The Lyceum Alpinum Cricket Tour to Goa, India

A culture shock, a climate shock, an inspirational charity and a new international record for the Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz Cricket Team!

With previous successful cricket tours already completed to Dubai, Hong Kong, England, South Africa and Barbados, given the estimated 250 million cricket players, not to mention millions more fanatical supporters, the next obvious tour destination for the Lyceum had to be India. But in such a huge country, where would we go? With its coconut palm fringed beaches, 5 star hotels and exotic reputation, Goa was quickly chosen as the students' favourite. Goa is India's smallest state and, due to centuries of Portuguese rule, it is surprisingly soccer not cricket that is the number one sport. Even so, we were sure that our four planned games would prove to be a tough challenge in more ways than one!

Training with some of India's future superstars

No amount of training or practice can fully prepare you for sport played at 32^◦C and close to 100% humidity, let alone a sport like cricket with games lasting 4 hours or more! All of our games were due to be played at the Panaji Gymkhana in Goa’s capital city Panjim, and one obvious sign of the hardships yet to come greeted us as we entered our changing rooms. Over 50 litres of bottled water had been provided for us, enough for more than 4 litres per person. Was this our supply for all 4 matches? No, this was just for 1 day! By the end of our first match, an uneventful defeat by 110 runs against a strong team from the Bade Sports Club, all 50 litres had been consumed and, saturated in our own sweat, we felt like we had spent the day in a sauna.

Six days into our tour we played our second game and mercifully we felt we were starting to acclimatise. Unfortunately, our team was weakened as opening batsman Nic Hahn was out injured with a badly twisted ankle. Thanks to some economical and aggressive bowling from the Gamesmaster, ably supported by Max Welte, we were able to limit our opposition, Bhatle Sports Club, to only 120 runs from their 25 overs. An excellent 46 runs from Mr Harding, plus valuable contributions from Dr Schmitt and Pascal Hegglin helped us reach our target on the very last ball of the game – an exciting way to win our first game in India!

 Despite now feeling we could cope with the heat and humidity, our third game against an adult team from the Century Cricket Club was disappointing with the bat as we only scored 94 runs from our 25 overs. We knew this would never be a defendable total, but even so, our bowlers fought hard with Jessica Rees and Alessandro Welte each taking their first pair of wickets on tour, whilst Katharina Kuenburg, Alessandro Braglia and Vincent Albrecht showed great determination and resilience in the field. The game may have been lost, however our team had upheld the best traditions of the Spirit of Zuoz.

 Game 4 was played just a few days before our return home and everyone was feeling confident and relaxed. Our opponents, Khandola Youth, batted first and thanks to excellent bowling from Nuri Sherpa, Max Welte and Marco Berchtold wickets fell fast. With Cheers of “Ale, Ale!” young Alessandro Welte produced one of the highlights of the tour taking 4 wickets for just 13 runs and Khandola were all out for only 90. At the lunch interval the excitement grew as we realised we had the chance of winning two games on tour which would set a new overseas record for the Lyceum. Wicket keeper Leon Frick and Benedict Lucas showed great determination with the bat, but ultimately it was Mr Harding (37*) and Old Boy/team trainer/entertainer Phillip Bächstädt (23 runs) who sealed the historic victory with 4 overs still to play. Even our normally quiet and shy scorer Maria Onipchenko joined in the celebrations. Played 4, Won 2, Lost 2 and a wonderful way to finish our final match.

Of course, sports tours are not only about sport. We had enjoyed the camaraderie and friendship of our fellow team-mates, we had relished the delights of the swim-up pool bar at our five star hotel, we had laughed and joked and made fools of ourselves, we had ridden and washed elephants, we had dipped our naan breads into an amazing array of spicy and flavourful curries, we had watched dolphins and haggled at market stalls that smelt amazing and diabolical at the same time. But probably most of all we had been humbled and affected by the poverty and hardship that surrounded us. Encouraged by these emotions, in our final few days we visited the Children Walking Tall charity which helps street and slum children across Goa. A truly wonderful organisation that emphasises education and attending school, it then rewards children and their families when they do. Thanks to the enormous generosity of the Lyceum staff and students we were able to donate a suitcase full of clothes, toys, stationary, basic medicines and toiletries. A fitting end to an amazing and inspirational tour to India!

