BCF Sixes in Ghent
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Ranking
Ostend arrive late... but end up on top
Eight teams gathered at the cricket ground of Domein Claeys-Bouüaert in Mariakerke (Ghent) on Sunday 2 September for the yearly festival of exciting six-a-side cricket. Organised by Arcadians, the event gathered three Division One sides. After a last-minute withdrawal of League champions Antwerp Indians, an All Stars team was formed from the non-registered cricketers present.
During the qualifying games, the hosts failed to win a game for the first time in the history of the tournament. In the first game of the day, Antwerp took victory as the Arcadian bowlers had problems adjusting to the 5 metre run-up. But first division team Exiles (finalist in 2006), which first beat the national Under-19s, also beat Antwerp. Under-19s also beat the hosts to beat Antwerp for the second place in Pool A, behind Exiles. In Pool B, the teams were more evenly matched: all four team won one game and lost one, so the ranking had to be made based on the runs scored/wickets lost average - with surprising results: the All Stars team finished first after beating Eagles, and Ostend joined them in the semi-finals (although they lost their first game against Eagles by walk-over as three players arrived late). Mechelen found themselves missing the semi-finals on runs average for the second year running.
The first semi-final matched the Under-19s against the All Stars. Fired by Soheel Hussain (24) and Sunny Sheraz (16), the youngsters set a target of 59 for 5. The All Stars was now ramped up with some of the eliminated Mechelen players, which did not have the desired effect. Tight bowling limited their innings to 32 for 5, and the juniors qualified for the final.
The second semi-final was a coastal derby, Ostend versus Exiles. With only one boundary in the innings, Exiles had to be content with 41. Ostend seemed in trouble after loosing early wickets: 5 for 2, then 10 for 3. But the experienced Bunti Hameed and Sher Khan steadied the ship en brought Ostend home with 3 balls to spare.
Arcadians (replacing the Antwerp team that had returned home disappointed) salvaged some pride in 5th place victory over Mechelen, starring André Wagener with the bat (28 not out) and wicketkeeper-turner-legspinner Martin Gregson with the ball (2 for 4).
The final brought - as usual - thrilling cricket under a setting September sun. The Under-19s first scored the highest innings total of the day, 76 for 1, with contributions from guest player Shahid Muhammad (24), Soheel Hussain (26 not out) and Sunny Sheraz (13 not out). Ostend was not disturbed by the lost of their first wicket on the second ball but approached the target like a clockwork: 16-1 after one over, 36-1 after two... With 6 balls to go Ostend was on 62 for 3, still 15 runs short of victory. A six of the first ball reduced the deficit, and with a 2 and a 3 from the next balls the score moved to 73 - 3 to win with 3 balls to go. But then the batsmen tried to get a second run and Anwar Khurshid (14) was run out. But Amir Iqbal, retired at 27 not out, returned to the crease and hit the winning boundary, with just one ball to spare.
For the third year in a row, the final went to the wire and Ostend must be applauded for their courage to carry on after missing the first game: no doubt they were the best team in the tournament!
The Player of the Tournament trophy went to Shahid Muhammad, the only player who decided games both with bat (24) and ball (1 for 1 and 2 for 5).
Full Tournament Results - BCF Sixes 2007
2 September 2007, Mariakerke/GentPool A
| Team | Points | Runs-Wckts | Avg. | |
| 1 | Exiles | 4 pts | 104-6 | 17.33 |
| 2 | Belgium U-19s | 2 pts | 100-4 | 25.00 |
| 3 | Antwerp | 2 pts | 106-7 | 15.14 |
| 4 | Arcadians | 0 pts | 101-7 | 14.23 |
Exiles (55-2) beat Under-19s (47-1) by 8 runs
Under-19s (53-3) beat Arcadians (38-5) by 15 runs
Exiles (49-4) beat Antwerp (36-3) by 13 runs
Pool B
| Team | Points | Runs-Wckts | Avg. | |
| 1 | All Stars | 2 pts | 97-4 | 24.25 |
| 2 | Ostend | 2 pts | 36-2 | 18.00 |
| 3 | Mechelen | 2 pts | 107-6 | 17.83 |
| 4 | Eagles | 2 pts | 46-3 | 14.33 |
Eagles beat Ostend walk-over
Ostend (36-2) beat Mechelen (35-4) by 4 wickets
All Stars (62-1) beat Eagles (46-3) by 16 runs
5th Place game
Arcadians (62-2) beat Mechelen (34-4) by 28 runs
(Antwerp and Eagled retire from the tournament)
Semi-finals
Under-19s (59-5) beat All Stars (32-5) by 27 runs
Ostend (42-2) beats Exiles (41-4) by 4 wickets
FINAL
Ostend (78-4) beat Under-19s (76-1) by 2 wickets
Player of the tournament
Shahid Mohammed, Mechelen
The final standings
1. Ostend CC2. Belgium Under-19s
3. Ostend Exiles CC
4. All Stars
5. Arcadians CC Gent
6. Mechelen CC
7. Antwerp CC
8. Mechelen Eagles CC