Banana2311

You have been truly outstanding. 

Thank you for the mentions each day

1) D.C, NY, Calgary, Prague, Davos.
2) Team World, with their star Goalie.
3) Well I am in it at the moment so really cheering.
4) I think Playoff experience could be good for the team, but a pick would be better.
5) No, it is just a small dip he will accelerate again.
6) I think Mississauga and Mexico have a chance.

Welcome back to the WJC Daily Review, a series in which we will talk about best players, surprises, letdowns and more! Stick around and follow us as VSN is here to be the media outlet for you and your entertainment!
 
Looking at the Day 3, he can clearly see that Asia still hasn’t lost it’s touch and is arguably the best all-around team in the championship right now. They have proven that they are the real deal and every team in the tournament has to find a way how to counter them or else Team Asia is winning the cup. Not a huge surprise to anyone that Team USA is the worst team in the tournament, but even we wouldn’t predict that they would only have 11 goals in 6 games played. At least they got their first win on Day 3.
 
Asia
Jerry Wang above 2 points per game, 6 players all together are at least point per game. Goaltender Jimmy Spyro is on fire and is closing in to be the best goaltender of the tournament. Markus Nygren is still a bully and even with that Team Asia is dominating their opposition. The fact that they have used a limited roster to get quality offence from 2 lines is remarkable and truly scary. 
 
Europe
Here we see a case of depending on your goaltender. Boris Boris has been the best goaltender in this tournament and really doesn’t show any signs of stopping. Even though their last game against Team Canada was lost, and they had an all-around weak performance on the ice, Europe still is the number one contender to take the steering wheel away from Asia. Truly sad to see Jesse Nyman and Balentine Kidd still unable to produce on the offence.
 
World
Day 3 brought Team World two quality games, an amazing defensive game against Team USA and a competitive game against Team Asia. In both cases, they highly depended on their goaltender Block Buster. Important to note that Team World is in a position to be better as they have talent on every field, they have to stay away from playing a physical game as much as they can as that gives away pucks and pushes them deeper in a hole. 
 
Canada
Team Canada had an interesting two games. Blowout loss against Team USA and a win against Team Europe. I guess you can say that team Canada rested their players against Team USA, but wouldn’t it be nice to just let USA be the only team that didn’t win a single game this tournament? The game against Team Europe was truly wonderful as you finally saw what everyone expected from their stars in RJ Jubis and Guy Sasakamoose.  
 
USA
You actually won a game and scored goals. Congratulations. That being said, that game didn’t really help your case as you have the worst goaltending this tournament and none of your roster players are really putting an effort on the ice.
 
That is it for today - good luck for now and see you again tomorrow!
 
Chief Editor/Manager FrostBeard
 
People mentioned: @Spyro @Devise @ColeMrtz @Walter Fizz @Jesse Nyman @TukTukTheGreat @Banana2311 @Jubis @Cxsquared
 

Welcome back to the WJC Daily Review, a series in which we will talk about best players, surprises, letdowns and more! Stick around and follow us as VSN is here to be the media outlet for you and your entertainment!
 
 
Another day of games has been played at the World Junior Championship, with Team Asia continuing to impress, winning both of their matches to lead the field with four wins in as many games. Sitting in second place is Team Europe with four wins as well, matching Asia’s tally, but with an extra game played. Team Canada has continued their average start, once again splitting their games with a win and a loss, while Team World regressed from their day one performance, dropping both of their matches against team Europe. Rounding out the standings is the only team currently without a win; Team USA sits at a -10 goal differential and will have to quickly turn things around if they want to have a chance at this tournament.  
 
 
Team Asia
Asia has continued their storybook start to this WJC with two statement victories against the US and Canada. Winning 6-1 against the Americans, Asia showcased their scoring depth, with 5 separate players finding the back of the net. In particular, Richard Fitzwell impressed with a three-assist night, as well as Will Clarke’s two-goal performance. In the next match, Asia took down team Canada 3-1 behind a monster performance from goalie Jimmy Spyro, who made 40 saves, allowing just the one, while winger Jerry Wang took the first star as he had a hand in all three Asia goals, scoring two himself. Their penalty units were top class as well today, going 3/8 on the power play and 8/9 on the penalty kill. This Asia team is looking impossible to beat.
 
