The Düsseldorf Blackcaps BL team finished the T20 Pokal championship - 2017 as runners-up.  The team missed out on a rare regional double as they lost in the finals to Bonn Goldenstars.  In the lead up to the finals, the Blackcaps lads were in red hot form easing through the group stages undefeated and winning the Quarter finals and Semis by a huge margin.  The finals took place at a neutral venue at Köln Chorweiler so both teams had an equal footing going into the big game. Blackcaps opted to field first after winning the toss and restricted the Goldenstars to 128 from 20 overs. This was quite a competitive total, considering the fact that the outfield was heavy and run scoring wasn't easy.  In the chase, Blackcaps never got going really and were bowled out for 94 with Nilay Patel playing a valiant knock of 43 from 37 balls.  It was a disappointing end as the team was looking to achieve the double championship this year.  We would like to offer our congratulations to Bonn Goldenstars for their T20 Title and we are confident of going one step higher in 2018.

 

However, all is not lost and this is only a minor blip in what has otherwise been an outstanding season for the team so far. The big German Championship final is only a couple of weeks away and the team is hoping to put aside this disappointment and capture the Deutsche Meister title which is the pinnacle of club cricket in Germany.