Central, South West charge into TTCB U-13 interzone final

THE Central and South West teams booked their spots in the TT Cricket Board (TTCB) under-13 interzone final with commanding victories in their respective semifinals on Tuesday.

Batting first at the Greig Street recreation ground in Balmain, South West scored a respectable 217 all out from their allotted 40 overs against East.

Batting at number four, Keshav Mongru played a brilliant innings for South West as he cracked 82 not out off 78 balls with seven boundaries. Wickets fell regularly at the other end, but Mongru stood tall to defy the East attack with his half-century.

Opener Nitum Mongru chipped in with 25 for South West, while the pair of Sanjiv Bachu (four for 33) and Samir Boodoo (three for 37) did major damage for East as they blew away the middle and lower order.

In response, East were behind the required run rate for most of their innings and were eventually restricted to 156 for eight – handing South West a 61-run win.

Opening batsman Rayhan Gooding top-scored with 41, while Boodoo chipped in with 24. Opening bowler Varun Mahadeo led the South West attack with figures of three for 25.

In the clash between Central and North at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain, the former team romped to a four-wicket win with 58 balls to spare as they chased a 216-run target with consummate ease.

North batted first and made 215 for four, with Davis Guerra and Levi Burke scoring 79 and 70 respectively as they put on a mammoth 153-run partnership for the second wicket. Sanjay Jairam (three for 34) removed Burke and Guerra in consecutive overs and was the pick of the bowlers for Central.

Central lost wickets regularly in their chase, but their explosive tempo saw them cruising to victory in the 31st over.

National under-15 player K'Hill Thomas put on a show with his brutal knock of 80 off 62 balls, which contained nine fours and three sixes. Saveer Rambaran scored 28, while opener Lemuel Joseph added 24.

Summarised Scores:

NORTH – 215/4 (Davis Guerra 79, Levi Burke 70; Sanjay Jairam 3/33) vs CENTRAL – 216/6 from 30.2 overs (K'hill Thomas 80, Saveer Rambaran 28; Aiden Ramjohn 2/21). Central won by four wickets.

SOUTH WEST – 217 from 39.4 overs (Keshav Mongru 82, Nitum Mongru 25; Sanjiv Bachu 4/33, Samir Boodoo 3/47) vs EAST – 156/8 (Rayhan Gooding 41, S Boodoo 24; Varun Mahadeo 3/25). South West won by 61 runs.