Kaiden Pollard hit a monumental 135 to propel North Zone into the semifinals of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) U15 Interzone Youth Tournament.
North skipper Pollard, the son of former West Indies captain Keiron Pollard, blasted nine sixes and 13 fours in a partnership of 209 for the third wicket with Elijah Ashton as his team amassed 245 for 5 in their 30 overs.
Larell Guiseppi and Alex Nicholas shared four of the first five wickets to help dispatch Tobago for 86 in 23.4 overs to seal a dominating 159-run victory.
North won all three matches in the preliminary round and will contest the semifinal on 19 February at the National Cricket Center in Balmain.
“Great victory, of course. Even though the guys knew that they were basically already into the semifinals, they still went out full throttle. They did not hold back,” said North manager Curtis Roach.
North brought in opener Levi Burke for Jean-Paul Barrimond for the game against Tobago, played at the Brian Lara Recreation Ground in Santa Cruz.
After opting to bat, North fell into the crosswinds early with openers Abdiel Boland (6) and Levi Burke (9) falling cheaply.
However, Pollard and Ashton took control of proceedings with a disciplined but damaging stand of 209 off 138 balls.
Pollard, who was promoted to number three for North U15’s last match, again batted at one-down and produced a devastating knock that shattered the early confidence of the Tobago team.
He muscled 13 fours and cleared the boundary nine times, rattling along at a strike rate of 158.80, statistics his illustrious father produced many times in his storied career.
Ashton was the perfect foil for Pollard, taking over the strike when his captain needed a moment of pause in gathering 55 off 67 balls.
When Pollard fell at 230 for 3, North only had 11 balls remaining in the innings and went in search of quick runs.
North lost wicketkeeper Dylan Lee Chow to Nickel Dixon for 3, before Ashton was run out off the last ball of the innings.
North scored 245 for 5 at 8.20 per over, a challenge for any team in the tournament.
Dixon (3/32) and Jonathan Kent (1/6) were the only successful bowlers for Tobago on a difficult day for the visitors.
“Basically, we have been trying to instill in them that batting long will always pay off and we told them to wait for the bad balls. We had that issue before where they would have that rush of blood, and usually pick the work ball and get out,” said Roach.
“But we ensured that we told them today to bat and bat long. And that is exactly what they did. Both of them were very patient in their approach. They played themselves in and they were sure to capitalize on the bad balls,” he added.
Pollard, who notched an unbeaten half-century in their last game against North-East, was promoted to bat at number three.
The North U15 captain usually bats at five or six, but coach Earnil Ryan told him he would bat earlier for the game.
Kaiden’s success at number three compelled the North coaching staff to keep their captain in the critical batting position.
“(Kaiden) was hesitant. He asked coach if, he was sure. (Ryan) said ‘You don’t know the talent you have. We know it. You are yet to find out the talent you have,’” Roach said.
“We told him, ‘You came good in (the North-East) game, and you didn’t get to go because the game was over, and today we want you to do the same thing, and go on.’ And that is exactly what he did.”
Roach was also full of praise for the batting of Ashton in support of Pollard in the double-century partnership.
“I told Ashton that his innings was just as valuable,” Roach said, “He saw that Pollard was hitting the ball, and hitting the ball well.’ But when he saw that Pollard needed a rest, Ashton took over and gave Pollard that opportunity to catch his breath.”
A deflated Tobago team lost two wickets early with Brandon Ramdoo removing Dixon (0) off the fifth ball of the innings, and Alex Nicholas taking care of Kardwell Richards (6) five balls later.
Tobago tiptoed to 28 for 2 before the dismissal of Fabrice Lynch (5) triggered a lethal collapse, with five wickets falling for 13 runs.
Opening bowler Larell Guiseppi, who dismissed Lynch, also bowled Isa Ali (1) after Nicholas claimed his second wicket, sending back Kael Campbell for 1.
Tobago suffered two runouts during their dizzying slide, with Kiran Mohammed (1) and Amani Lovell (1) falling swiftly with the visitors at 41 for 7.
Kymel Lynch and Jonathan Kent briefly repaired the damage with a 32-run partnership for the eighth wicket before leg-spinner Avinash Boodram was introduced into the attack.
Mixing his leg-breaks and googlies to devasting effect, Boodram bowled Lynch for 24 and had Kent caught behind for 9 to leave Tobago tottering at 74 for 9.
Kemuel Yard then fired out Kashiff Small (5) to seal a magnificent victory for North and a place in the semifinals as Group A winners.
Boodram was the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 13, with Guiseppi (2/17) and Nicholas (2/18) decimating the top-order.
“Those guys went out there and executed to the best of their ability. They did not hold back,” Roach said.
North started their campaign with a three-wicket win over East, before trouncing North-East by seven wickets.
North manager Roach said that his team will go full pelt in the semifinals.
“Same application. Those guys coming out to win,” said Roach.
Both semifinals will be played on 19 February, with North traveling to the National Cricket Center for their match.
The TTCB U15 Interzone Youth Tournament final is carded for 26 February at the Balmain venue.
Summarized scores: North 245 for 5 in 30.0 overs (Kaiden Pollard 135, Elijah Ashton 55; Nickel Dixon 3/32, Jonathan Kent 1/6) vs. Tobago 86 all out in 23.4 overs (Kymel Lynch 24, Jonathan Kent 9; Avinash Boodram 2/13, Larell Guiseppi 2/17, Alex Nicholas 2/18). North won by 159 runs
North: Abdiel Boland, Levi Burke, Kaiden Pollard, Elijah Ashton, Dylan Lee Chow, Davis Guerra, Brandon Ramdoo, Alex Nicholas, Larell Guiseppi, Avinash Boodram, Kemuel Yard
