Central, South East surge into TTCB U-13 final

SOUTH East and Central will battle for the TT Cricket Board Under-13 Interzone crown at the National Cricket Centre (NCC), Balmain, Couva, on May 12, after getting contrasting semifinal victories on May 8.

South East defeated North East by 14 runs in their semi at NCC, while Central got a commanding seven-wicket win over North in their matchup at Greig Street recreational ground, Balmain.

In their encounter, Central restricted North to 183 for six in 40 overs, before racing to 184 for three in the 27th over as two batsmen struck fifties.

North had a steady start to their innings, with opener Aiden Ramjohn (21) getting the innings off the ground. Placed on 76 for two at one stage, North slipped to 116 for six by the 30th over as Ramjohn, Tariq Raghoonanan (eight), Dante Arneaud (duck) and Jake Dookie (duck) were dismissed in quick succession. Sameer Rahimullah (three for 17) caused North's slide as he got the wickets of Raghoonanan, Arneaud and Dookie in consecutive overs.

North got a good end to their innings as skipper Jean Paul Barrimond (68 not out off 57 balls) and Ethan Thomas put together an unbeaten 67-run partnership for the seventh wicket.

However, the Central top order made light work of the victory target, with opener Lemuel Joseph (59 off 69) and Sanjay Jairam (50 not out off 40) leading their team to a comfortable win. Joseph lost opening partner Christiano Alexander (three) and Akaash Bansraj (13) cheaply, but he and Jairam ultimately snatched the momentum with a telling 83-run stand for the third wicket.

In the other semifinal, South East made 175 for nine, before bowling out North East for 161 in 38 overs behind a four-wicket haul from Jaden Guevarro.

Skipper Ronaldo Siewsankar was the mainstay in the South East innings as he made 55 off 88 balls, with Saveer Denoarine chipping in with 29. Opening bowler Samir Abdool (five for 30) was the star for North East as he got the wickets of openers Kaydon Boochoon (one) and Raashid Mohammed (four), before returning at the death to dismiss Deonarine, Khaveer Maharaj (duck) and Suvan Sooknanan (12) in the final over.

In the chase, the North East innings was stalled by Guevarro (four for 23), who ripped through the middle-order with the scalps of Jurdinho Gibbs (ten), Akshay Singh (five) and Khristiano Locario (ten), before ending the match with the wicket of Abdool in the 38th over.

Openers Rishik Latchmansingh (29) and Marley Richards (20) top-scored for North East, with Asaph Borneo being left stranded on 18 not out. Kayden Waterman also played a big part with the ball for South East as he grabbed three for 18.

Summarised Scores:

SOUTH EAST – 175/9 from 40 overs (Ronaldo Siewsankar 55, Saveer Deonarine 29; Samir Abdool 5/30) vs NORTH EAST – 161 from 38 overs (Rishik Latchmansingh 29, Marley Richards 20, Asaph Borneo 18; Jaden Guevarro 4/23, Kayden Waterman 3/18). South East won by 14 runs.

NORTH – 183/6 from 40 overs (Jean Paul JR Barrimond 68 not out, Aiden Ramjohn 21; Sameer Rahimullah 3/17) vs CENTRAL – 184/3 from 26.5 overs (Lemuel Joseph 59, Sanjay Jairam 50 not out). Central won by seven wickets.