- Mr Jones

Hollings Weekend

The last cricket matches of our school year have now been played, with a competitive weekend against our regular visitors, the Hollings XI. There is considerable tradition behind this weekend, with one of our guests having attended since as far back as 1971!

After the action packed atmosphere of the International Festival, our closing cricket weekend is of a more relaxed pace however the cricket was as competitive as always. The Saturday fixture, as is tradition, was a chance for both teams to field their strongest side and compete for the Hollings Plate in a 30 over match. On Sunday, the opportunity was given to our newer cricketers to test their skills in a competitive match setting.

With the Lyceum losing a rare toss, we were put in to bat on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately Pascal was dismissed the very first ball of the match by an unexpectedly fast yorker, immediately putting us under pressure. After a cautious first over, the brakes were removed and the Lyceum team raced to 100 inside 10 overs! The fantastic new Pitch 1, along with the lightning fast outfield allowed for free stroke making and this combined with good running between the wickets led to some fast scoring. As wickets started to fall the scoring dried up somewhat, but with 10 overs still to go Mr Harding chalked up his first Century and the first for the Lyceum team for over 10 years! He fell shortly after for a total of 101. With a total of over 200 still a real possibility our batters fought hard and with some hard hitting from Mr Jones the scoring continued with the Lyceum team finishing on an impressive 190/7 from the 30 overs. Certainly a good total and one that we would have taken at the start of the day.

Mr Jones smashes a six straight down the ground

Given the excellent batting conditions we knew we would have to bowl well to contain the batsmen and we got off to an excellent start, slowing the run rate and steadily picking up wickets. The match was evenly balanced throughout, and every time Hollings looked to be getting ahead a vital wicket was taken to reign in the run rate. In the end however, the experience of the Hollings batsmen came through and the total was overhauled with 2 overs to spare and the Lyceum team were left to rue a number of costly fielding errors.

On the Sunday both teams fielded very different line ups, with only 2 of the Lyceum team returning from Saturday. This time the Hollings team would bat first in a 20 over encounter. Many of our young Lyceum bowlers were given an opportunity to bowl and as always seems to be the case, they impressed, showed a lot of improvement already, and certainly plenty of potential for the future. It was also great to see the emergence of a new wicketkeeper with Jacob performing admirably in his first game behind the stumps. Unfortunately in the last few overs two vastly experienced Hollings batsmen really took on the attack and pushed the total up to an impressive 159/5 from 20 overs.

The Lyceum team however were not to be overwhelmed by such a large total and came out fighting. With Jacob racing to 26, and being joined by Nuri who batted superbly to reach an incredible 82 not out! Just a few weeks ago it would have been hard to envisage what we saw but our batters have come a long way and the somewhat gentler bowling attack gave our team the chance to be aggressive and really take on the opposition. With 70 runs scored from the first 10 overs it was going to take something special to reach the target of 160, but the Lyceum team never gave up and were in it right until the last ball. With 6 runs needed from the final ball it proved just too much and the Lyceum team finished just 4 runs short in the end.

All things considered it was another positive weekend of cricket and a good way to finish the school year. A number of individual milestones were reached and there are many positives we can take with us over the summer holidays. Certainly we are all already looking forward to getting back out on the cricket pitch and taking on the Old Boys at the summer games in September!

Cricket Housematches

Today the Final of our Cricket Housematches was held with Teutonia eventually running out winners. Batting first, Helvetia put on a demanding 94/6 from their 15 overs with contributions of 30 from Pascal, 14 from Paul and 12 from Janis. It was a good total, the highest of the Housematch series so far however Teutonia came out strong with their batting and in the end raced to the total without losing a wicket! Nick scored an impressive 30 not out, with Carl scoring 19 before retiring with the total in sight.

The competitiveness of the competition was fantastic, with both sides keen to get their hands on the almost 90 year old trophy. The winning side is pictured below:

International Cricket Festival

It was another memorable weekend of cricket in Zuoz. Despite the treacherous conditions, the spirit and desire to play cricket was fantastic and the players made the most of the opportunity during Saturday before moving to the warmth and security of Dorta for the evening entertainment. Fortunately, on Sunday morning we were greeted by a stunning crisp Engadin morning and the excited players got underway bright and early!

