During the course of the week, spectators at the Diego Martin Sporting Complex and viewers of M&E TV and the North Zone YouTube channel have been treated to some really entertaining cricket.
Match Day 6—Friday 18th May 2023
Invincible CC Bounce Back to Beat North Coast United
On Friday, Invincible CC won the toss and put North Coast into bat and while the Maracas based North Coast started slowly, they ended well, posting 165-5 with half centuries from skipper Kendall Guerra and Andre Medina. North Coast were reduced to 19-2 inside the powerplay with Shameer Ali accounting for both openers. Terrnace James made 1 and Akiel Guerra 5, they were dismissed in the third and fifth overs, respectively.
K. Guerra joined Medina and started the rebuilding process and by the time they were separated in the 16th over, they had added 105 runs for the third wicket, Medina trapped lbw to Ramesh Dhanraj for 53 off 41 balls with five 4’s and one 6. Skipper Guerra fell in the very next over shortly after getting to his half-century, bowled by Jerome Simpson. His 50 runs came off 38 deliveries with two 4’s and five huge 6’s. Sachin Balliram added a quick fire 28 off 15 balls with three maximums before he was out in the final over.
Shameer Ali finished with figures of 2-16 while there was one wicket apiece for Simpson, Nathaniel McDavid, and Ramesh Dhanraj.
In Reply, Invincible CC lost their opener Franklyn Rouse in the first over, caught by Terrance James off the bowling of Claude De Vignes for 4 with the score on just six. Raphael Ali, batting at number three, joined his cousin Shameer Ali and the pair would add 51 runs for the second wicket, R. Ali being adjudged leg before to Darrel Dennison for 26.
North Coast would have no further success with the ball as S. Ali carried his bat for 68 from 43 balls, inclusive of seven 4’s and two 6’s and found an able partner in Nathaniel McDavid who was also not out on 56 at the end. Mc David faced 30 balls and had an identical boundary count as his partner seven 4’s and two 6’s. The pair shared in an unbroken, game-winning 99 run-stand to see Invincible home with four overs to spare.
Man of the Match – Shameer Ali
Match Day 5—Thursday 17th May 2023
Heartbreak for Combine All Stars
Earnil Ryan played a lone hand for Combine All Stars in their match against Shannon Sports Club on Thursday in the North Zone T20 competition. Ryan scored 100 not out, the first of the competition but it did not matter much in the end as he got very little support in his team’s chase of 157.
Shannon won the toss and chose to bat and posted 156-9 off their 20 overs with a top score of 65 from Iqwe Graig. In response, Combine All Stars were cruising at 127-4 in the fourteenth over but suffered a miraculous collapse to be all out for 146 in the 19th over with Ryan stranded at the non-striker’s end on 100. His hundred came off 53 balls and included fifteen 4’s and two 6’s.
Sadly, the next best score for Combine came from Keshan Roopnarine, who made 11. Ryan dominated an 86 run partnership with Roopnarine for the fourth wicket. The fall of Roopnarine signaled the beginning of the end. Poor Running between the wickets and the bowling of Andy Alexander, in the latter stages, were largely responsible for the late order collapse. Alexander took two wickets in the 16th over with the score on 130; Reza Muhammed and Rishi Rampersad were then run out in the space of three balls before Alexander wrapped up the innings clean bowling Deon Pierre without scoring. Combine lost six wickets for 19 runs and lost the match by ten runs.
Alexander finished with 3-31, Philton Williams and Rondell Williams took two wickets each and Kelvin John picked up one wicket.
Earlier, along with Craig’s half century, five of Shannon’s first six batsmen got into double figures with Kelvin John posting the next best score of 29, the only other score above 20.
Ray Campbell was the best bowler for Combine taking 3-22; Stephen Bhulawan and Deon Pierre took two each while Earnil Ryan had one.
Man of the Match – Earnil Ryan
Match Day 4–Wednesday 16th May 2023
Barren Bravo Leads Santa Cruz To T20 Win
Last year’s joint winners Santa Cruz got their North Zone T20 campaign off to a winning start with a 50 run win over Invincible Cricket Club on matchday 4 of the North Zone’s T20 competition.
Batting first after being sent in, Santa Cruz posted 160-4, thanks in large part to 66 not out from captain Darren Bravo. Bravo and Tion Webster were named as guest players for the Santa Cruz team. Webster came to the wicket when opener Ronaldo Huggins retired hurt for no score. Webster and Devon Sween put on 25 for the first wicket before Webster was caught off the bowling of Shameer Ali for 16. Twelve runs later Sween departed for 14 bowled by Miguel Mahabir. Bravo started cautiously but he and Alvin Smith took the score from 37-2 in the seventh over to 109 before Smith was out in the 16th over caught off Raphael Ali for 38, the pair sharing in a partnership of 72 for the third wicket. Devon Charles contributed 14 runs before he too departed but Bravo had started to open up and his his 43 ball 66 included four 4’s and two 6’s.
Shameer Ali, Raphael Ali, Miguel Mahabir amd Ramesh Dhanraj all took one wicket each.
Invincible, despite losing Kevin Singh for a duck early, had a much better scoring rate through the first eight overs. Shameer Ali and Brandon Maharaj took the score from 9-1 to 54-2, Maharaj falling for 11. Shameer Ali fell with the score on 61, he made 38 and was the third wicket to fall. While Several Invincible batters got starts only S. Ali got past 20. Invincible collapsed from 61-3 to 108-9 losing six wickets for 47 runs.
Donavon Stripp took 3-17, Keron Donald had 2-22 and there was one wicket each for Darren Bravo, Devon Charles, Tion Webster and Joshua Wong.
Man of the Match – Darren Bravo
Match Day 3– Tuesday 15th May 2023
Glenora and Combine Feature In Run Fest
Glenora Sports Club and Combined All Stars collectively scored 421 runs on Matchday 3 of the North Zone T20 competition but it was Glenora who came out on top after scoring a massive 243-4 in their 20 overs.
Glenora’s top three batsmen scored half centuries and each had a strike rate of over 150 and that laid the foundation for the huge total.
Openers Leonardo Julien and Kenroy Williams had an opening stand of 122 before Williams was the first to go caught off the bowling of Ray Campbell for 71. Williams faced 35 deliveries and hit ten 4’s and three 6’s. Julien added a further 56 with Sion Hackett before he was Campbell’s second victim, he faced 38 deliveries for his 68 runs and hit eight 4’s and two’6’s. Hackett went on to make an unbeaten 57 and together with Keon Mason and Naseebullah drove the scoring rate further up with Mason scoring a run a ball 9 and Naseebullah hitting a six and a four from two deliveries.
Campbell finished with 2-35 while Ryan picked up the wicket of Mason. Naseebullah was run out off the last ball of the innings.
In reply, Ray Campbell followed up his two wickets with a top score of 46 from 30 balls with four 4’s and three 6’s. Troy Cornelius 27, batting at number 4 and Earnil Ryan 25 batting at 5, made valuable contributions and batters six through eight all scored in double digits but the task was just too great. Combine closed their innings on 178 for the loss of eight wickets, losing the match by sixty-five runs.
For Glenora, Kenroy Williams took 2-26 and Dayanand Nigel Patrick had 2-37. Hackett, Mason and Javon Charles picked up one wicket each.
Man of the Match: Kenroy Williams