 
 
Team Europe
Europe’s good form from the first day of matches continued, as they picked up two victories today, both against Team World.  Despite letting in 3 goals in the first game, goalie Boris Boris still had an SV% above .900 (.903), and turned it on in the second, shutting out Team World with 19 saves. Boris Boris continues to be a bright spot for this team and leads the tournament in both SV% as well as GAA. Offensively, Team Europe has been maintaining its form. Solid performances from team leader Guy Lesieur and overall depth scoring has taken them where they need to go. However, they still aren’t firing on all cylinders. Even with a two-point game in the overtime victory,  Balentine Kidd has struggled to produce so far despite high expectations, with those two being his only points so far of the tournament, though this can perhaps be attributed to his starting on the second line. If this Europe team can start playing to their full potential, they have a very good shot at the gold medal. 
 
Team Canada
Canada’s performances in day two of the WJC were much the same as day one, having lost one and won one in both days. Their first game of the day saw them put four goals past a struggling United States team, with a big 3 point game from Alyksander Hunter, who is currently tied with Daldo and Kris Rice in leading the team with 4 points. Despite their good performance in this game, they were unable to recreate it against an in-form Team Asia, losing 3-1. To get back on track, Team Canada needs someone to step up. They have had decent depth scoring so far, but no one has taken the lead and truly given this team the impetus they need to compete at the level of Team Europe and Asia. There still is time, however, and this Canada team hasn’t given up just yet. 
 
 
Team World
As previously mentioned, Team World struggled a little in today’s matches, losing both to Team Europe. We’ve looked at the games from a Europe’s perspective, but from the World’s point of view, what went wrong? The biggest issue for World in their OT loss was the penalties. Despite a decent kill percentage, Team World spent 20 minutes in the box. If they want to take control of games, they are going to have to work on their discipline. Danny DeYeeto impressed in game one, scoring two and assisting one, but otherwise, the team was severely lacking in their performance. In their second game, they were simply outplayed. One highlight so far for Team World, however, continues to be their goaltending. Although not quite at the level of Asia or Europe currently, Block Buster is sitting at a respectable .920 SV% and is providing a good platform upon which World can improve. 
 
  
Team USA
Although many people predicted that the US would struggle this year, few thought it would be so rough. Team USA has yet to win a game, and at this rate, I’m not sure they will. First and foremost, they need to tighten up their defence. They have been scored on at least three times in every game. However, they have not been returning the favour, having never scored more than two goals so far in their four games, and as we all know, 2 < 3. Currently, they have no players within the top 20 for scoring, and only two players, Jason Connors and Nate Wright, have a positive +/- rating.  For Team USA to pull something out of this tournament they will need a real miracle.
 
 
That is it for today - good luck for now and see you again tomorrow!
 
 
VSN Writer Mr_Hatter 
 
People Mentioned: @Tomato Soup, @Will, @Spyro, @ColeMrtz, @Walter Fizz, @KC15, @TukTukTheGreat,
@Jaku, @Harpskii, @Krice13, @Cran, @Banana2311, @Klrpizza, @73MPL4R

@Banana2311

World Junior Championship has started! And with that VSN is starting their series called “WJC Daily Review” in which we will talk about best players, surprises, letdowns and more! Stick around and follow us as VSN is here to be the media outlet for you and your entertainment!
 
Let’s kick this off with a look at the standings. Team Asia has been a huge surprise with 2 wins against Team World and Team Europe that we at VSN considered being frontrunners in this tournament. Team Europe with 2 wins in 3 games played is sitting in second place and had the loss when they played their Back-up goaltender. Both Team World and Team Canada need to find some chemistry with their lines as neither their offence or their defence is helping them our right now. For Team USA it is just a simple message - don’t embarrass the legacy that always included
 
Team Asia
Truly amazing hot start for Asia and their leaders - Ryo Yamazuki II and Griff Manzer. A forward and a defenceman who both are showing an amazing level of play these first two games. Without them, Team Asia would be in deep trouble. Their success can be attributed to their goaltender Jimmy Spyro, who has been the third-best goaltender this tournament. Markus Nygren has been big trouble for Team Asia and will be an important player to look out for as with 13 penalty minutes he has had issues with discipline, scoring, defence. Well, he has been a pretty big mess and with over 20 minutes of play, we would expect him to play on the level of Ryo Yamazuki who has been playing only 18 minutes with that monstrous production.
 