Photo: Benjamin Hofer

For the Lyceum team it was a successful weekend with two wins and a loss from our three matches, eventually ending up in 5th position. In our opening game we came up against Idle CC from Lodi who inflicted a fairly heavy defeat on us due to a batting collapse in the damp conditions of Saturday. The Lodi team however went on to win the tournament and end undefeated.

Photo: Benjamin Hofer

On Saturday afternoon we began our match against the Humidor XI - the 2nd team from Tegernsee. In increasingly damp conditions we bravely battled our way through the bowling innings and witnessed a stunning hundred by the opposition's opener and one of the best diving catches you'll ever see ;). Unfortunately the weather eventually became too much and the match was stopped after the first innings with the Humidor XI reaching 143 from their 20 overs. Upon resuming the following day, the Lyceum team got off to a cracking start thanks to the alert and attacking batting of Dr. Schmitt and Carl. When Carl lost his wicket our Cricket Assistant joined the Dr. at the crease and they set about chasing down this imposing total. With a mixture of aggressive flair and quick singles they raced away and reached the 100 in the 11th over at a rate of around 10 runs per over. Eventually the total was reached in only the 15th over and an unbroken 100 run partnership was achieved with Dr. Schmitt finishing 55 not out and Mr Harding on 44 not out.

There were a number of close matches still in their final stages and it was uncertain who the Lyceum team would face in our final match. With 2 runs needed off the last ball and only 1 wicket in hand, some risky running and an overthrow gave Campbell's XI the right to face off against the Lyceum team in a battle for 5th place. This time the Lyceum would bat first and unfortunately lost their openers early so it was left to Mr Harding and our guest Anderson to build a total. Our Cricket Assistant raced to 67 with a number of lofty blows before falling LBW towards the end of the innings. It would perhaps not be accurate to describe it as an innings of subtlety and variation (the ball seemed to always end up over the fence at 'Cow Corner') but it was nevertheless effective and set the platform

Photo: Benjamin Hofer

for a total of 133 from 20 overs. In defending the total, the Lyceum team was well served by it's young bowlers with Kevin in particular impressing with a spell of bowling that was fast and accurate, containing the batsmen and putting them quickly below the required run rate. This tight bowling and fielding was kept up throughout the innings and the batsmen were strangled, unable to score fast enough and eventually falling short of the target.

Focus then shifted to the Grand Final between Basel CC and Idle CC on pitch number one. Due to the earlier weather this was the only one of the matches that went the full 30 overs. Batting first the Basel team scored 150 which is perhaps 30 runs short of what they would have liked given the favourable batting conditions and 30 over innings. In reply there were a number of momentum shifts and the outcome was never certain until a 6 was lofted over square leg to secure victory for the Idle CC with less than 2 overs to spare.

Once again the weather has proved to be a major influence in a cricket event here in Zuoz, but I'm certain all the players went home happy and it was great to be able to finish on a positive note with a superb day's play on Sunday. For the Lyceum team there were some great individual performances and it was fantastic to see the team working together and fighting for two great victories!

Photo: Benjamin Hofer

Junior Cricket Festival

After weeks of blue sky and warm temperatures the sight of fresh snow falling on the eve of the tournament was an unusual and perhaps disconcerting welcome for the visiting players and certainly a worrying sight for the Lyceum staff who were attempting to prepare the playing fields for a jam packed weekend schedule. In the end the weather was kind to us and the snow eased off to allow an early start on Saturday morning. Preparations began at 07.00 and with the boundaries marked out and pitches rolled the preparations were completed for what would become a fantastic celebration of junior cricket. Thirteen teams participated in this year's event over three age groups: Under 11s, 13s & 15s. It was fantastic that for the first time ever the Lyceum team was able to field a full age appropriate team. We also had a weekend of firsts, with the first Russian, Bulgarian and Nepalese participants in the Lyceum team!

For the Saturday morning games there was still a lot of moisture around and this created testing conditions for all the players. Bowlers having to handle a wet and slippery ball and batsmen struggling with the extra pace due to the ball skidding off the wet surface. These subtle variations are just part of what makes cricket such an intriguing game. For the young Lyceum team we started off against the eventual winners of the competition - College du Leman CC - and they provided a stiff challenge for our cricketers. They bowled with pace and accuracy and their experience showed as they came out as comfortable winners. The experience our players gained from this game would however prove to be vital in our later games.

