New Looks..New Beginning!!!

Perth Classic XI held their team dinner last evening ahead of their opening clash against the tournament hosts Kerala Strikers.

The Dinner, which was held 'Kui', their main sponsor for the season, saw the participation of most of the players along with their families. The other sponsors for the season are Zeus Street Greek, AICA Energy, Sofar Solar, Harris Waters Accountants and Powerark Solar.

James George, the team Manager handed over the new jerseys to the players during the meet.

The new Jersey is predominantly a shade of Royal Blue with Orange and White stripes across, while the cap is navy blue with a badge of PCXI at the front. The logos of the sponsors are housed on either sleeves of the jersey.

The Team skipper, Abe Thomas, concluded the event wishing the team the very best for the tournament. 

The team will be in action on the 11th of October, at 1:30pm, at COKER PARK, Cannington

SNAPS FROM THE TEAM DINNER!

AICA ENERGY SMT 2020_Groups Announced!

 

The Pandemic tides have finally calmed down. With easing restrictions, WA is all set to embrace Summer and the Cricketing season. What better tournament to tee the season off than the AICA ENERGY SMT 2020 Cup!!!

Perth Classic XI will be featuring along with 27 other teams for the tournament. The teams are allocated into 4 groups consisting of 7 teams each. The top 4 teams from each group will be progressing into the next phase of the tournament.

Though there has been very limited action through the Winter, PCXI has remained active by participating in the Perth Southern Winter Comp. Although they finished 12^th in the league that featured 15 teams, PCXI has managed to help most of its players find form at the right time of the year. Abe Thomas, the skipper of the team was quoted saying, "The team is raring to go out to play some cricket."  He couldn’t hide his excitement about a few exciting young talents who had joined the team, "The pre-season tournament has helped us understand our flaws, and have given clarity into our game plan. We are thrilled to have a few youngsters that joined us recently and are keen to provide a great platform for them to showcase their skills."

Abe Thomas will be captaining the team this season along with Andrew George as the Vice-Captain. Both of them had a decent run at the Perth Southern Winter Comp and will be looking to continue their form through the season.

The Tournament is set to unfold on the 9^th of October, while PCXI will play their first game against the tournament organizers, ‘Kerala Strikers’ on the 11th of October.

James George, the Team Manager, had earlier commented that the team carried a more revamped and refreshed side into the tournament and seemed to be a 2.0 Version of their previous self.

The team have won both the warm-up games leading up to the tournament with the final warm-up match scheduled for the 4th of October. Earlier, they had beaten KAWA Cricket club by 3 wickets and Kerala Warriors CC by 2 wickets respectively. "The boys have put in a lot of effort over the past few months and we are quite excited to see the results in our favour. There is still a lot of room for improvement and have addressed it to the team players. We will make sure that we produce a healthy competition this season and look forward to the games to come", said the Vice-Captain of the team, Andrew George. 

This definitely gives a strong indication that the Perth Classic XI fans are up for a mouth-watering season of cricketing extravaganza.   

FRIENDS CUP 2020- Reliving the Magical Moments

The Ongoing FRIENDS CUP 2020 tournament has been suspended until further notice due to the COVID19 outbreak. This decision was made during a private conference held by the management and the organizing committee of the tournament. The Organizing committee is yet to announce the new schedule.
The chances of the tournament taking off again are grim, especially on the back of the governments decision to restrict any outdoor games or activities from the 26th of March 2020.

PCXI had played two games into the tournament, losing both of them narrowly. However, during the short stint, the team did manage to string together few moments of individual brilliance and display of team spirit to relish on.

Below are few of those magical moments to be relived:

MOMENT 1- Game 1 vs RC- Abel in his staggering Innings of 45 runs
MOMENT 2- Game 1 vs RC- Renjith and his Whirlwind of an innings at the death 26(15)
MOMENT 3- Game 1 vs RC- Royce starring in his gritty innings of 13 runs, holding one end tight
MOMENT 4- Game 1 vs RC- Sibin knocking down the stumps of Dinoop (Royal Challengers) to bring PCXI back into the game in the wee overs
MOMENT 5- Game 2 vs ML- Andrew being the lone warrior against the might of Mayland Lions scoring 23*
MOMENT 6- Game 2 vs ML- Abe with a dream opening spell castling the top order batsmen [3.3-19-3]
MOMENT 7- Game 2 vs ML- Varun breathing fire with a fiery spell [3.0-9-3]

These moments suggests nothing but the signs of a rejuvenated team fighting for victory till the last ball is played. The efforts and passion with which the games have been played provides hope and belief for the team as they move on. 

The Scorecards can be found below:

Game 1: PCXI vs RC- SCORECARD- FC20 Perth Classic XI vs Royal Challengers
Game 2: PCXI vs ML- SCORECARD- FC20 Perth Classic XI vs Mayland Lions

FRIENDS CUP 2020- MATCH REPORT- PCXI vs ROYAL CHALLENGERS

So close yet so far…

PCXI suffered a last over defeat to Royal Challengers in the inaugural match of the Friends Cup Tournament 2020 held at Annings Park last Sunday, the 8th of March 2020. 

Asked to bat first, PCXI managed to put up a modest total of 128 losing the last wicket in the final ball of the innings. Though they lost their top order batsmen Jorim Johnson and Vijay, in the first few overs of the innings, their ace batsman Abel James along with veteran Royce steadied the ship. This partnership that went from strength to strength lasted till the 12^th over when Royce misjudged a good length ball from Darwin. The pair added 46 runs for the 3^rd wicket with Royce scoring 13 runs. Abel continued his good form with the bat displaying an array of scintillating lofted shots over the long-on and cover regions. Abel went on to score 45 runs, just shy of 5 runs from his second half-century for the PCXI.

