PowerGen stay perfect in T20 Festival, set up semis clash vs QPCC

POWERGEN Penal Sports Club finished the group phase of the CPL/TKR Twenty/20 Festival with a perfect record at the Queen’s Park Oval, St Clair on March 19 when they defeated Clarke Road United by 46 runs in a top-of-the-table group B clash.

PowerGen have now set up an appetising semis clash with group A runners-up Queen’s Park Cricket Club from 6.30 pm on March 21. The first semi, which will be played from 2.30 pm on the same day, will be contested by Clarke Road and group A winners Bess Motors Marchin Patriots.

In the tussle for group B supremacy, PowerGen recovered after losing openers Cephas Cooper (one) and Daniel Willams (ten) early as they posted a competitive 190 for six.

Although none of their batsmen crossed fifty, PowerGen got healthy contributions as Nicholas Ali (43 off 27 balls), Navin Bidaisee (41 off 32) and captain Akeil Cooper (38 not out off 21) held the innings together nicely. Akeil hit a few lusty blows at the death and helped his team score 54 in the last five overs.

Spinner Shatrughan Rambaran (two for 18) was the pick of the bowlers for Clarke Road and got the key scalps of Ali and Bidaisee.

Spin was again king when Clarke Road went on the chase, and all ten wickets fell to the spinners as they were eventually bowled out for 144 in the 18th over.

Ali and Bidaisee were in the thick of the action again as they took three for 12 and two for 29 respectively, with Samuel Roopnarine also featuring with two for 23.

Veteran off-spinner Jon-Russ Jaggesar got the show on the road for PowerGen as he took three wickets in the power play to send the dangerous pair of Mark Deyal (two) and Nicholas Sookdeosingh (duck) back to the pavilion cheaply, alongside Rambaran (five).

Barbadian Shian Brathwaite led Clarke Road’s futile reply with 45 from 34, with Antonio Gomez adding 24.

Summarised Scores:

POWERGEN PENAL: 190/6 from 20 overs (Nicholas Ali 43, Navin Bidaisee 41; Shatrughan Rambaran 2/18) vs CLARKE ROAD: 144 from 17.5 overs (Shian Brathwaite 45, Antonio Gomez 24; Nicholas Ali 3/12). PowerGen won by 46 runs.