Webster, King star at UWI T20 Festival

TT Red Force batsman Tion Webster and former West Indies women's player Stacy-Ann King were the stars of the show on Saturday, as UWI held its T20 cricket festival at UWI Spec in St Augustine to celebrate its 75th anniversary.

Webster and King walked away with the Player of the Match awards in their respective exhibition matches, with the 28-year-old Webster hammering a score of 108 (58 balls) to lead UWI's T20 all-stars to a comprehensive 56-run win over the UWI men's invitational team.

Webster lit up the Spec venue as the UWI T20 all-stars posted a mammoth score of 233 for five after being sent in by the UWI invitational team. Webster, who was named to the 14-man Red Force team for the Regional Super50 tournament which bowls off in Trinidad on October 17, was well-supported by Isaiah Rajah, who made 51 off 30 balls.

Veteran batsman Mario Belcon also contributed a healthy score of 36 (17 balls) to help the all-stars to their imposing total. Former WI under-19 medium-pacer Sion Hackett was the pick of the bowlers for the invitational team, with figures of two for 48.

Hackett also led the way with the bat for the invitational team as he top-scored with 50 off 32 balls. Navin Bidaisee also struck an even 50 for the invitational team but they couldn't topple the all-stars.

Webster also led a tight bowling effort by the all-stars. Both he and left-arm spinner Yannick Ottley had figures of one for 12. Kareem Khan had figures of one for 17 and won the award for the best bowler.

In the women's spectacle, King, now a recognised commentator in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), proved head and shoulders above her peers. Her unbeaten innings of 68 (62 balls) did the trick for the UWI Women's Cricket Club invitational team as they comfortably chased down a 120-run target set by Phoenix Women's Cricket Club. The UWI team got to the score with ten balls to spare.

Shalini Samaroo and 15-year-old Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) women's player Samara Ramnath took a wicket each for the UWI women's invitational team as they restricted Phoenix to 119 for three. Shania Abdool top-scored with 45 off 54 balls for Phoenix.