Though PCXI looked like losing its way following the loss of his wicket, timely cameos from Renjith, who scored a quickfire 24 off 15 balls and the lower order saw the team cross the 120 mark.  Renjith was particularly severe on Jithin who went for 12 runs off the 10^th over of the innings. The former who was at his destructive best went on to strike three humungous sixes during his short stint at the crease, providing a much-required impetus to the PCXI innings. Other notable contributors to the score were Sibin (11) and Jac (8) who made sure the team ended with a respectable total.

Setting a required target of just over 6 runs an over, PCXI started off their 2^nd innings with some disciplined bowling. Although the ballers struggled to get wickets, they managed to keep the star-studded Royal Warriors line up quite for the most part of their innings conceding only 65 runs in the first 10 overs. However, persistence from the PCXI ballers saw the match getting tighter during the latter part of the innings. With few wickets falling in a flurry, the otherwise relaxed RC camp could be seen considerably nervous. PCXI was on course for their first win this tournament with RC needing 28 runs off the last 22 balls, however, the Royals clinched onto their nerves to secure 3 points in the last over of the innings. Renjith (4.0-14-1), Sibin(4.0-21-1), Varun (4.0-30-1) and Andrew (3.0-31-1) were among the wickets for the PCXI.  PCXI skipper Abe Thomas, coming into the team after a break had a relatively quiet outing, remaining wicketless but conceding just above 6 runs per over in the 3.1 overs that he bowled.

Nevertheless, the crowd witnessed a nerve wrenching thriller and a nail-biting finish with Royal Challengers, who made full use of their experience in this format, winning the match.  

Andrew James, the acting captain of the side for this tournament, applauded the all-round performance of the side during the post-match session and urged the team to keep practising on the shortfalls whilst remaining hopeful of a comeback fight in their next Match against Mayland Lions on Sunday, the 15^th of March 2020.

Though pointless, this defeat has placed PCXI at the 4th of the Tournament standings, over Mayland Tigers and Royal Warriors, based on the Net Run Rate.

MATCH 1- PRE-MATCH ANALYSIS : PERTH CLASSIC XI vs WARRIORZ CC

Finally, the Big day has come. This day is to be etched into the cricketing history, as Perth Classic XI will be playing their maiden tournament today at 1:30pm against Warriorz CC.

A look at the PCXI camp would say it all. As prepared as they all were, there was still this nervous energy floating around the camp. They were all waiting for this very day for the past 2 years.

Today as we go into the game, we will take you back to few players, featuring in the playing XI for the first match, to watch out for.



Andrew James George

The swashbuckling middle order batsman, aged 25, is a treat to watch when he is on song. Having
played for PCXI  since its inception, he is best known for his death hitting ability and humongous sixes. Best of luck getting a hand to one of his shots!




Jerry Cherian

Also the Vice-Captain of the team, Jerry Cherian has been a strong presence in the teams top order. His cover drives are an exquisite sight for any cricket lovers across the globe. He is best known for his effortless stroke making ability and his timing ability would draw him admirers from the cricketing fraternity.



Abel James

The youngest player for the squad also happens to be the top run scorer for the team. Striking at an average of almost 130, the superstriker in action is a delightful treat for even the unbelievers of the game! His hand eye coordination is such that it would put an eagle to shame.




Abe Thomas


Also the Skipper of the team, Abe is the spearhead of the bowling attack. With the most wickets leading to the tournament, he has a mouth gaping average of a little over 5. He is a dynamite in the field and a very handy lower order batsman.




Royce Mathew Varughese


Aged 34, the lower middle order batsman is the calm in the storm for the team. With one of the best hands in business, Royce is best know for his late cuts, in fact 'very' late cuts and for his ability to pierce the gaps. He is known to hold one end up and it would be safe to say that the opponents would need to sweat to get him back to the pavilion.



Joji Varghese

The medium pacer, is one of the pillars of the teams bowling attack. There is no one more miser than Joji when it comes to giving away any extras. With a sharp line and length, he is sure to be a handful for any opponents.





Sreevijay Rajakumar

Also the opening batsman, Vijay, as he is commonly known, is a powerhouse. Standing at 6 ft, the swing and bat speed he generates would itself be a nightmare for the opponents. He is best known for his mouth watering ground drives and shots through the Long On region.

GAME 1: PCXI vs WARRIORZ CC- PLAYING XI ANNOUNCED

The Playing XI for the first match of the SMT Cup 2019, was announced by the Team Manager, James George during a private press conference held at Parkwood on Friday the 4th of October evening.

PCXI is all set to play their first game of the tournament against Warriorz CC, at Queens Park Reserve, on the 6th of October at 1:30pm. All eyes will be on the team as they will be playing in their new colors for the first time.

The team skipper, Abe Thomas has commented that the team was up for the challenge and that he was impressed with the performance and fitness of the boys leading up to the tournament. 

SMT2019- Fixtures Released

The fixtures for the upcoming SMT Cup 2019 was released late last evening by the Kerala Strikers Perth Management. The group stage matches will be conducted across 6 grounds from the 6th of October until the 3rd of November, on every Sundays.
PCXI feature their first game against Warriorz CC at 1:30pm on the 6th of October. The match will be played at Queens Park Reserve.
With just over 1 week to go for the tournament, PCXI have been working hard on every aspects of the game including fitness.
'We want to prepare ourselves well and leave no boxes unchecked going into the games. No sides will be taken lightly', quoted the skipper Abe Thomas.