TSATT stun CCC at Universities T20

THE Tertiary Sport Association of TT (TSATT) created a big upset with an easy five-wicket win over the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) on Saturday night at the Sir Frank Worrell Ground, St. Augustine. CCC won the toss and elected to bat only to be restricted to 134 for nine in their 20. TSATT then coasted to 138 for five in 17.1 overs to blow the group wide open when it comes to a top-two finish.

CCC were rocked by Amit Sankar who grabbed four for 20 from his four, which left them reeling at 20 for five. Sankar cracked the stumps of Leonardo Friginette and Odain McCathy for a pair of ducks to cement how hungry TSATT were for the win. Yannick Ottley (38) and Gian Benjamin (38) managed to recover the innings, putting on 71 for the sixth until Mikel Frederick bowled Ottley.

He registered four fours in his 38-ball knock. Sankar then had Johnnel Eugene edging to wicketkeeper Randy Mahase for duck while Frederick scalped Benjamin in similar fashion. Keron Cottoy (11) would go on to be bowled by Ramesh Brijlal as Jarlanie Seales tried to repair the innings with 21 off 18 (one four, one six), which led CCC to a fairly respectable total given their shaky start.

In their turn at the crease, TSATT pulled no punches once they recovered from nine for two. Michail Powell bowled Jason Batson for four and then nabbed Justyn Gangoo LBW for duck, but Mahase and national player Mark Deyal would repair things in style. Mahase made 44 off 41 with seven fours while Deyal lit the park up with 68 from 40 via 11 fours and a six. They put on exactly 100 for the third before Mahase gave his wicket away with a wild shot to deep cover off McCathy into the waiting hands of Cottoy in the 14th. By that time, TSATT were well on their way home with Saiba Batoosingh (13 off 11 with two fours) guiding the side home to stun CCC and break their perfect start. Frederick finished with two for 16 while Seales got two for 20 in vain.

Skipper Deyal claimed man-of-the-match plaudits as his team gears for January 15 when the tournament resumes with a 6.30 pm clash against USA. With two wins and one loss, TSATT will be favourites to secure the win and move to three wins and a loss in hopes of finishing atop the table for the semifinals. CCC, with a similar record, will then face UWI in a tougher clash the day after at 2 pm in what will prove another crucial affair in shaping the final four. All matches will continue at the same venue with the price of admission $25 at the gates.

Summarised scores: CCC 134/9 (Yannick Ottley 38, Gian Benjamin 38, Jarlanie Seales 21 not out, Amit Sankar 4/20, Mikel Frederick 3/23) vs. TSATT 138/5 (Mark Deyal 68, Randy Mahase 44, Michail Powell 2/16, Jarlanie Seales 2/20). TSATT won by five wickets.

Remaining fixtures

Tomorrow:

UWI vs. Oxford (2 pm)

USA vs. TSATT (6.30 pm)

Jan 16

CCC vs. UWI (2 pm)

USA vs. Oxford (6.30 pm)

Jan 17

Qualifier #1: 1st Place vs. 2nd Place (2 pm)

Eliminator #1: 3rd Place vs. 4th Place (6.30 pm)

Jan 19

Qualifier #2: Loser of Qualifier #1 vs. Winner of Eliminator #1 (2 pm)

Jan 20

Final: Winner of Qualifier #1 vs. Winner of Qualifier #2 (3 pm)