February has also been notable for the competitive nature of the 2008 League Championship, which has been thrown wide open by recent matches. Michael Farrant’s MCCC team got away to a strong start in the competition with two wins from two matches but suffered its first defeat at the hands of Taundeep Singh’s Corinthians. The MCCC was coming off a strong win against Umesh Matta’s Aztecs, the winners of the Brian Gay Trophy competition during the first half of the season, but had their hopes of a third win dashed by a strong performance by Corinthians who secured their first points of the League Championship.
MCCC remains head of the League table with two wins from three matches – with Aztecs, Corinthians, and Kevin Bhuller’s Reforma team each with one win.
Cricket’s presence in Mexico City continues to receive a boost from informal games of cricket and practice drills being undertaken at an enclosed “futbol rapido” soccer pitch in Coyoacan, in the city’s south. Locals passing by one of the city’s major parks are often intrigued to see MCA cricketers, replete with helmets and pads, fending off rising deliveries that jump from an artificial wicket put down over the concrete court. The cricketers are often asked to explain in Spanish what their sport is called and its objectives, providing a street level showcase for the game in one of the world’s biggest cities.
