Season Finale: Captain’s XI Triumphs, York Signs Off

- A fitting finish, a season’s story, and a look ahead to what’s next for York Cricket Club.

York wrapped up the 2025 season with its traditional intra-club clash, played under special rules — two innings of 20 overs each, reversed batting orders, 25-ball retirements, and a special “six runs for a wide” twist. The wides tweak was introduced just for this game, after a season where bowlers had been all too generous with extras — a light-hearted way to keep things in check and add to the fun.

Scorecard here: https://cricclubs.com/YorkCricketClubYCC/viewScorecard.do?matchId=1004&clubId=1001384

President’s XI (captained by Sri Krishnan) batted first and worked their way to 129/6. Venkat Sivaprakash (21 off 21) and Rafi Mohamed (16 off 13) were the main contributors, but they were undone by sharp spells from Karuna Haran (3/15) and Echi Fernando (2/16) for the opposition.

Captain’s XI (led by Sathishraj Mohanraj) then stamped their authority in the second innings with a powerful 235/5. Musa Ali cracked a lively 34 off 17 and Raj Nallasivampillai added a steady 26, while Sri Krishnan chipped in with a couple of wickets to slow things briefly.

With the lead secured, the Captain’s XI chose to bat again in the third innings, adding a further 213/8. The highlight of that innings came from Harry Shivs, who top-scored with a blistering 46 off just 26 balls, underlining why his side ran away with the contest.

That left the Presidents facing a daunting target of 320 in the final innings. They showed some resistance through skipper Sri Krishnan (17 off 22) and Pratha Sawant (25 off 25), but the chase never quite got going. The bowlers struck at regular intervals — Shawn Rankothgedra (3 wickets), Stephen Williams (2/24), and Karthik Nalubolu (2 wickets) made sure of that — and the Presidents eventually closed at 194/8, giving Sathishraj’s Captain’s XI victory by 126 runs.

The format gave everyone a chance to bat and bowl, the retirements and reversed orders kept things balanced, and that quirky six-run wide kept everyone on their toes. In the end, it was a fitting finale — competitive, entertaining, and full of laughs — the perfect way for York to draw the curtain on the 2025 season.

Pic & Vid Courtesy: Roy, Satish, Baasha, Anuradha, Shawn

Season in a Nutshell – League 2025

Before we zoom in on York’s numbers, here’s a look at the league-wide madness of 2025 — because every team contributed to the theatre this summer.

• Across 32 matches, a colossal 11,815 runs were scored — plenty of leather sent sailing into the trees and beyond.

• Fans were treated to 757 fours and an eye-popping 288 sixes. Rope-clearers ruled, and the crowd’s necks got plenty of workout.

• Bowlers weren’t left behind — 490 wickets fell, and yes, bowlers even managed to sneak in 96 maidens — miracles do happen in friendly cricket!

• With 41 fifties and 6 centuries, batsmen had their say. Top billing went to YCC’s own Kishore Kanna Ramalingam with the *highest score of the season — 139 runs.

• Best bowling figures of the season? Again a York man: Shawn Rankothgedra’s 6/23.

• In the field, the league totalled 221 catches and 29 run outs, making sure not every ball disappeared into the long grass.

• And then there were the 1,830 wides — enough to inspire the quirky “6 runs for a wide” twist in York’s intra-club finale.

Team extremes?

• Highest team total: 350 vs Ramblers CC.

• Lowest team total: 91 vs Lumberjacks CC.

In short, 2025 across the league had everything — skyscraper sixes, golden ducks, magic spells, and marathon wides. York featured heavily in those highlight reels, and now… it’s time to break down YCC’s very own numbers.

York by the Numbers – 2025

Batting Heroes

• Run machine: Harry Shivs 1,041 runs — the first YCC player to break the 1,000-run barrier, with 2 tons, 5 fifties, 76 fours and 65 sixes.

• Pure class: Kishore Kanna Ramalingam, 458 runs at 65.43, including the season’s top score of 139.

• Steady hands: Sathishraj Mohanraj 383 runs; Dominic Dumenil’s stylish 80; Rajit Kadirgamar’s twin fifties; Pratha Sawant’s 16 sixes.

• Unsung glue: Venkat Sivaprakash — crucial knocks that quietly held innings together.

