Lewis inspires Raiders to strong start in Bago10 Blast

DEFENDING champs Jaggesar Group of Companies Store Bay Snorkelers tasted an 18-run defeat against Best Choice Transportation Mt Irvine Surfers in their first match of the 2025 Dream11 BagoT10 Blast in Shaw Park, Tobago on March 24.

It was the second win in as many games for Mt Irvine as they defeated the King’s Bay Royals by 20 runs on March 23.

Batting first versus the Snorkelers, Mt Irvine posted 119 for three, with openers Adrian Ali (46 off 24 balls) and Kirstan Kallicharan (28 off 12) doing the bulk of the work with their 52-run stand.

Dejourn Charles (33 off 14), Ewart Nicholson and Akshaya Persaud (both 19) then tried to reel in the total. However, an excellent spell of three for ten from spinner Shatrughan Rambaran was the difference as the Snorkelers were restricted to 101 for five.

Meanwhile, last season’s runners-up Comfort Inn Pirate’s Bay Raiders had a great start to the tourney as they rattled off impressive wins on March 22 and 23.

In the first game of this year’s tourney, the Raiders defeated the Royals by 31 runs, before returning to get a thumping 64-run triumph over Sheppard’s Inn No Man’s Land Explorers a day later.

Against the Royals, experienced campaigners Evin Lewis (56 off 24) and Navin Stewart (54 off 22) both struck fifties as the Raiders posted a competitive score of 147 for three. The pair put on a rapid 98 in their opening stand to set up their team’s innings nicely.

Marlon Richards then struck 29 not out off 12 with three sixes to give his team a flourish at the end.

In the chase, Vishnu Boys’ Hindu College captain Andrew Rambaran put up a brave fight with 57 off 25, but his efforts weren’t enough as the Royals could only muster 116 for five.

Rambaran’s opening partner Jahron Alfred (20 off 12) dominated the opening stand, while Orlando James also chipped in with 30 not out off 16.

Stewart completed a fine allround showing for the Raiders as he grabbed three for 25 with a hat-trick in the final over of the innings as he dismissed Rambaran, Daveon Shanghie and Akel Quashie.

Against the Explorers on March 23, Lewis was in a rampant mood as he slapped 89 not out off 31 with seven fours and eight sixes. Stewart chipped in with 31 off ten as the Raiders posted 162 for two before restricting the Explorers to 98 for five.

Teshawn Castro top-scored for the Explorers with 31 off 16, while Shaquille Duncan and Kardwell Richards had identical figures of two for 19 to lead the Raiders.

Summarised Scores:

March 24

MT IRVINE SURFERS: 119/3 from ten overs (Adrian Ali 46, Kirstan Kallicharan 28; Akshaya Persaud 2/21) vs STORE BAY SNORKELERS: 101/5 from ten overs (Dejourn Charles 33, Ewart Nicholson 19; S Rambaran 3/10. Surfers won by 18 runs.

March 23

MT IRVINE SURFERS: 111/4 from ten overs (Kirstan Kallicharan 64, Ashaughn Pierre 19; Quinton Brooks 2/12) vs KING’S BAY ROYALS: 91/7 from ten overs (Andrew Rambaran 59; Kieshawn Dillon 3/18, Shatrughan Rambaran 2/13). Mt Irvine won by 20 runs.

PIRATE’S BAY RAIDERS: 162/2 from ten overs (Evin Lewis 89 not out, Navin Stewart 31) vs NO MAN’S LAND EXPLORERS: 98/5 from ten overs (Teshawn Castro 31, Imran Khan 28; Shaquille Duncan 2/19, Kardwell Richards 2/19). Pirate’s Bay won by 64 runs.