Central Sports win nail-biter over Victoria Utd

CENTRAL SPORTS earned a place in the semi-final round of the TT Cricket Board (TTCB) T20 Festival, after a narrow one-wicket win over Raw Fitness Victoria United, in the first game of a quarter-final double-header yesterday.

PowerGen were due to face Queen’s Park II in the second match last evening at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba. Victoria United, who were put in to bat, were restricted to 127 runs for nine wickets in their allotted 20 overs. In response, Central Sports laboured to 128/9 with three balls remaining.

Central Sports began their run chase on the backfoot as four wickets fell in the power-play — openers Adrian Ali (duck) and Kamil Pooran (one), followed by Kjorn Ottley (four) and Jyd Goolie (one).

St Lucian Keddy Lesporis (61 off 46 deliveries with six fours and two sixes) and Barbadian Kyle Mayers (16) had a crucial fifth-wicket stand of 42 before Mayers miscued a pull shot off Victoria’s captain and off-spinner Sherwin Ganga and was caught by Keron Kanhai at cover. Vishan Jagessar, batting at number eight, had a vital 26, with three sixes, to carry Central Sports closer to victory. But he fell when the total was on 112, flicking pacer Andrae Bryce to Vishal Roopnarine in the deep.

Christopher Vincent was dismissed in the next over, leaving Central Sports on 118/9.

However, with the scores level, Ganga bowled a leg-side wide to hand victory to Central Sports.

Bryce finished with figures of three wickets for 25 runs while Ganga had 2/24 and fellow off-spinner Farrel Jugmohan 2/28. Antoine was the star of the show for Central, with the ball, with 4/21, while Mayers had 2/12 and Jagessar 2/17, as Victoria’s innings hardly got going.

Opener Marcelle Jones struck 42, off 44 balls, while Ganga made 27 and Bryce 21.

The semi-finals will take place tomorrow (THURSDAY) with the final carded for Saturday — all at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.