Harry with his milestone of reaching 1000 runs this season

Bowling Enforcers

• Wicket-takers: Echi Fernando 35, Rafi Mohamed 34, Shawn Rankothgedra 29.

• Dot-ball kings: Echi 632, Rafi 548, Shawn 364.

• Control artists: Rafi 4.56 economy; Tibish Mathew 15.20 average; Lahiru Wijesinghe 17.42 average; Venkat 6.57 economy; Karthik Nalubolu 7.09 economy.

• Best spell: Shawn’s 6/23 — the standout haul of the year.

Fielding Standouts

• Safe hands: Harry Shivs 12 catches; Venkat 10; Tibish and Lahiru 7 apiece.

• Behind the stumps: Raj Nallasivampillai 10 dismissals; Sathishraj 9; Harry 9; Dominic 6.

• All-round impact: Harry led the way with 21 total dismissals, Venkat close with 14, Raj with 11.

Quickfire Leaderboard

• Most Runs: Harry 1,041 • Kishore 458 • Sathishraj 383

• Highest Score: Kishore 139 • Harry 102 • Dominic 80

• Most Wickets: Echi 35 • Rafi 34 • Shawn 29

• Best Bowling Figures: Shawn 6/23 • Tibish 4/57 • Echi 4/42

• Most Sixes: Harry 65 • Pratha 16 • Kishore 16

• Most Fours: Harry 76 • Kishore 43 • Sathishraj 42

• Most Catches: Harry 12 • Venkat 10 • Tibish/Lahiru 7

• WK Dismissals: Raj 10 • Sathishraj 9 • Harry 9

From the Desk

The numbers told one story, but York’s heartbeat came from the efforts that don’t always show up on a leaderboard. Beyond the big runs and headline hauls, there were players whose contributions stitched this season together.

Sri played those gritty, under-pressure knocks that steadied the ship, while Thaya reeled off tight spells that dried up runs and frustrated batsmen. Anuradha chipped in with fearless hitting that shifted momentum in key games, and Rohan shouldered one of the toughest gigs — leading the attack with miserly averages while also proving his mettle with the bat when needed. Chris Cooke brought control with the ball in hand, showing just how valuable steady overs are in long afternoons, and Ian Joseph chipped in with his spells too, keeping the attack fresh. Special mentions also go to Atulan, Baasha, Charan, and Syed Abdullah — names that may not always feature in the charts, but whose commitment and presence week after week gave this squad its spine.

That’s been the beauty of putting these blogs together each week. The warm reception you’ve given them has been overwhelming. Truth be told, I wasn’t even physically present at most of the games this year — so all credit to the captain, vice-captain, stand-in skippers, stand-in deputies, and our mighty YCC volunteers who funneled scorecards, tidbits, and teasers my way. We fact-check what we can, but at the end of the day it’s less about the commas and more about capturing York’s soul.

Sure, AI helps polish the paragraphs, but make no mistake — there’s plenty of heart, sweat, and maybe a few samosa crumbs baked into every post. I know I’ve missed plenty: players whose names slipped through, little fielding efforts that never show up in a scorecard, or the bloke who bowled his full quota of 8 tidy overs and only got a “0/40” to show for it. For those misses, my apologies.

And to our new players: welcome again. You’ve not just joined a club — you’ve joined a culture. YCC is more than cricket on a Saturday or Sunday. It’s the tea breaks where sliders and idlis share the same plate, the boundary banter that goes on longer than the overs, and the post-match debriefs that sometimes last longer than the match itself.

So to all our new mates — strap in. You might come for the cricket, but you’ll stay for the laughs, the lifelong friendships, and yes, maybe the occasional trip to Goose when someone insists they’re “just popping in for one.”

York signs off 2025 with 17 wins and 13 losses — another winning season in the books, built on the efforts of every player, scorer, supporter, and volunteer who waved the green-and-red forward. Whether it’s nets in the winter, a tour abroad, or right back on the field next summer, we’ll be there — together.

And if the wides don’t get us, the samosas at tea surely will.

And before I wrap this up — a quick note. On October 3rd, York hosts its End of Season Social for members, families, and friends. To everyone heading there tonight: have a wonderful time. Celebrate the wins, laugh off the losses, and enjoy the company that makes this club more than just cricket. It will be a blast.

That’s stumps on 2025! Cheers...