Team Europe
A start that you would expect from a team that has players like Fernando Jokinen (5 points in 3 games played) and Roadkill Steve (3 goals in 3 games played). Almost everything for Europe is perfect from their starting goaltender in Boris Boris, who is leading WJC as the best goaltender this tournament by a mile, to their other roster players. All that said - what is happening with Jesse Nyman and Balentine Kidd? Both are heavy minus players and have been truly lacking production-wise this tournament, is this what their ceiling is in VHL?
 
Team World
Good start, a quality team all around. Team World has been showing great promise with Block Buster being second-best goaltender this tournament and their star defencemen Edwin THE Encarnacion. Both have been excellent on the defensive end giving their team chances to win. Goalscoring, even though a problem still, is centred around 3 players and that is an issue moving forward - you have to spread out your scoring and have the depth involved in such an important tournament like this.
 
Team Canada
Well, here we go. Not much to say. Fang Flashback has been a good goaltender for them. Everything else doesn’t really deserve any specific recognition, except Daldo who has been performing above our expectations with 2 goals in 2 games. Canada needs a lot more from guys like Guy Saskamoose and Nate Telker who are on the ice for over 30 minutes a game. 
 
Team USA
Koda Adok, Tony Bolonee and Chett Bandy. Three players I believe can be recognized as mules who have to carry their team as no one else seems to be interested in winning. OK goaltending numbers from Virgil Ligriv. All-around, USA needs to step their game up,
 
That is it for today - good luck for now and see you again tomorrow!
 
Chief Editor/Manager FrostBeard
 
People mentioned : @Donno100, @Garsh, @Spyro, @Devise, @Ahma, @stevo, @Walter Fizz, @Jesse Nyman @TukTukTheGreat @Banana2311, @Tagger, @uphillmoss, @Cxsquared, @Telkster, @trevmi, @Tbeez99, @mmarcoux98 and @MMFLEX

Results
 
Game 2: World vs Canada
3-4 SOL
Despite a blazing hot start from World with three goals in the first twenty-five minutes of the game, Canada managed to score twice in the second and creep their way into overtime by scoring a short handed goal within the final two minutes of regulation. Overtime was quiet, with only five total shots between the two teams. Heading into the shootout, the first two shots hit the back of the net. Then a pair of saves were followed up by two missed shots shortly before another couple attempts were successfully converted. World failed to score in the sixth round and Canada D1 capitalized on the opportunity to win Canada the game.
 
Game 3: World vs Asia
2-4 L
It was Asia this time that started the game on fire by scoring three goals in the first period. World responded with a goal late in the first, but halfway into the second Asia regained their three goal lead. World was never able to comeback from the three goal deficit despite a goal five minutes into the third period two decrease Asia's lead to two. The overall dominant performance by the top lines of Asia and eight penalties by World ultimately lost them the game.
 
Game 5: Canada vs World
4-1 W
Following the back-to-back losses World was still confident in their chances against Team Canada who they had lost to in the sixth round of a shootout. It was clear that World simply outclassed Canada. World began the rout in the first period by out-shooting the Canadians sixteen to five. While both teams managed to score in the first, Canada couldn't find the offensive consistency of World who notched two goals in the second. World added one more goal with five minutes left to seal the deal.
 
Top Performers
 
Edwin the Encarnacion (D)
2G - 3A - 5P
Through the first three games, Encarnacion has more than lived up to the hype. He plays most of his minutes with current Saskatoon Wild teammate Danny DeYeeto, but is utilized in every aspect of the game and is likely the biggest reason why Team World is doing as well as they are right now. 
 
