Metro League To Bowl Off  With Innovative Sixes Tourney

by Dyon Ravello,

The New York Metropolitan Districts Cricket Association (MCL) bowls off on May 11th 2014, Mother’s Day. All 14 teams will participate in the MCL Sixes at Gateway Park, (Exit 15 off the Belt Parkway, at Gateway Mall). The knockout tourney will see seven teams advance to the quarterfinals after the preliminary round. The teams will draw for numbers on the day, to determine each fixture.

The Clement “Busta” Lawrence Premier League commences a week later on May 18th 2014. The MCL 40 over championship is the marquee competition in the league as the MCL will return to divisional format in 2015. The top eight (8) teams at the end of the 2014 season will contest Division One in 2015, with the lower six (6) plus additional teams to challenge for promotion in the Second Division. The top four teams will advance to the semifinals for a shot at a place in the August 17th final.

The Roy Sweeney Twenty/20 Challenge Cup will be staged from August 24th. Teams have been divided into two groups:

Group A: Villagers, Cosmos, Mid Island, Staten Island, Pioneer, Lucas, and Lions.

Group B: Westbury, Progressive, New Hope, Spice Island, Suburbia, River Valley, and Sheffield

Like the Busta Lawrence Premier League, the Sweeney Twenty/20 Challenge moves to semifinals with the top two teams from each group to vie in semifinals and finals on October 5th 2014.

MCL rounds out the 2014 season on October 12th 2014 with the Leroy Bedassee Super 3 another innovative one-day challenge. The best three teams from the Busta Lawrence Premier League will face off with each team batting just once and bowling only once as well. Teams will not bowl to the team they batted against with the average run rates determining the Champions.