In the afternoon matches, the Lyceum came up against Geneva CC. Choosing to bowl first after winning another toss, the Lyceum players bowled with much more discipline and together with some good fielding we were able to restrict the Geneva team to 78 from their 18 overs. We batted purposefully, and with some aggressive running between the wickets and time spent at the crease we steadily accumulated runs and with a big finish took 14 runs from the 14th over to secure victory with plenty of balls to spare. The communication between the batsmen and shot selection was great which was really pleasing to see as it was something we had spoken about at length after the first game. While our batsmen worked together very well in partnership and all made valuable contributions, mention must be made of David who opened the batting and carried his bat to a fantastic 20 not out in only his second weekend of cricket.

After a well earned rest the players and their families returned early on Sunday in absolutely impeccable conditions. Discussion often turned to the spectacular surroundings and everyone was delighted to simply be able to spend the weekend playing cricket in such a unique and beautiful environment.

With the attention turning back to the cricket, the Lyceum team took on the experienced Zurich Crickets CC in the first game of the morning. Bowling first proved a challenge and again troubles with a slippery ball and attacking pressure from the batsmen led to too many 'wides' being conceded and Zurich built an imposing total. In reply, the Lyceum team seemed somewhat overwhelmed by the speed and aggression of the Zurich bowlers and struggled to really assert themselves, eventually being bowled out well short of the target. However it must be said, that spending time facing such bowling in match conditions is a fantastic opportunity and one that was incredibly beneficial to our team.

The Lyceum team at the presentation ceremony

As the younger grades were finishing up and some of teams were preparing for the long journey home the final games in the under 15 competition were being contested. The Lyceum came up against a Munich side sitting just ahead of them on the table, a win for either team would secure third place in the competition so there was a lot to play for. The Lyceum team chose to attack with the ball first and the Munich batsmen pushed their way a very competitive total of 93. Requiring a touch over 5 runs per over in the final match provided the perfect challenge for our young team, a good total but not one that was out of reach. Again we started solidly with our new opening partnership of David and Alessandro. The defence was staunch when it needed to be and bad balls were taken for runs. The bowling was tight and very few 'wides' were given away, making the Lyceum team work hard for every run. Throughout the innings a run rate of approximately 5 runs an over was maintained setting up what was sure to be a thrilling finale. David once again batted well and thanks to a couple of boundaries raced to 26 not out and therefore a compulsory retirement (in this tournament batsmen must retire once they score 25). With the pressure mounting a run every ball was required and some risky running ensued with the Lyceum team finishing an agonising 4 runs short, a thrilling end to the weekend. It would have been great to win the last game and claim 3rd place, but it was clear that the players had enjoyed the weekend and had obviously learnt a massive amount from the competitive and closely fought matches.

Overall the weekend was a huge success and despite the worry inducing weather on Friday night, Zuoz once again turned on spectacular conditions and the weekend was enjoyed by the thirteen teams and over one hundred young players, their supporters and their families. The feedback from the teams was overwhelmingly positive and this really is a unique and fantastic event in European Junior Cricket! 

The winning U15 Team - College du Leman CC

Basel Cricket Tour

After leaving a rainy and cold Zuoz on Friday night it was a pleasure to wake up Saturday morning in Basel to blue skies and a warm 23 degrees. The conditions were perfect for our quickly developing team to make the most of this opportunity and experience what cricket has to offer. Ours was a young team, with six debutantes amongst our 12 man squad! Therefore it was vital that our opponents were on the same page as us, focusing on the spirit of cricket and the camaraderie that this entails. I can repeat what was said many times throughout the weekend, and that is that the hospitality, generosity, and friendliness of the Basel team was absolutely outstanding and played a huge part in our enjoyment of the weekend.