Killy Foilen (F)
3G - 1A - 4P
As predicted, Foilen is the top forward on Team World. His consistent play for the Wild and chemistry with teammates DeYeeto and Encarnacion has helped World stay competitive so far in the tournament. Even though all of his goals have been on the power play, he has still been a force in both zones. 
 
Block Buster (G)
1W - 1L - 1SOL, 0.914 SV%, 2.60 GAA
Don't let the two losses fool you. Buster has been one of the most consistent performers for World this tournament. What World lacks in offensive depth, it is made up for in net by their star goaltender Block Buster.
 
Remaining Thoughts
 
It is evident that World can compete with the tops teams in the tournament. Despite a disappointing loss to Asia, a dominant performance from World is certainly in the cards. They've generally been very consistent offensively and plan to keep the same plan heading into their next game against the star studded Europeans. Considering World rosters four European players, they are looking to get revenge on their home team for passing up on them. Expect a big game from McGirr, Ritchie, and Slavik tomorrow. Fomba will continue to remain on the bench in his baseball cap as long as Block Buster continues to be dominant in net. 
 
 
Players mentioned: @Tagger @Aye my name jeff @Banana2311 @cartoes @DangerGolding @Frank @efiug

With the WJC rosters finally being set, I present to you the S69 Team World WJC roster! 
 
Forward
Killy Foilen AU - @Aye my name jeff
Ben Storm AU - @BigBallerFromDownUnder
Raleigh Ritchie UK - @DangerGolding
Lewis Dawson GL - @monkeywrench15
Chad Magnum IOM - @Corco
Jimothy Frost AQ - @Frostbite
Ben McGirr UK - @cartoes
Milos Slavik SK - @Frank
Iangenere Risteneen HT - @Maasa
 
Defense
Charles Drumm AU - @frescoelmo
Khalabib Stiopic CC - @SweetMike666
Danny DeYeeto NG - @Cran
Edwin the Encarnacion DO - @Tagger
 
Goaler
Block Buster AU - @Banana2311
Nicolas Fomba FR - @efiug 
 
Congratulations to those who were selected, and get ready to roll! The index will be released sometime next week.
Make sure to stay under the 350 cap and join the discord: https://discord.gg/WScaVqD
See you soon.
 
S69 WJC Commissioners: 
@rjfryman 
@Acydburn

1. 32
2. I think there are a lot of good d-men/d-women in the draft
3. Drumm sorry Jerwa
4. Seattle because I have always been in Rayz Funk's shadow since Mississauga I want to show I am just as good
5. Valentino I think
6. Bakery all the way a fresh croissant with butter and Jam is too good

+4

1. Prague, Davos, Calgary & New York
2. I would like it to be me
3. I think Pekka has been great
4. Definitely not
5. I use to play a lot of the Mario games on the Wii
6. Crumbed Cutlets are my favourite

Okay, sure, you're reading the title of this article and you're thinking "yeah, it's been said multiple times in the past that we don't need any more tournaments."
 
And you're right, we don't need any more tournaments. But sit back and read carefully, because this may make you want this one. And that's all I'm looking for.
 
The problem with many of these tournaments (brands being the most egregious example) is that, simply put, nobody cares about them. Even for stuff like world juniors, the factor uniting everyone on each team, that being nationality, is for most people the weakest possible link. Lots of people want to care but simply don't. I'm one of them (and it doesn't help that Jerry tends to be invisible in tournaments). 
 
So, what makes this one different? 
 
 
Basically, what I'm suggesting is that we get each VHLM team's alumni together in a tournament, for the sake of that sweet VHLM nostalgia and such.
 
 
The benefits?
-That aforementioned sweet VHLM nostalgia and such. Who doesn't want to reunite with their old teammates and friends on the same team for a bit? Enough said.
 
-Even sweeter: retention. It's something for rookies and first-gens to look forward to later on in their careers, and as a tournament involving the people they grew with, it will serve as a reminder of just how far they've come and what they've accomplished in the league when it happens.
 
-It gives VHLM GMs the chance to work with and understand VHL-level teams. It's a different game up in the big leagues, and many VHLM GMs are the future of the VHL. Giving these GMs a chance to work with lines full of VHL players, to see what works and what doesn't at a higher level, is a valuable bit of education that should serve the league well if and when VHLM guys move up.
 
