Sports
Roneil Walcott
BATTING legend Brian Lara was dismissed via the run out route as his Harvard Cricket Club team fell to a heavy nine-wicket loss to Barataria Ball Players when the teams met in their North Zone T20 Festival match at the Diego Martin Sporting Complex on September 20.
Batting first in the rain-affected affair, which was reduced to 16 overs per side, Harvard made a modest 108 for seven with opener Kegan Jones top scoring with 29 off 28 balls. Ravi Kadoo hit two sixes in a cameo of 20 off 14, with Andre Yard making 17.
Harvard got a decent start with a 31-run partnership between Jones and Yohance Kwesi (seven), before the former then added 32 for the second wicket with Yard. However, they slipped from 63 for one to 69 for four in the span of eight balls. The fall of the fourth wicket was quite an untimely one for Harvard, as Lara was run out for four after a mix-up with Kevon Charles (five). Lara crashed the ball towards the fielder on the cover boundary, and with Charles hurriedly looking for a second run, Lara was left in no man’s land at the non-striker’s end and eventually sacrificed his wicket to be dismissed via the run out route.
In pursuit of 109, the Ball Players didn’t stick around in the chase and raced to 112 for one in nine overs. Opener Clifton Halls made 33 not out off 25, but hard-hitting Tobago batsman Dejourn Charles was the star of the show with an unbeaten 53 off 18 balls. The lanky Charles clouted six sixes and three fours in his brutal knock.
It was the Ball Players’ first win in three attempts and took them to three points and into second spot behind the unbeaten Santa Cruz Sports Association (six points) in group one. Harvard also have three points from three matches but are currently fourth in the group.
In more group one action on September 21, Combine All Stars got a 59-run victory over Ebony Sports and Cultural Club to notch their first win in three matches. Batting first, Combine made a daunting score of 209 for seven with Brent Lezama and Frank Simmons leading the way with scores of 90 off 52 and 69 off 40, respectively.
Ebony, who are yet to win a game, then got starts from Ewart Nicholson (38 off 19), opening batsman Aqiyl Babb (26) and Jonathan Lacario (25 off 17). However, they were never realistically in the hunt and were restricted to 150 for nine. Combine’s Ray Campbell bowled the solitary over but finished with magical figures of three for one after getting the wickets of Duane Cockburn (13), Elton Davis (golden duck) and Dominic Redhead (duck) in the penultimate over of the match. Adrian Burke Sr had figures of two for 20.
In a group two clash on September 20, Savannah Boys cruised to a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Bourg Mulatresse CCC after bowling out the opposition for just 77. TT youth player Luke Ali grabbed figures of two for 18 and then scored 31 off 17 in the facile chase to take Man of the Match honours.
Glenora Sports Club and Shannon Sports Club will meet in group two action in Diego Martin from 6.30 pm on September 22.
