Club Cricket Challenge 2018 - Quarterfinals

After a day off, we'll do the quarterfinals for the knockout rounds now. We begin with...

Humanity Senior 1 taking on an Oriental United side familiar with the other HS team from group play. Goldy started slow and then burst forward for 766 for OU on the first turn, showing her side's quality immediately. Kayla answered confidently with 661 for HS1, keeping the game close at first. Hoot shot back with 842 for OU, attacking with the same high-intensity offense as they did in the last game. Chelsea covered that damage with 852 for HS1, shrinking the deficit a tiny amount. Panda took a knock at 223 for OU, weakening their already fragile lead. Yekaterina had her first misstep for HS1 at the worst moment, hitting a paltry 96 as the chance to catch up goes wasted. Bells hauled in 553 for OU, pulling them out of danger with the positive turn. Caitlin changed that narrative with 729 for HS1, evening the game out at the midway mark. Sparkles picked up 425 for OU on her attack, rebuilding their lead partially. Chris shot back with 569 to pull HS1 ahead for the first time in the game. Shelley couldn't do much with 297 for OU, her worst performance of the competition. Steven cranked out a quick 405 for HS1, adding a little more to their lead. Paps didn't do enough to impress for OU with 260 on his turn, leaving them vulnerable. Katelynn just about matched it with 256 for HS1, keeping them ahead with a player each to go. Wild Thing forced a response with 470 for OU, giving them a total of 3836 for the game. Shawn locked up the win for HS1 at the end with 560 on the final turn, their winning total resting at 4128. HS1 awaits the winner of today's last series as their foe in the semifinals.

In the next quarterfinal, Youth Movement tries to record a third win against Group E rival Celebrity. Lorde took a step back from recent efforts, recording a strong 575 for Celebrity to start the game. Celestia, looking a bit overworked, fell at 176 as YM gets off to a slow start. Sydney S. hammered another 642 for Celebrity on the second attack, boosting their lead. Gradley seemingly had good pace, but only managed 320 for a faltering YM side that trails significantly here. Debby got forced onto her backhand and failed to make the right flick, falling at 195 on a poor turn for Celebrity. Valencia stormed back on 499 for YM, cutting into the deficit pretty well. Pauline countered with 429 for Celebrity, keeping them comfortably ahead at this stage of the game. Spirit had only 227 for YM, losing a bit of ground halfway through the game. Charli had a had swing that cut her down at 224 for Celebrity, negating their chance to grow the lead. Bianca wasted another chance for YM to get back into the game, her mediocre 211 costing them another turn. Daisy pummeled 784 for Celebrity in response, giving their lead a huge addition. Sierra matched the damage with 780 for YM, as the hosts are getting desperate for offense. Taylor S. made a last-second save but had to alter her swinging style, which didn't last long when she crashed out at 202 for Celebrity. Isabella had only 272 in response for YM, yet another wasted chance to catch up. Melissa showed no mercy in hitting 750 for Celebrity, giving them a total of 3801. Rosemary had a pathetic 85 for YM at the end, sending them to the loss at 2570. Celebrity's revenge win puts them in the semifinals against the winner of the next series.

A heavily favored Reality side welcomes Forest SC in what's expected to be the most brutal quarterfinal. Jake smacked 487 on the first turn for Forest SC, a respectable opener for the visitors. Patches answered with 434 for Reality, her strong pace fading later in the turn. Nikolai lacked pace for Forest SC, ending at 404 after a crawling turn. Spice connected for 740 to pull Reality noticeably ahead after two turns. Wings stumbled at just 177 for Forest SC, unable to cover his side's newfound deficit. Dusty replied with 582 with Reality, a firm attack to build strength in their lead. Dustin responded with 434 for Forest SC, attempting to keep his side within striking distance. Puff II lashed 840 for Reality, continuing to extend their lead at the halfway point. Bandit made a deep gash in the deficit with 713 for Forest SC, but they are still behind. Boots erased that damage with her own 740 for Reality to maintain their large lead. Jack had a middling 256 for Forest SC on his turn, not helping their comeback chances much. Starlight belted 900 for Reality, showing no mercy as the Group B winners are running away with this game. Roxy couldn't stop a ball with her backhand attempt, ending at only 272 as Forest SC crumbles under pressure. Reality continued to tee off for batting practice as Twinkie I picked up another 792. Graham ended with 441, sealing Forest SC's definitive loss at 3184. Stinky tapped 285 for Reality, icing their competition-record winning score at 5313. Reality takes on the #8 seed Celebrity after their previous upset victory.

The last quarterfinal sees Prime take on the only remaining coalition squad, CELYM. Gal initially lacked energy on her swings for CELYM, but she ended at 633 to open the scoring quite well. Acorn answered with 724 for Prime, a fantastic response to put them narrowly ahead. Peach didn't follow up all that well with only 313 for CELYM. Snuggle answered with 723 for Prime, essentially doubling their offense. Taylor M. had only 176, her inexperience showing against the veteran club as CELYM falls far behind. Sweetheart showed no mercy with 544 for Prime, keeping the top-seeded side comfortably ahead. Luigi made a positive contribution of 539 for CELYM, but they've got a steep climb to make if they want a comeback. Strut ripped 696 on an energized turn for Prime, who continue to dominate the game. Solaris grabbed 475 for CELYM, a decent turn from the third-year player. Oreo's pace crashed late in her turn, but she still had 714 to keep Prime building their lead. Wario was slow to react to a ball that got under his bat, ultimately costing him the turn at 659. Delila eased her way to 606 for Prime, maintaining the lead for another turn. Rosalina hurt CELYM's comeback odds by managing only 300 on her turn. Goatee covered that with 319 for Prime, as both teams slow down toward the end of the game. Waluigi bailed at 115 for CELYM, leaving them with a hard loss at 3210. Easter took 291 for Prime, capping their win at 4617. Prime hosts Humanity Senior 1 in the semifinals.

Tomorrow, we will put an end to the Club Cricket Challenge with both semifinal games likely in the morning followed by the final in the afternoon.