-Also, something I'm passionate about: IT REWARDS GMS FOR BEING GOOD TO THEIR TEAMS. You've heard it time and time again--the primary goal of being a GM in the VHLM is not winning. Rather, it's player development--a GM whose team sucks but cranks out members who love the league and are dedicated to staying every season is much more valuable to the league than a GM who wins the cup every other season but is generally uninvolved with the team on a personal level and doesn't create an atmosphere which will encourage people to stick around. What's the reward for this retention, though? There's nothing out there to reward VHLM GMs for doing the one thing they're supposed to do above all else and doing it well. Having a tournament which involves the use of team alumni--that is, former players who have successfully been engaged with, retained, and made into valuable community members--will be that reward as a "good GM" in the retention sense will have a solid team.
 
 
So, what are the specifics?
 
Eligibility:
 
First, we'll address the question of eligibility. Players can play for many teams for many different lengths of time, so who gets to play for who?
 
 
-A player is eligible to be selected to play for any team for which they have played half a season or more (36 or more games) in their VHLM career. They must be non-retired and on a VHL team's roster.
 
-If that player is selected by multiple teams for which they are eligible, they will go to the first team of this group for which they played. Example: Berocka Sundqvist played a full season with the Hounds in S66, and a full season with the Storm in S67. He is eligible to be picked by both, but if picked by both he will play for Mississauga as he played for them earlier. We'll call this "first priority" rights later on.
 
-Each team's GM will select a roster of 6 forwards, 4 defensemen, and 2 goalies from an eligibility list provided to them by whoever is running the tournament (Note: if we give this a go, I am willing to compile all lists and help with the tournament in any way that I can). If this is unable to be filled from the players who are eligible, remaining roster positions may be filled by players from the team's current roster.

A sample Hounds alumni roster would look like this (expect teams who aren't as new to have stronger-looking rosters as they've got more than three seasons of alumni to pick from):
 
F - Scott Greene (653 TPE) - @DoktorFunk
F - Berocka Sundqvist (570 TPE) - @Berocka
F - Jerry Wang (304 TPE) - @ColeMrtz (first priority rights held by Halifax)
F - Balentine Kidd (302 TPE) - @TukTukTheGreat
F - Patrik Tallinder (243 TPE) - @Patrik Tallinder
F - Kris Rice (244 TPE) - @Krice13
If Wang selected by Halifax:
F - Dan Gles (316 TPE) - @No_Dangles
 
D - Hulk Hogan (684 TPE) - @HulkHogan
D - Cody Smith (472 TPE) - @cody73
D - Brock Louth (421 TPE) - @Beaviss
D - Guy Sasakamoose (321 TPE) - @Cxsquared
 
G - Rayz Funk (780 TPE) - @Rayzor_7
G - Block Buster (286 TPE) - @Banana2311
 
If you're a recent expansion like us and you don't have 8 seasons of players up in the VHL, that's just tough luck and incentive to continue your player development!
 
 
Scheduling:
 
So, how does the tournament work schedule-wise? How do we make it all work?
 
-The tournament doesn't need to be an every-season thing. We could make it every other season, possibly alternating with the World Cup.
 
-As for the teams, there will be a preliminary round where each team plays every other team once. This means that every team will play every other team once, for a total of 10 preliminary round games.
 
-The top four teams will make a best-of-3 playoffs, 1 v. 4 and 2 v. 3. Tiebreakers will be determined by head-to-head record (which should be an easy tiebreaker with only one head-to-head game). If there arises a sort of rock-paper-scissors situation where there are three or more tied teams who all beat each other, the second tiebreaker will be total number of goals scored, then goal differential, then the width of the GM's left thumb, whatever.
 
 
I think that's just about all there is to say, though I'll likely do my usual "forget something and write something else big in the replies." What do you think?
@VHLM Commissioner
@VHLM GM
@BOG

Get my first VHL Shut Out! Still not a star.

Get my first VHL Shut Out! Still not a star.