Photo Credit: Janis

Two games were completed, the first on Saturday was a 40 over match. A relatively long match for our inexperienced side, but one that would allow our batsmen to take their time and practice the patience we had talked about during training. It also gave ample opportunity for all of our players to spend time at the crease, an experience that is difficult if not impossible to replicate during structured training sessions. We got off to a good start despite the loss of an early wicket. Our new captain, Carl, helped lay the foundation of our innings with Janis in a valuable early partnership. When Janis fell, our Cricket Assistant joined Carl at the crease and they set about building a defendable total. A number of boundaries were scored and the partnership was looking fairly solid until Carl was dismissed thanks to an excellent one handed diving catch in the covers. This brought Max to the crease, the 'last ball' hero of our previous tour to Italy at the end of 2010. His staunch defence in the face of some good attacking bowling was impressive and his innings of over 50 balls continued before he was finally run out. Prior to this however, with a 50 in sight, our Cricket Assistant called for a tight single and with a small hesitation mid-pitch was run out with a direct hit for 48. With this it was left to our debutantes to continue to build the innings which they did with admirable courage. It is not an easy feat to walk out and face up to a hard ball being hurled at high speed directly at you, and then to stand firmly in its path to protect your wicket. All our batsmen showed real determination and a desire to score runs which was great to see. With their help our total increased to a very respectable 151 from 40 overs.
 

Photo Credit: Janis

In reply, the Basel side got off to a steady start and their experience really showed as they batted with composure to chase down the total with slightly more than 10 overs remaining. However it was great to see our bowlers working hard and there are a lot of promising newcomers who I expect to see improving rapidly and becoming real threats in the upcoming matches. In particular Alessandro and Nuri impressed with their economical bowling, and along with Benedikt, they picked up their first wickets for the Lyceum team.

The Basel team joined us for dinner on Saturday evening and the suggestion was made that for the Sunday match that we mix the teams. This was a great opportunity for our players to play alongside some very experienced and keen cricketers. After some discussion on Sunday morning, teams were sorted and the game got underway. This time a shorter 20 over match. The team batting first lost a number of early wickets and was quickly put under pressure by some tight bowling however a composed innings from one of the Basel players helped boost the total to 88 all out from 19.5 overs. Again it was great to see our new players benefiting with Caspar notching up an achievement in all three disciplines by taking his first wicket, scoring his first runs, and taking a catch for the Lyceum team! 

Chasing the moderate total of 88 would prove challenging for the side batting second, especially after the loss of early wickets. But it was the bowling of Alessandro, Nuri and Max that really put the pressure on. All bowled with consistency and picked up valuable wickets to restrict the batting side. With overs running out and wickets starting to fall the pressure continued to build and thanks to a great team effort, with fielders backing up their bowlers and taking those all important catches, the batting side was eventually dismissed for 72 runs.

Photo Credit: Janis

After some initial hesitation, mixing the teams proved a great success and allowed our players to experience a competitive and closely matched game of cricket. They also benefited from playing alongside some much more experienced cricketers who were more than happy to pass on some words of wisdom when required. I'm sure the Basel players enjoyed playing with our young team and a number of them expressed how impressed they were with the infectious enthusiasm of the Lyceum players.

So in summary, it was a great weekend for cricket and one thing is certain, every one of our players left Basel a better cricketer than when they arrived. The difference was clear, even from the first game to the second. No amount of training can replace time spent playing a real game of cricket and it was great to see our team making the most of this opportunity. The reality is that we have a young squad of cricketers who are new to the game, however the potential is clear to see and I am sure that the team will continue to develop and can become very strong in the years to come.

Finally I would like to once again pay tribute to our wonderful hosts in Basel. Thank you for your hospitality and we look forward to seeing many of you later this year at the International Cricket Festival here in Zuoz.

Photo Credit: Janis

Tour to Basel & World Cup Cricket

Our next tour date is coming up fast and we will now be heading to Basel on the weekend of April 29th - May 1st!

To keep us busy in the meantime we have the pleasure of watching the final stages of the Cricket World Cup in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It's already been an amazing tournament full of unpredictability and excitement as exemplified by the stunning comeback win for New Zealand over South Africa in the quarter finals. Lets hope that the excitement can continue and maybe even the Kiwis can take their form through to a first time World Cup victory! Highlights of the semi finals and final will be available in Grosshaus.

SEMI FINAL 1: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka

29.03.11 - Colombo -  09:00 GMT

SEMI FINAL 2: India vs Pakistan

30.03.11 - Mohali - 09:00 GMT

GRAND FINAL: Teams TBD

02.04.11 - Mumbai - 09:00 GMT

And to finish here is a short video I recently stumbled upon on youtube. I think it does a good job showing the skill, determination, desire, excitement, and passion involved in our great game of cricket: