Elmore Hutchinson closed the game out with three towering sixes in a row to help SoCal Lashings win against San Diego Surf Riders with a ball to spare © Getty
Day 1

ATLANTIC CONFERENCE

Empire State Titans vs Ft. Lauderdale Lions

The Titans opened their account with an easy away victory against the Lions playing at the Broward County Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Trevon Griffith, the Guyanese southpaw, led the Titans' batting effort with a swashbuckling 85 off 56 balls with 5 towering sixes. The Titans posted 160 in their 20 overs. In turn, the Lions were skittled for 77. Left arm pacer Trinsan Carmichael broke the back of Lions' run chase snaring 3 top order wickets while Jamaican leg spinner Damion Jacobs bowled a miserly spell giving away only 8 runs in his 4 overs coming in to clean up the tail.

DC Hawks vs Florida Beamers

The Hawks ran over the listless Beamers by a whopping 65 runs thanks to twin fifties by the former Punjab duo of Sunny Sohal and Ravi Inder Singh. Singh arrived with purpose after Hawks were restrained in the Powerplay. The left-handed Singh took a special liking for Zishawn Quereshi's left arm spin smashing 3 back-to-back sixes and finishing with a brazen 80 off 45 balls in an innings total of 185. In reply Beamers capitulated for 120 in their 20 overs with none of the batsmen seeming totally comfortable against the spin trio of Dane Piedt, Abdul Jabbar and Sarabjit Ladda who claimed 6 off Beamers 9 wickets.

The Philadelphians vs Morrisville Cardinals

The Cardinals made light work of a competitive target of 167. Cardinals' skipper and USA batsman Jaskaran Malhotra thundered his way to 79 off 42 balls, a knock which included 5 maximums and 8 fours. The cardinals rampaged their way to 78 for none in the powerplay. The Philadelphians tried playing catch up cricket from then on but the Cardinals cantered home in 18 overs. Former Windies batsman Jonathan Carter announced himself in the minor league with an unbeaten 62 off 39 deliveries top scoring for the Philadelphians.

Somerset Cavaliers vs Atlanta Fire

A power packed Cavaliers went down to Atlanta Fire by 4 wickets failing to hang onto their total of 187. Former West indies batsman Ricardo Powell (55 off 27), who made a surprise comeback to cricket, and USA batsman Aaron Jones (46 off 36) played pivotal roles in Fire's pursuit of a tall chase. Powell turned the clock back and gave a glimpse of his youth with six lusty blows out of the park. Burly right hander Kennar Lewis celebrated his CPL return for Jamaica Tallawahs with a flying 59 off 31 balls for the Philadelphians.

DC Hawks vs New England Eagles

Former Gujarat Lions leg spinner Sarabjit Ladda's masterful five-wicket haul couldn't prevent the Eagles from registering their first victory of the season. Batting first the Eagles were contained to a score of 146 mainly thanks to Ladda. Former Windies batsman Assad Fudadin and USA batsman Akshay Homraj provided occasional sparks with some powerful blows over the boundary to an otherwise dreary innings. The Hawks never got the run chase going, losing wickets at regular intervals of time as Eagles' spinners Emmanuel Seecharan, Bruce Blackwood and Nikhil Reddy spun a web around the Hawks' batsmen, eventually giving the Eagles' a comfortable 33 run victory.

Manhattan Yorkers vs Orlando Galaxy

Yorkers trounced the Galaxy in a heavily lop-sided encounter by a mammoth 118 runs. Former India U-19 'keeper Smit Patel blazed away to a strokeful unbeaten 99 with 15 fours and a solitary six. Gauranshu Sharma chipped in with an explosive 45 off 29 balls in the later part of the innings. An inexperienced Galaxy side proved to be a no match with the bat either as they trudged their way to 69 for 9 in their 20 overs. Sharma returned with the ball claiming two wickets completing a fine all-round performance.

New Jersey Stallions vs Morrisville Cardinals

Dominque Rikhi and Jon Ross Campbell batting exploits helped the Stallions pip the Cardinals by 20 runs. Stallions had wickets falling all over Rikhi in the first half of the innings, but Rikhi refused to take the foot off the gas. He scored 46 off 25 with 5 fours and 3 sixes. Campbell came in at 6 with Stallions reeling at 96 for 5 at one stage. Campbell threw caution to the winds in some style and ended up notching 65 off 39 including 7 hits over the line. The Cardinals got off to a flyer thanks to Jaskaran Malhotra and Kunal Sehgal but couldn't sustain the onslaught. Stallions kept chipping away at the wickets although Rohan Phadke's late strikes created some artificial excitement. Stephen Wiig was the pick of the bowlers with 4 wickets.

PACIFIC CONFERENCE

Michigan Cricket Stars vs Chicago Catchers

The Stars handed a drubbing to the Catchers, defeating them by 75 runs. Ryan Scott led the Stars' charge with 43 off 17 balls drilling 4 sixes and 2 fours in the power play. Nikhil Kanchan stewarded the innings with a mature 62 off 40 balls helping the Stars post 195. The Catchers laboured their way to 120 off 20 overs, never threatening to mount the chase set by the Stars. Mathew Forde, who played a handy lower order cameo, continued to be useful with the ball as he finished with 2 wickets and going for 19 in his 3.

Chicago Blasters vs St Louis Americans

Blasters prevailed over the Americans in a narrow encounter, winning by 9 runs. With 14 needed off the final over, Americans' batsman Unnikrishnan (33 off 19) almost pulled off an improbable win after plundering 16 off the penultimate over. Luke Schofield's half century effort went in vain as the rest of the batsman failed to provide substantial support. Earlier in the game Blasters' dashing opener Shaheer Hassan pummeled 73 off 47 balls to take the innings score to 155. The game also marked the return of former Rajasthan Royals bowler Siddharth Trivedi to representational cricket.

Austin Athletics vs Houston Hurricanes

The Hurricanes pulled off a daylight heist chasing 176. Needing 10 off 2 balls and the odds stacked against them, Ali Bangash bowled a no ball that was clubbed for six by Usman Rafiq who held his nerve to take 3 off the next 2 to clinch a cliffhanger. Rafiq (33 off 22) stitched a 70-run stand with Willem Ludick (53 off 24) after the Hurricanes were down and out at 95 for 6. TKR pace bowler Ali Khan was the pick of the bowlers for the Hurricanes grabbing 3 wickets at less than run a ball while Awais Zia and William Perkins put on a sensational hundred stand to catapult Athletics to 175.

Seattle Thunderbolts vs East Bay Blazers

Perhaps the most lacklustre encounter of the day. The thunderbolts looked resigned to their fate from ball one, ending the innings at a painful 75 for 9. Former South Africa and current USA pacer Rusty Theron and Nawaz Khan picked up 3 wickets each. The Blazers broke little sweat in pursuit of the paltry total and got home in the 14th over.

Chicago Catchers vs Michigan Cricket Stars

The Stars humbled the Catchers by 7 wickets and over 5 overs to spare after the latter crumbled for 109. Karan Kumar was the only Catchers batsman who looked fluent at the crease and caressed his way to 38 off 23 balls. Seamers Harish Yelamanchali and Zia Khan bowled immaculate lines to make the batsmen struggle and got rewarded with three and two wickets respectively. The Stars' Nikhil Kanchan continued to make his day better remaining unbeaten on 35 after an outstanding 62 run knock earlier in the day.

St Louis Americans vs Chicago Blasters

Left arm spinner Paras Mawaha starred in the Americans' stunning jailbreak after crawling to 133 in their 20 overs. Marwaha's spell of 4 overs 9 for 1 was instrumental in securing an 18-run victory over the Blasters. Coming in at number 7 Mohit Patel top scored with 38 for the Blasters as the rest of the batting failed to cope with the relentless pressure exerted by the Americans' bowlers. The Americans found the going tough with the bat too and never looked in control of the proceedings. Former USA U19 captain Joshua Kind impressed with a mature 43.

Irving Mustangs vs Austin Athletics

Austin Athletics edged past the fancied Irving Mustangs by 2 wickets in a low scoring thriller. The Mustangs captained by former New Zealand allrounder Corey Anderson got bowled over for a lowly 108 in just under 18 overs. Ali Bangash redeemed himself after his final over fiasco earlier in the day and bagged 4 wickets. Austin Athletics were all but gone at 84 for 8 before Ahmed Butt's nerveless 23 got them home without further damage. Burt Cockley, the former Kings XI Punjab bowler breathed fire upon his return to representational cricket dismissing 3 Athletics' batsmen in a fiery spell.

Seattle Thunderbolts vs Golden State Grizzlies

The Thunderbolts faltered with the bat for a second time in a row as Vatsal Vaghela (4 for 13) and the rest of the Grizzlies bowlers restricted them to a stifling 87 for 9. The Grizzlies, a more pedigreed team understanding the pitch and the conditions well, lost just 3 wickets in their pursuit of 88 and got there comfortably in the end with notable contributions from Zia Shehzad (30) and Shivam Mishra (34).

Day 2

ATLANTIC CONFERENCE

The Philadelphians vs Atlanta Fire

An all-round Jonathan Foo sunk the mighty Atlanta Fire in what should be considered as an upset win. Batting first the Philadelphians' run flow was stymied by wickets at critical junctures. Jonathan Carter and Foo came to the crease at 72 for 4 in the 14th over with the Philadelphians in all sorts. What followed was a counterattack which propelled the total to 142 in 20 overs. Carter compensated for his slow start, eventually finishing with 39 off 43 and Foo raced to 41 off 22 balls. The star-studded batting line up of the Fire went down without offering any real fight. Philadelphians opener Derick Narine made up for his failure with the bat by bagging 3 wickets to be the pick of the bowlers.