@Banana2311 ^

1. We easily make it this year we have been playing well.
2. I think Prague finish 3rd in their division.
3. Spread it out you want depth in scoring.
4. I think without two goalies easily available per team it should stay at 8.
5. I am all about loyalty, if someone is nice to me I will be nice back.
6. Ask what they like about the league, how they fit in their previous team and what they bring to the table.

1] It was my second as I am a slow earner but it was good, I played well coming second is a good result;
2] No and No
4] Yes hopefully bring DC some wins
7] Travelling to Fiji or somewhere else tropical and quiet
8] That we made it to the finals
10] Nutritionist or Dietician I think

WE GOT SOME BLOCK BUSTER NEWS HERE!
 
BLOCKBUSTER CLOSES THE DOORS IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE.
 
1. no more cool movie rental places
2. Block Buster (G) lights out - shuts down Vegas. Nighty, night. 
 

The WJC is an interesting tournament. I don’t think it receives the love it deserves but that could be the extremely high turnover. Most players will only play in one WJC and most GMs appear to only GM for one WJC also. This then means that most people will only pay attention to the one tournament then forget about it. This tied with the players can be made all over the world so there is no real sense of patriotism.
 
Now I am not here to solve the above, I honestly don’t really have any suggestions, but I am here to teach you about the tournament and to try and build some hype for it.
 
The S68 will be the 8th instalment of this tournament with the season 55, 62-67 having a tournament. Each season the countries are awarded points for their performance and a leader board is kept to compare the different nations/continents/others. The scoring system is Gold = 50 points, Silver = 25 points, Bronze = 10 points, losing the bronze medal match = 5 and winning the wooden spoon = 3. There are also bonus points for the round robin with 2 points for a win 1 point for an overtime loss and ½ a point for a goal scored.
 
Now over the 7 seasons completed so far Canada has won 3 of these, these wins came in 3 consecutive seasons from s62-64. Europe has won the next most with 2 wins one in the inaugural competition, the next in S65. Then in the past two seasons we have had new victors with USA in S66 and World in S67.
 
When you input the point totals for placing it shows that Canada has been the most dominant with 210 points from 3 golds, 2 silvers and 2 fourth place finishes. Followed by Europe with 168 points from 2 Golds, 2 Silvers and finishing once in the remaining three spots. The remaining three teams are a bit of a drop from the top two with World on 108, USA on 86 and Asia on 79.
 
So, positioning wise for just the placement is:
 
1.       Canada
2.       Europe
3.       World
4.       USA
5.       Asia
 
Next, we look at the bonus points and surprise, surprise Canada is winning this also with 188 points not too far behind is Europe on 178.5 points. Now this is where the points don’t match the order from above with USA in third place with 139 points, Asia in 4th on 135.5 points and World finishing last on 134.5 points.
 
This means the positions of the bonus points is:
 
1.       Canada
2.       Europe
3.       USA
4.       Asia
5.       World
 
So when all these points are put together we get the final leaderboard:
 
1.       Canada (398)
2.       Europe (346.5)
3.       World (242.5)
4.       USA (225)
5.       Asia (214.5)
 
This means that this season the only ones that could topple Canada for top spot are Europe. It seems like it is almost two comps at the moment the A – Grade being Canada and Europe and the B – Grade being Usa, World and Asia.
So, this has been a brief history of the winners and losers in the WJC, what will happen in the s68 WJC, Will Canada stay on top, will Asia win its first cup? You will have to wait and find out when the WJC is simmed.
 
My working and calculations
 
RR - W
Asia
Canada
Europe
USA
World
  Wins
OTL
Goals
Wins
OTL
Goals
Wins
OTL
Goals
Wins
OTL
Goals
Wins
OTL
Goals
S55
1
0
24
6
0
33
7
0
39
2
1
35
4
0
30
S62
5
0
37
7
0
34
3
0
22
3
0
24
2
0
16
S63
4
1
24
6
0
31
5
1
22
3
0
20
2
1
21
S64
2
0
24
6
1
28
6
1
31
3
2
24
3
1
25
S65
1
1
18
6
0
30
5
0
27
4
1
28
4
1
31
S66
4
1
27
4
2
26
4
2
28
6
0
24
2
1
23
S67
3
2
27
3
2
32
7
0
32
2
1
21
5
0
27
Total
20
5
181
38
5
214
37
4
201
23
5
176
22
4
173
Points
40
5
90.5
76
5
107
74
4
100.5
46
5
88
44
4
86.5
Total Points
135.5
    188
    178.5
    139
    134.5
     
