small response from the hosts. Chicky Phil iced it with 294, giving the Volcanoes a modest win in their only preseason game.

Samsung Whitewater Stadium, Whitewater: The first ever game for the Nighthawks is on the road, as they will be for quite some time, with the Shores acting as hosts. Peach put up 150 in the first ever North Modernistic turn, a poor start for the franchise. Bear countered with 283 for Whitewater to give them the early edge. The other Nighthawks rookie, Luigi, got the team on track by slashing 515. Twinkie III was solid with 377 for the Shores, making it a fairly close game at this stage. Cheddar dug in for 266 for North Modernistic against her longtime former team. Marsell couldn't hold on for Whitewater, putting them behind as he contributed just 144 to the cause. Bright crushed 759 for the Nighthawks, putting them in a good position to get the win. Shaggy faltered on 51 and sent the Shores to a loss.

BMW RockDome, Westside: The Rockers get the next Nighthawks game, and the Rockers debut their new all-black third jerseys in this preseason match, which they will wear for certain rivalry games. Peach struggled again, taking 199 in a slightly better start for North Modernistic. Misty couldn't cover that, scoring only 144 for Westside. Luigi has looked the better of the rookies for the Nighthawks, belting 852 this time around. Goatee tapped 247 in her turn for the Rockers, as they appear to just be using the game as a tune-up. Cheddar unleashed 1123 for North Modernistic, giving them a likely insurmountable advantage. Midnight chipped 214 for Westside, doing nothing to attack the deficit. Bright iced the game with 162 for the Nighthawks, who will bag this second win quite easily. Slinks impressed with 355 for her new team, even as the Rockers had no chance in this game.

Google Pitch at Union Ground, Modernistic: The Union have their first home game with the black, gold, and silver color scheme as their primary against a heavily remodeled Shores side. Bear sliced 670 for Whitewater in a confident start for the quiet captain. Ms. Puppy saw an unlucky bounce end her turn at 51 for Modernistic. Twinkie III wasn't much better with her 82 for the Shores. Daisy got some back with 335 for the Union in a good first appearance from the rookie. Marsell stood tall for Whitewater this time around, batting 654 in a very strong outing. Puff I took some time to get going, but produced 433 after a couple of false starts for Modernistic. Shaggy kept the Shores offense in good shape with 385 in this game, which should guide them to a win. Strawberry made it too close to call, grabbing 904 in a massive comeback effort for the Union, which makes the home fans happy to know she'll be in that role all season.

Audi Knights Pitch, Terrace City: The best Urban Division teams from last year meet up in their only preseason games. Neither team made roster changes for this season. Commerce captain Tigerette hit only 112 in this appearance. Kiwi kept it simple with 180 in response to put Terrace City narrowly ahead. Ice Cream froze up a bit when the pitch got cluttered, ending with 359 for the Tradewinds and clearly needing to practice in less-than-ideal circumstances. Jennifer let the Knights lead slip away when she recovered only 106, putting them behind at the halfway mark. Lionel tacked on 337 more for Commerce, and they'll push forward with a nice lead. Oreo got some back with 417 for Terrace City, but they still trail with a player each to go. Lorde slipped up at 200 for the Tradewinds, potentially leaving them exposed. Stripes pummeled 1134 for the Knights, lifting them to victory over a potentially major rival.

Google Pitch at Union Ground, Modernistic: The first ever installment of the league's bitterest rivalry comes in the preseason. Originally, this game was to be played at IBM Nighthawks Nest, but the home of the Nighthawks isn't ready yet, so the Union will host it instead. Peach has looked shaky, and this continued with her 33 for North Modernistic. Ms. Puppy knocked 508 for Modernistic to give them a big lead early on. Luigi saw a bad bounce cut him down at 96 for the Nighthawks, who aren't getting up much for this game. Daisy added 416 more for the Union, boosting their lead nicely at the halfway mark. Cheddar carved out 557 for North Modernistic, making her impact on the game. Puff I ripped 867 for Modernistic to extend their lead once more. Bright's 350 left the Nighthawks well short of the mark in this one, dropping the game to their rivals. Strawberry had only 20 for the Union, but they took the win anyway.

Preseason is running a bit late this year, as is everything due to the reconstruction efforts. I can say that I'm working on rebuilding the 2015 pool document, but it's all a bit of work paralysis at times. It will be done in due time, and cricket should go on without too much delay in the first half of the season. There will be two more parts to the preseason after this, which I hope to get done with early this week so as to allow the season to start off on schedule.