Hi Everyone, Hooray! We are happy to say we were able to complete finals games last Sunday. Semi Final 1:Youngstars 143 defeated Pacific Storm 116/9 Qualifying Final 1: SL Lions 55(all out) defeated by Super XI 58/1 The Youngstars win means that they are the first team to reach the 2014 League Final and are still yet to be defeated. Super XIs win means they will play PK Eagles next week in Semi Final. The winner of this game will play Youngstars in the final. Some promising news has come about with a spot at Incheon University coming available for the afternoon meaning that we can play our lower half(bowl) semi finals along with our Cup Semi Final. This weeks matches: SKKU Bowl Semi Final 1 10:30AM: IIK vs Seoul Exiles Bowl Semi Final 2 2:30PM: Anziks vs Arirang Fighters Incheon University, Jemulpo Cup Semi Final 2: 12:00PM PK Eagles vs Super XI Umpires: TBA Unfortunately last Sunday was not without controversy with one team threatening to boycott the first game due to a dispute over a disciplinary decision made by officials. In addition, one of the two scheduled umpires came late to the game. Irfan Ghafoor, who is the umpire in question has been found guilty of failing to meet his responsibilities as a match official and has been suspended from 1league game as a player. This sort of behavior was really disappointing to see and no player, team or official is bigger than the league. Whether you agree or disagree with a decision, we are taught as children to respect an officials decision with grace and dignity and get on with the game. Unfortunately for a few, some are still learning to grow past their prepubescent desires and feel that they are owed something in a cricket competition that is no better than 4th grade in Australia. Honestly speaking I was absolutely disgusted and saddened by the character assassination against me and the officials of this league. For those who dont know about me, Im the son of Australian farmer and a Filipino mother in country QLD, Australia. Growing up, our family didnt have much money but my father worked hard to put food on the table. My first cricket bat was an old plank of wood because we couldnt afford to buy a real one. My parents always taught me Always conduct yourself in a professional manner. Money comes and goes, but the integrity of ones character cant be taken away from you These words I hold very close to me in my own philosophy for life and I plan to bestow these values to my own children someday. In Australian/ANZAC culture this is called being true blue or fair dinkum. So when someone says that they are not true blue or fair dinkum then this is one of the worst accusations you can make. Unfortunately last Sunday certain individuals stepped over the proverbial line and chose to accuse my character and question my integrity. For a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, this baseless character assassination was a real low blow. Especially when the person being accused has devoted almost every Sunday for the last two Summers so guys can play hard ball cricket in Korea. While this accusation tried to be swept under the rug as a misunderstanding all I can say is, I can forgive but never forget... Just because a decision is one that is not favorable to you or your team doesnt mean that it has been made under malicious circumstances or that it is wrong. When a decision is made there is never a so called witch-hunt against a player or a team and to make accusations of this nature is just wrong and hurtful to the guys who are just trying to do a role as a non paid volunteer. Keep in mind the sacrifices these volunteers have made in countless hours of organising and managing things off the field. Let me remind guys that this league is one of the most economical cricket leagues in the world. The cost to play in a league competition in Australia is a minimum $250-300per player plus $10 per game. For some reason some teams think that they are owed a sense of entitlement in this league and this kind of behaviour needs to stop. I understand that we all come from different cultures and backgrounds and this has a big influence over how we think and conduct ourselves as people but culture should never be used as a scapegoat to do the wrong thing. Playing the racial profiling or victim card here is just a cop-out and just shows the individuals cross cultural inexperience and naivety. With that said, I feel that in order to grow cricket here we need to stop this childish behavior and work together otherwise our pettiness will just kill the league and the future of cricket in this country. We need to be bigger than our own self-interest and make sacrifices otherwise cricket is as good as dead. Some of you reading this may disagree with some of the things Ive said and thats fine.(thats your prerogative). All I can say is I can hold my head up high that everything Ive done has been with the utmost integrity, and I know my father would be proud of me.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 13:37:23 +0000
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