Scores of Cariocas out for their regular Sunday run around the lagoon last week were forced to take an impromptu pit-stop by the baseball diamond to try and work out what the hell was going on. We could see them in pairs or small groups looking through the fence and gesturing to each other, some trying to explain the rules to their friends and others just looking on with a faintly puzzled expression.

“Não é beisebol, porque não usam luva…” I heard through the fence. “Eu achava que o croquet era jogado com grandes martelos…”

What they were witnessing was in fact the inaugural ‘Carioca Cricket Club Quick Sixes Tournament’ which saw six teams of six compete for the trophy and of course all important bragging rights over their friends and teammates.

Saturday’s rain had cleared and gave the club a full afternoon in which to play all six group games and the final at a blistering pace in what proved to be a festival of sporting prowess, fair play and most importantly, team building.

The tournament was the best-attended club event since the last Brazilian National Championships, which the CCC hosted in April. The event saw 17 new names in the scorebook, including a large influx of Indian players which bodes well for the successful future of the club, still in its relative infancy.

On another positive note for the club, the CCC Women’s team, run by Leticia Maccioca, is growing all the time and indeed the ‘best bowler of the tournament’ award was won by newcomer, Nikki Monteiro, a South African, making her debut appearance at a club event. The girls also had the final say as the winning runs in the final were hit by Ginny Carlson.

After the six group games the final was contested between Lokesh Suri’s ‘Single Malt at Praia’ and ‘Pedras Gigantes’ captained by Leticia’s husband Nick. In a low scoring contest, ‘Pedras Gigantes’ were all out for 44 in just 5 overs. In reply ‘Single Malt at Praia’ lost a few early wickets but an excellent 20 not out from newcomer Chand Emmanuel and the cool cllectiveness of Ginny Carlson allowed them to cruise home with 3 overs to spare.

Perhaps the highlight of the afternoon however was the incredible home-cooked Pakistani curry ‘marmitas’ courtesy of Shehbaz and Naqash Jalal and their family, including chicken, lentils and a delicious roti (flat bread). The Jalal team are available to cater for events and you can call them on 979911 1331 or 96773 2854.

The club now looks ahead to the second round of the 2017 National Championships, which will be hosted at the CCC’s ground in Itaguaí on the weekend of the 11th and 12th of November. As well as the CCC, teams from São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Brasilia & Poços de Caldas will all be looking to be crowned ‘the best cricket team in Brazil’.