Titans overcome Challengers in Cosmos Inter-Village T20

WILLIAMSVILLE TITANS recorded their first win of the 2022 Cosmos Inter-Village T20 Cricket Festival when match-day two bowled off at Brothers Road Recreation Ground, New Grant on Thursday.

An unbeaten knock of 51 from D’Angelo Sanise and Chris Sadanan’s 42 propelled Williamsville Titans to an easy win over Brothers Challengers.

Batting first, the latter put on a challenging 149/3 in their 20 overs led by Brian Sookoo (44) and Stephon Laltoo (37) respectively.

Williamsville only needed 17.4 overs to reach a game-winning 153 with team captain, Jordan Samkaran, hitting the winning boundary. Their successful chase however, was built by Sookoo and Samkaran.

In an earlier match, Brothers Challengers emerged victors by 23 runs after posting a 133/6 and then limiting Poonah to 110/8.

And, in a first round match on Tuesday last, Williamsville and Hardbargain Knight Riders shared points as they game was abandoned owing to bad light. Hardbargain batted first and posted 135/8. Williamsville however, were well positioned for victory, batting at 118/5 in the 17th over, before the match was called off.

Additionally, Garth Road Royals took 19.3 overs to overtake the 124 runs scored by the Poonah Super Giants.

Action continues on every Tuesday and Thursday with one match each being held simultaneously, from 6.30 pm, at Brother’s, Gunners, Ben Lomond and Kumar Recreation Grounds.

At the tournament’s official launch last Tuesday, Princes Town Regional Corporation alderman Vashti Sookhoo, she said, “This tournament is a welcome return to outdoor activity and the overwhelming community response is testament to this.

“I applaud the efforts of Cosmos in organising this tournament and it’s a tribute to their 80 years of excellence. We must prepare the next generation to prosper and progress, and sporting activity is important to holistic development and healthy lifestyles.”

Tournament organisers, Cosmos Sports Club, celebrated their 80th anniversary in 2021 and this T20 inter-village festival is being held in recognition of this momentous milestone.

According to Cosmos’ president Kalaparsad Sanise, “Because of the pandemic restrictions, we really couldn’t celebrate our 80 years of existence last year. This tournament is recognition of this achievement, but it’s also about bringing back community spirit and camaraderie.

“We created it as a festival because it’s not about standings and winning, but rather about friendly rivalry and giving our communities some much needed family-based outdoor entertainment.”

Despite a rough start to their campaign Poonah Super Giants’ manager and player Varun Singh expressed enthusiasm about the T20 festival.

“All of the teams comprise of mostly young players, and this is positive to see. There was a void in youth development and sports, and I hope that this is a start to what will become an annual competition.

“The games have all been close and the young players are really shining in the spotlight. Besides this, the community spirit and support has been overwhelmingly positive. I appreciate the efforts of Cosmos, the alderman and all the teams. At the end of the day, everyone who participates is a winner,” Singh explained.

Action continues in the 2022 Cosmos Inter-Village T20 Cricket Festival this week with the final round to be played on June 4.