Positions
            Asia
Canada
Europe
USA
World
S55
5
4
1
3
2
S62
2
1
5
3
4
S63
2
1
3
5
4
S64
5
1
2
4
3
S65
5
2
1
4
3
S66
3
2
4
1
5
S67
3
4
2
5
1
 
Points
            Asia
Canada
Europe
USA
World
Gold
0
3
2
1
1
Silver
2
2
2
0
1
Bronze
2
0
1
2
2
First Loser
0
2
1
2
2
Second Loser
3
0
1
2
1
Position Points
79
210
168
86
108
Round Robin Points
135.5
188
178.5
139
134.5
Total
214.5
398
346.5
225
242.5
 
@Banackock feel free to use my working to update the WJC topics.

Thank you for selecting me

1. No one expects the Blues to go back to back
2. He is scared of losing time when I come up so he is trying harder
3. Hitz
4. Would like to see Claude hit those numbers
5. Possession, gotta keep the puck as much as possible
6. a PP goalie is a bit useless

An amazing game of cricket has come to a close late on day five at Lords in England. The intense battle between two amazing teams, Hit & Run and Cunning Stunts went all the way to day five to finally get a winner. It was Frank Funk the man of the match that finished it up getting Mr. America caught out after a ball came off the bat and bounced off his pad. Quicksilver who was fielding in close at the time managed to take the catch and that was it for the first game.
 
Hit & Run after winning the toss elected to bat first on a green pitch, it seemed like it could have been a bad decision when they were 3/59 after losing opener R. Fripp 8 (14) followed closely by M. Hayden 16 (12) then R. Funk 23 (62). This brought together what was probably the best partnership of the game between Bat Man and A. Nahasapeemapetilon, the pair put on a partnership of 151 before A. Nahasapeemapetilon departed for 67 (145). Bat Man would continue the excellence though and be the first ever batsman to make a century he made an amazing stand making 138 (211). The tail of Hit & Run didn’t do to much work with all batsman failing to contribute except for fan favourite Big Chungus who made an impressive 23* (31) for a number 10 batsman. Cunning Stunts managing to bowl Hit & Run out for 307 in 98.2 overs. The number 3 batsman from Hit & Run said after getting out that “It is not too bad of a wicket to bat on I think there is plenty in it for both batsman and bowlers I do think that 300 would probably be a par score on this wicket.” With Hit & Run making the 307 I think they would have been quite happy in the dressing room. The wickets were spread out between all of the bowlers for Cunning Stunts with the best figures of 3/55 going to H. Hall. Hall had a slow start not producing much against the opening batsman. He started shining when he was the one to get the vital wicket of Bat Man. P. Datel also finished the innings with three wickets with figures of 3/83. M. Lanning picked up two wickets and both J. Brown and M. America bagged one each.
 
This then sent Cunning Stunts in to bat early on day 2 trailing by 307 runs. Cunning Stunts seemed to really get a good start with a 79-run opening partnership between E. Perrry and B. Dickus before E. Perry departed for 54 (55) after being bowled by Bowl Man. P. Ng and B. Donman both didn’t last very long to the great bowling of F. Funk, with the batsman scoring 15 (27) & 3 (20) respectively. This brought in the last of the known batsman H. Hogan who made a decent contribution of 26 (39) before he was trapped in front by Bowl Man. Cunning Stunts were 5-216 when J. Brown got to the crease B. Dickus and J. Brown then put on an impressive 6th wicket partnership of 57 runs before B. Dickus was bowled by F. Funk after scoring 94 (127). This was when the massacre started as F. Funk cleaned up the last four wickets with Cunning Stunts only making an extra 50 runs, the final scores for the batsman were, J. Brown 42 (116), M. America 23 (54), H. Hall 3 (14), P. Datel 11 (55), M. Lanning 20 (39) and W. Keeper 1* (16). This had Cunning Stunts with a score of 323 and a 16 run lead at the end of their first innings. The bowling from Hit & Run was dominated by F. Funk getting amazing figures of 8/68 off 26 overs including 3 maidens. Bowl Man also contributed with 2/45, with B. Chungus, B. Lee & F. Quicksilver not getting any wickets and going for 68, 97 & 39 runs respectively.
 
