25 overs a side cricket match between USC and CalTech played on Jan 30th
from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm at Cromwell, USC
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Here is how it all happened:

USC won the toss and put CalTech in to bat. The pitch was damp and the
Trojans were looking to skid the ball and get some early wickets. The
first ball of the match, bowled by Rajat from around the wicket,
expectedly skid and cut and took the off stump. From then on, CalTech
was always under pressure but several wide balls and some no balls eased
the pressure a bit. At the 13 over break (midpoint of the innings),
CalTech was 55/5 including around 30 extras. The extras continued even
after the break but two smart runouts off successive balls pushed CalTech
into a hopeless situation. However, the eighth wicket stand steadied the
innings and the extras continued to flow freely until CalTech was all out
for 97 in 22 overs. Devang and Manoj were the pick of the bowlers with 
Devang's genuine pace being completely unplayable on this pitch.

The Trojans opened with a left-right combo and the very first over saw 
7 extras conceded by the CalTech bowler. The runs were coming freely,
thanks to some good running between the wickets and some erratic bowling
wide off the wickets. A direct hit resulting in a run out, a slog caught
well in the deep and some unpredictable bounce resulting in a lobbed catch
suddely had the Trojans in trouble at 28/3 off 4 overs. Ashwin and Arvin
then steadied the innings, carrying it past the 50 mark with some good
running between the wickets, good placements and obviously the generous
wide balls being bowled. Arvin was caught at deep square leg attempting to
hit a six when the score was 57. The runrate was never a problem, the
Trojans simply had to stay there to win the match. With 25 runs remaining
and Ashwin and Anoop beginning to cut loose, CalTech came right back into
the game with two wickets off successive balls. A cliff-hanger was in
store for all. However, CalTech bowled around 5-6 wides+noballs off
each of the next 4 overs leaving the Trojans 4 runs to win off 6 overs
with 4 wickets in hand. Anoop smashed a big six to finish off the game in
style. Anoop and Ashwin top scored with 15 runs each.

The pitch was terrible to bat on, damp with dew and very uneven. It was
also difficult to bowl on such a pitch and with so much moisture in the
air, the bowlers just could not control the ball with more than 100 extras
being conceded in the entire game. Fielding was even harder as the
fielders kept on slipping on the wet grass and wicketkeeping resulted
in sore hands in the cold conditions. In all, the conditions were very
dificult to play in yet we saw some good performances and we hope that the
conditions improve as the winter subsides. However, it all looked
magnificent from the stands seeing USC fight it out with CalTech under
the floodlights, on the lush green field and everyone seemed to be having
a good time.