Santa Cruz Sports Club claimed their second North Zone T20 title in three years after beating Savannah Boys in the finals of the 2024 tournament on Saturday at the Diego Martin Sporting Complex.
Tion Webster’s superb half-century capped off another dominant batting performance for Santa Cruz as they amassed 180 for 3 in their 20 overs.
Savannah Boys were always behind the eight-ball despite a splendid half-century by Navin Bedaisee as fine spells by Chadeon Raymond and Kashma Mitchell stymied their batting effort.
Santa Cruz Sports, which were joint T20 champions with Savannah Boys in 2022, ended the season with two titles after jointly winning the 2024 North Zone 40-over tournament with El Socorro Youth Movement.
Santa Cruz Sports Club, which includes national team batsmen Darren Bravo and Tion Webster, have battered their opponents after losing their opening game against Savannah Boys.
Since then they have rattled off wins by nine wickets, 88 runs, nine wicket,s and 130 runs while carving a destructive pathway through the tournament.
Savannah Boys were unbeaten coming into the final with five impressive wins including a 10-wicket victory over QPCC in the preliminary round.
However, it was Santa Cruz, a team that has twice scored over 200 runs in an innings, that drew first blood in the final.
Openers Kashma Mitchell and Webster slammed 105 for the first wicket off 11.3 overs with the former dismissed for 36 off 31 balls.
The pair brought up the first fifty off only 35 balls before, with the hundred coming up 28 balls later,
Webster was the chief tormentor, bringing up his fifth off 27 balls with nine fours and a six.
However, after Mitchell went bowled by Chetram Ramlal for 36 off 31 balls, the dangerous Bravo came in.
The 35-year-old showed glimpses of the sublime brilliance that took him to the heights of international cricket in lashing 44 not out off 44 balls.
He and Webster were together for only 26 balls, but they added 38 before the latter was dismissed for 84 off 52 balls.
Webster struck two sixes and 11 fours in another astounding display of batsmanship.
Santa Cruz lost Alvin Smith (5) before the innings came to a end on 180 for 3.
Ramlal had 1 for 28 in another tidy spell for Savannah Boys with Mark Sankar (1/30) and Ravi Naidoo (1/22) picking up wickets.
Savannah Boys’ success in the tournament has rested on great starts from their openers with Mark Sankar as one of their batting mainstays.
However, he was dismissed early by Darren Bravo for 2 before Savannah Boys got back on track with opener Navin Bidaisee and Isaiah Rajah putting together 56 for the second wicket in 47 balls.
Savannah Boys were behind the asking rate at that point with Bravo and Chadeon Raymond bowling frugally.
Kashma Mitchell made a critical blow in removing Rajah (16) and Sameer Ali (1) in the 11th over.
With the asking rate sliding upward alarmingly, Bidaisee, who brought up his fifty off 35 balls, perished for 60 off 42 balls.
Wickets tumbled quickly after with Vishan Jagassar (27), Riaff Ali (11) and Pradeem Ali (1) falling within the space of 15 balls for only 11 runs.
Naidoo and Ramlall attempted to repair the damage with Savannah Boys needing 50 runs off the last 19 balls.
That quickly became 44 off the last two overs, but Bravo conceded only six runs off the 19th over to leave Savannah Boys needing a scarcely conceivable 39 runs off the last over
Mitchell served up a wide that went for four off the first ball, but three solid deliveries won the match for Santa Cruz,
Naidoo smashed a six while Ramlall notched a boundary but they could not stave off defeat by 18 runs.
Mitchell took 2 for 30 while Raymond had 2 for 28 in the victory.
Santa Cruz ended the season with two titles, which would be redemptive for their fans who endured a tough start to the season in the league competition.
Summarized scores: Santa Cruz Sports 180 for 3 in 20 overs (Tion Webster 84, Darren Bravo 44*, Kashma Mitchell 36; Ravi Naidoo 1/22) vs. Savannah Boys 162 for 7 in 20 overs (Navin Bidaisee 60, Vishan Jagassar 27; Chadeon Raymond 2/28, Kashma Mitchell 2/30). Santa Cruz won by 18 runs.
