Bamboo proud of CSL T20 victory

SHERDON PIERRE

A BRUTISH half-century from Kieron Pollard and a classy 50 from Darren Bravo were the backbone of Bamboo All Stars' deserved 61-run victory over Associates XI in the Executive Upholsterers Central Super League final in damp conditions on Saturday at the Pierre Road Recreational Ground, Charlieville.

The win saw Bamboo clinch the $30,000 first prize in the second annual T20 tournament which continues to rise in prominence.

Manager of Bamboo All Stars Sheldon Sewnarine was full of praises after his team lifted the trophy. He said, “Our cricket can only get better with initiatives such as this in the communities. The committee did a fantastic job with this tournament, allowing teams to come out and play cricket.”

He continued, “We had several youngsters in the team and they got better playing with the senior players because they explain everything about the game to them.”

Organisers worked tirelessly to get the pitch ready after two hours of heavy downpour at the grounds caused a delay. The final was reduced to 13 overs per side but the large crowd of approximately 1,000 spectators was entertained by music, bouncy castle for kids and an array of food on sale while they waited for the start of the match.

Bamboo were eventually inserted to bat after losing the toss and it worked perfectly for them, amassing a huge total of 169/3 in just 13 overs. Bravo started the dominance with a blistering innings of 51 off 30 balls including three fours and the same number of sixes. West Indies T20 wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin chipped in with a well-measured 30 from 18 balls including (3 fours, 1 six). Pollard walked in with his team in a decent position at 92/2 with five overs remaining. The T20 star bullied the bowling, hitting six towering sixes on his way to scoring 52 from a mere 19 balls which earned him the man of the match. Kjorn Ottley was Associates best bowler with figures of 2/18.

Associates had an uphill task of chasing 170 in 13 overs and lost their best batsman and captain Kjorn Ottley for only nine runs. Akeal Hosein and Ewart Nicholson tried to revive the chase with both men clobbering three sixes apiece. When Nicholson (28) and Hosein (23) fell in quick succession, it wrapped up their chances as they ended on 108/6 when overs ran out. Pollard showed his all-round capabilities with 2/12.

In the third place playoff, Barrackpore United defeated Expert All Stars by three wickets. Batting first, Expert scored 189/9 in their 20 overs. Mark Deyal top scored with 53 runs (8 fours, 1 six) and James Duncan added 47 runs (3 sixes) to the total. Barrackpore`s Jyd Goolie snatched 2/22 from his allotted overs. Barackpore reached their target with two balls to spare, scoring 193/7. Akiel Cooper was the best batsman with 65 (1 four, 7 sixes) and Goolie scored 53 (6 fours, 3 sixes).

Individual Awards:

Most Valuable Player – Darren Bravo

Most runs – Darren Bravo (406 runs)

Most wickets – Adrian Cooper (13 wickets)

Emerging Player – Mbeki Joseph

Best Wicketkeeper – Joshua DaSilva (7 dismissals)

Most Disciplined – Combine All Stars