By Jay Forte, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Carioca Cricket Club (CCC) faces their first pinnacle moment in the 2015 season as they prepare for the National State Championships on July 4th and 5th in Brasília, against; São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Amazonas and Distrito Federal. As not everyone can travel with the club to Brasília, the CCC is holding an open social event on Thursday, June 18th to show support with some quiz night fun at local English pub, Lord Jim’s in Ipanema.
Yet it is the National State Championships July 4th and 5th in Brasília that are the CCC’s main focus as the season’s intensity picks up, and all the clubs are playing for the “John Landers Shield”, named after the founding president of Cricket Brasil.
President of the CCC, Craig Allison described the travel team, “We are sending a strong squad of seventeen players from Rio, including some new blood and two Brazilian players. Our regular captain Oliver Ballhatchet is unavailable so our Vice-Captain Freddie Blunt will be captaining and everyone in the squad will get to play.”
In terms of the competition, he adds, “Our first match against São Paulo is the crunch match, but Minas Gerais are dark horses. Amazonas are newcomers to the competition [but] DF have home advantage.”
There are two pitches where matches will be played and each team has been scheduled to compete twice at each venue. The is no final scheduled due to time constraints, so the team with most points will be named Round 1 champs. The Finals are to be held in Rio de Janeiro on October 31st and November 1st later this year.
At the 2014 championship, the former national champions had to cede the title to São Paulo, who won the final over the team from Minas Gerais, but the CCC was proud to host the championship that lasted two days, with six matches and a total of fifteen hours of cricket in Rio de Janeiro.
Lord Jim’s in Rio, where Thursday’s Quiz Night will take place, was also the location for the annual membership drive held in January. Craig Allison explained, “The Quiz Night on the 18th of June is another CCC social event to bring members together in a relaxed environment, testing their general knowledge in a competitive format, with beer, caipiroskas and nachos supplied by our gracious hosts at Lord Jim. CCC members, friends, family and others are welcome.”
The quiz competition is organized with teams of up to five players, and anyone interested in joining or creating a team should contact the club organizers, preferably before the event. There is a R$20 per person entry with food and bar promotions, with the action unfolding on the upstairs level of the pub starting at 7:30 PM.
* This is a Sponsored article for the Carioca Cricket Club.