League nights at Sheffield Park Academy

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BBICL (Big Bash Indoor Cricket League) continued in its seventh season at a familiar home: Sheffield Park Academy. Every Tuesday evening from early October to mid-December, the school sports hall turned into a chamber of indoor windball cricket, echoing with shouts, laughter and the smack of ball on wall.

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Six teams made up the 2024 edition – Firvale Falcons, Firth Park Warriors, Darnall Dynamites, Pagehall Panthers, City Strikers and Burngreave Tigers – bringing together players from across Sheffield and Rotherham’s diverse communities. Over 33 matches, 94 individual players combined for 7,170 runs and 379 wickets, alongside countless smiles, jokes and new friendships.

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The league’s highest team total came during a mid-league match from Firth Park Warriors, who chased down Pagehall's 171/6 with 2 overs and 2 wickets to spare, in an explosive six-fest – a record 24 maximums hit. Across the double round-robin phase each side faced the others twice, creating natural rivalries and giving new and young players the chance to grow in confidence week by week.

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Clear-cut qualifiers, tight margins

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By the end of the league stage the top four were clear. Firvale Falcons, captained by Munazzam Hussain, were dominant out in front with nine wins and just one defeat. Behind them came Firth Park Warriors (Muhammad Adnan) and Darnall Dynamites (Abubakker Qureshi), both finishing with six wins and four losses, followed by Pagehall Panthers (Irfan Khan) holding on to fourth with four wins.

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City Strikers battled hard despite a tough record, while Burngreave Tigers were eventually disqualified for off-the-field failures. Even so, the group stage delivered competitive games almost every week, with only a handful of one-sided results and numerous tight finishes even as teams adjusted to new lineups depending on players’ availability.

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Semi-finals: Favourites Fall

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Finals Day brought both semi-finals and the showpiece final on one high-energy evening. First up, league leaders Firvale Falcons faced fourth-placed Pagehall Panthers – a fixture many expected to be a formality. Instead, it became one of the matches of the tournament.

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Firvale posted 131/7 from their 12 overs, a solid score under pressure. In reply, Pagehall required 6 from the final over and, thanks to a late assault by Muhammad Qasim – 51* from 31 balls including four sixes – they snuck home off the very last ball with just the last man’s wicket in hand. Falcons left the hall stunned, beaten for just the second time in the competition and denied a place in the final their league form seemed to demand.

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The second semi-final saw second-placed Firth Park Warriors take on Darnall Dynamites. Warriors struggled to build momentum and were bowled out for 72 in 10.1 overs. In response, Darnall’s openers Haidar Rasool and Saqib Hussain batted with maturity beyond the scoreboard, both retiring on 26* to complete a clinical 73/0 chase in just 8.2 overs. It was a statement win that underlined Darnall’s historical ability to stay calm on big nights.

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An underdog final

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With the top two from the league phase now out, the final became an underdog showdown between Pagehall Panthers and Darnall Dynamites. Pagehall won the toss and chose to bat first, despite both semi-finals having been won by the chasing side – a decision that would come back to haunt them.

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With brand-new windballs that swung sharply, knowing when to attack and when to play the percentages was a challenge for any batting line-up, let alone one under the pressure of a final. Darnall did not possess a star-studded bowling attack, but they did have discipline, calmness and self-belief.

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Opening bowlers Saqib Hussain and Haidar Rasool kept the scoring in check, denying early boundaries and building scoreboard pressure. Jawad Akhtar then squeezed the run rate further with a miserly spell – 0–10 from his two overs – before teenager Haseeb Yasin struck twice, finishing with 2–15 and removing key top-order batters.

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Captain Abubakker Qureshi came on to close the innings and delivered two superb deliveries for two wickets, ensuring Pagehall were all out for 73 in 10.2 overs, with 10 balls left unused. As the final wicket fell, the Darnall players swarmed their captain, sensing the momentum had tilted decisively their way.

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Darnall’s calm chase

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After a short break, Darnall’s openers returned with a simple plan: take no risks, punish anything loose and run hard. Haidar Rasool anchored the reply with a steady 26* from 24 balls, retiring once more with the target almost in sight. Alongside him, the top order kept the scoreboard moving, never allowing the required rate to creep out of control.

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With just a handful of runs needed, it felt fitting that Qureshi himself applied the final touch, nudging the winning run and sparking another surge of celebration as his teammates sprinted towards him. It was the perfect captain’s day: crucial wickets with the ball and the winning runs in the final.

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For Jawad Akhtar, named Player of the Tournament, it was yet another BBICL trophy to add to a growing collection. He summed up the mood with a smile: this had been a campaign the team entered “just to have fun”, but experience, togetherness and a belief that underdogs can win had carried them all the way.

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Stand-out performers and unsung heroes

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Across the season there were outstanding individual contributions. Pagehall’s Danish Hussain topped the run charts with 386 runs at an average of 55.14 and a blistering strike-rate of 188.29. For Darnall, Jawad Akhtar collected 16 wickets (best figures 3–11), three Player of the Match awards and 273 runs at a strike-rate of 191, earning both the bowling award and overall MVP.

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Captain fantastic Abubakker Qureshi claimed the Star of Cricket Arena award after his all-round Finals Day performance – two wickets, calm leadership and the winning runs in the showpiece game.

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Behind the scorecards, volunteers made the league possible. Umpires, scorers and media helpers – including Abdullah Asad, Abubakker Qureshi helping from the sidelines, Shohaib Khaliq and Zobair Khaliq – gave up their Tuesday evenings to set up, pack away, manage recordings, administer CricClubs and keep things running smoothly. Without that commitment, BBICL simply could not happen.

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Why BBICL 2024 matters

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BBICL 2024 wasn’t just about a trophy. For many players it provided a weekly routine through the toughest part of the year – a chance to stay active, connect with friends and enjoy competitive cricket without the barriers of cost, weather or daylight.

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The league continues to model the spirit of cricket indoors: respect for umpires, opponents and teammates; passionate but fair competition; and a shared pride in representing local communities. With Darnall Dynamites now added to the roll of honour, BBICL’s story has gained another chapter in a growing Sheffield tradition.