Hit & Run coming out to bat trailing by 16 runs knew that 300 wouldn’t be enough and they would need to push for at least 350 to make sure that they could stay in the game. They came out to a great start with a 118-run partnership between R. Fripp & R. Funk. This ended when R. Fripp was caught behind off Datel’s bowling for 60 (106). Bat man who was the star of the first innings then entered and had a decent bat with R. Funk before he was trapped in front by M. Lanning, he had to depart for 68 (124). Bat Man ended up also making a half century getting 54 (98) before he was bowled by J. Brown. Brown and Datel then got the last of the wickets between the two of them but not before F. Quicksilver and B. Chungus made decent scores being 43 (74) & 44 (61) respectively. The rest of the batters didn’t do horribly scoring the following runs, Bowl Man 15 (22), F. Funk 16 (35), B. Lee 18 (46) & W. Keeper 17* (40). This gave Hit & Run a score of 395 which then meant that Cunning Stunts had a total of 380 to chase. J. Brown bagged himself a 5fa with figures of 5/88, P. Datel contributed heavily with 4/90, M/ Lanning managed to get one wicket with final figures of 1/92. H. Hall 0/82 and M. America 0/43 didn’t really do much with the ball in that innings.
 
So, it is close to the end of day 4 and Cunning Stunts need to chase 380 to win. This did not start off well with Cunning Stunts quickly dropping to 2/23 with both B. Chungus and B. Lee getting their first wickets. E. Perry was the first to go getting out to B. Chungus caught in slip for 6 (18), Closely followed by B. Dickus out to B. Lee caught behind, after a great first innings he got out for only 12 (16). B. Donman didn’t last long either when he was out to F. Funk caught behind for 12 (32). This left Cunning Stunts at only 3/52 Still needing 328 to win, it was an extremely tough challenge for Cunning Stunts from here and they needed a big partnership to save them. This is when P. Ng and H. Hogan put up a 78 run partnership together which helped Cunning Stunts before Hogan was caught in front by F. Funk for 48 (74), F. Funk then continued his amazing performance getting P. Ng caught behind for 57 (89). Then with the opening bowlers connected with B. Lee taking a catch of B. Chungus’ bowling to send J. Brown back to the pavilion with a score of 21 (35). This then left Cunning Stunts at 6/168 with the task of trying to get 212 runs. M. America looked like he could be the saviour creating partnerships with all the remaining batsman, but he had to watch from the other end as both H. Hall and P. Datel were caught behind of B. Lee’s bowling for 18 (37) and 18 (66) respectively. Then M. Lanning got to a respectable 20 (35) before F. Funk got the wicket caught behind which just left M. America and W. Keeper chasing 78 more runs for victory. It wasn’t long until M. America’s luck ran out when he tried to play a forward defensive shot which bounced off the bat, then his pad then his foot before being caught by short leg. This ended the dream of a comeback with M. America out for 80 (149) and W. Keeper making 8* (14). Hit & Run had done it, they won the game by 66 runs. With F. Funk taking 5/101 in that innings, B. Lee 3/75, B. Chungus 2/56 and F. Quicksilver with Bowl Man not getting any wickets. With F. Funk winning man of the match with his match figures of 13/169 and making a contribution of 22 with the bat.
So, with all that we saw a tremendous game between two brand new sides. It was an incredible test match that ended very close. I hope all who was involved enjoyed the game and hopefully we have some more great games to come.
 
Tagging all who played @GustavMattias, @Rayzor_7, @Nykonax, @Elmebeck, @Banana2311, @DoktorFunk, @diamond_ace, @JeffD & @HulkHogan