Central hammer South East by 104 runs in TTCB U-13 final

THE Central zone got an emphatic 104-run victory when they steamrolled South East in the final of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board Under-13 Interzone tournament at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain, Couva, on May 12.

The final was as one-sided as they come, as Central made 182 for nine from their 40 overs before bundling out South East for 63 as they chased a Duckowrth-Lewis-Stein (DLS) revised target of 168.

After Central won the toss, opener Lemuel Joseph led from the front as the wicket-keeper/batsman struck 58 off 95 balls with four boundaries to set the platform for his team's eventual match-winning total. Joseph and Christiano Alexander (16) put together a 57-run stand for the first wicket before the latter was trapped lbw by Jonathan Mungaroo (five for 36) in the 15th over.

Mungaroo delivered a brilliant spell of bowling which gave his team a chance in the contest. He grabbed the first four wickets as Central slipped to 112 for four by the 26th over when Caleb Mitchell was dismissed for seven.

Mungaroo completed his five-wicket haul when Ayden Hamilton was dismissed for three in the 34th over. Lower-order batsman Arvan Bickram was the second-highest scorer for Central as he made 25 off 29 balls, with four boundaries.

The South East batsmen had little answer for the Central attack and they were reeling at 36 for five when Mungaroo (six) was trapped lbw by Raul Rampaul (three for 16) in the 13th over. Rampaul also got the wickets of Suvan Sooknanan (two) and Saveer Deonarine (three) as Central stamped their authority on proceedings.

Opening bowlers Alexander (two for 15) and Akaash Bansraj (two for 14) were also among the wickets for Central, with Sameer Rahimullah (two for four) getting in on the action when he wrapped up the match with the wickets of Khaveer Maharaj and Xyon Mohammed (both duck) in the 21st over.

Top-order batsmen Jaden Guevarro (11) was the only player who got into double digits for South East.

Summarised Scores: CENTRAL: 182/9 from 40 overs (Lemuel Joseph 58, Arvan Bickram 25; Jonathan Mungaroo 5/36) vs SOUTH EAST: 63 from 20.5 overs (Jaden Guevarro 11; Raul Rampaul 3/16, Sameer Rahimullah 2/4, Akaash Bansraj 2/14). Central won by 104 runs.