Ft Lauderdale Lions vs New England Eagles

USA batsman Akshay Homraj (50 off 37) steered the Eagles to an easy win after the Lions put a modest 148 on the board. The Lions got off to a slow start scoring less than run a ball in the powerplay. However, Ricky Nayar dug in there to end with 65 off 52 him and the rest of the batters failed to provide the impetus the innings needed in the death. The Eagles openers put on 43 in the first 4 overs which proved to be a launch pad for the likes of Homraj to come in and express himself. Windies spinner Devendra Bishoo bowled his heart out conceding only 13 from his four overs with a wicket to show for but Eagles proved to be too good in the end.

New Jersey Stallions vs Atlanta Param Veers

The Stallions team annihilated the Param Veers at their own home ground by 83 runs. It was an embarrassing batting performance from the Param Veers and an equally disappointing bowling show. All of the Stallions top order got starts but failed to convert them into a fifty. Nonetheless, those starts came at a brisk pace which helped them reach 170. USA U19 batting mainstay Sai Teja Mukkamalla looked elegant for 35 and so did Dominique Rikhi for his 41. The Param Veers' run chase got off to a catastrophic start losing Mark Parchment on the first ball of the innings. The Param Veers never quite recovered from the early setbacks and the innings folded in the 14th over for 87.

Manhattan Yorkers vs Florida Beamers

The Florida Beamers couldn't save themselves the blushes in their second game as well. Yet another shabby batting performance saw them getting bowled out for a miserable 101 in a chase of 150. USA batsman Monank Patel (49 off 50) tried to rebuild by digging in but the lack of momentum throughout the innings meant Patel couldn't accelerate at his own terms. Yorkers' pacer Manoj Acharya finished with a spectacular figures of 3 overs 3 for 9. Earlier in the game the Beamers' bowlers had the Yorkers on the ropes with the Yorkers scoring only 72 off the first 13. Andre McCarthy came in to notch up a scintillating half century that saw the Yorkers score 150.

Orlando Galaxy vs Empire State Titans

It was fairly apparent that rain gods smiled brightly at the Orlando Galaxy after a dismal batting performance of 108. The chase couldn't get past the 3rd ball for the Titans as the game got abandoned due to rain.

Somerset Cavaliers vs Atlanta Param Veers

Kennar Lewis (83 off 37) and Xavier Marshall (89 off 50) caused an absolute mayhem in the middle, clubbing the ball to all parts of the ground. Lewis was particularly brutal, swatting 8 sixes. It was also a welcome return to form for USA batsman Xavier Marshall who's been searching for form for quite some time now. The Cavaliers piled up a humongous total of 252 which was always going to be too many for the struggling Param Veers. The Param Veers posted a meek 128 losing by a giant proportion of 124 runs.

PACIFIC CONFERENCE

Hollywood Master Blasters vs San Diego Surf Riders

Veteran Usa leg spinner Timil Patel bamboozled the Master Blasters with his guile in a match winning spell of 3 for 14. The Surf Riders opened the bowling with Patel and USA hopeful Sid Matani and the spinners started choking the Master Blasters on what appeared to be a very sluggish wicket. The only two batsmen two reach double figures were Cody Chetty 39 and Karan Viradiya 26. The dreary innings ended at 100 for 7 in the 20 overs. The Surf Riders tread with caution without going for any enterprising strokes being fully aware of the target ahead. Brynley Richards top scored with his 31* as the Surf Riders overhauled the target in the penultimate over.

Seattle Thunderbolts vs Silicon Valley Strikers

The Thunderbolts ended up on the wrong side of a riveting contest as the Strikers prevented them from registering their first victory of the tournament. The Strikers won by 2 wickets chasing a target of 111 on a tricky wicket. The Thunderbolts this time however made a meal of yet another batting failure. Ex Rajasthan Royals left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh and especially senior paceman Shadley Van Schalkwyk rose to the occasion. Harmeet snared 2 wickets for 13 whereas Van Schalkwyk bowled immaculately giving away only 2 runs in his 21 deliveries. The bowlers would've wished the Thunderbolts batsmen would put up a better show but all batsmen except for Andries Gous (63 off 54) faltered without putting up a fight of any kind.

San Diego Surf Riders vs SoCal Lashings

Mrunal Patel had a game of two halves. Of ecstasy and agony. He top scored for the Surf Riders with a fabulous 73 off 52 which was pivotal in his team reaching 160. However, the agony was yet to unfold for Patel. Lashings needed 20 runs off the final over against the wryly left arm spin of Patel. Elmore Hutchinson miraculously closed the game out with 3 towering sixes in a row with a ball to spare. The tall and lanky allrounder from Los Angeles known for his prowess of power hitting made sure that niche skill of his was at full display in what will go down as a historic finish.