TTCB Media Release.

Couva, Trinidad - Orange Field brought the Ramsingh Sports Central Zone Twenty20 competition to a rousing finale on Thursday night with a eight-wicket thumping of BSF (Brasso) at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva. 

“Man-of-the-Match” Davindra Krishna ensured his captain and brother Navindra hoisted the winner’s trophy and collected the gold medals with an aggressive undefeated knock of 77 as Orange Field successfully chased 131 for victory, finishing on 134 for two wickets in just 14.5 overs. 

Earlier BFL were sent in to bat after a short sharp shower and struggled against the testing Orange Field attack with Totaram Rampersad grabbing three wickets for ten runs in four overs which won him the best bowling award.  

The Brasso side was eventually dismissed for 130 runs with two balls remaining which fell far short of a much more competitive total against opponents who played better as the tournament progressed and were well rewarded with the impressive victory. 

The day-night final was witnessed by a large crowd and deemed a great success by Manohar Ramsaran, chairman of the interim committee running the affairs of the Central Zone of the T&T Cricket Board. 

Ramsaran, a former government minister and manager of the triumphant Red Force national team in the 2025 Nagico Super50 regional tournament, said he was pleased with the smooth running of the Ramsingh Sports sponsored tournament. 

He congratulated Orange Field for their historic victory which he said proved that cricket talent exists in every nook and cranny of T&T but can only be brought to the forefront with competitions like the Central Zone Twenty20. 

Ramsaran also commended Nal Ramsingh, the tournament sponsor for continuing to support the game in central Trinidad with his generous contributions over the years to its development in the communities and villages.  

Also present for the final was Azim Bassarath, president of the T&TCB who met the teams before the match and congratulated them for reaching the final through a series of tough qualifying matches. 

He told the players of both teams that much is expected of them and that they should strive to always be on their best behaviour and consistently work towards their goal of improving the standard of cricket at the club and zone levels. 

Bassarath, serving his third consecutive term of office, expressed his appreciation to the Central Zone committee including Ramsaran, Richard Ramkissoon, Rajin Poorai and Fareed Mohammed for organising an excellent tournament. 

The Ramsingh Sports Twenty20 was staged to give the zone’s cricketers an opportunity to determine who currently had the best T20 team and help resuscitate the flagging fortunes of the game in central Trinidad. 

The local cricket chief said the present Central Zone officials had scored high on both counts and he was very happy to witness only the second day-night tournament to date since the ground was recently floodlit, following the very successful NGC Premier and Championship T20 last month. 

Also present for the final were general secretary of the T&TCB Arjoon Ramlal, executive member of the board Lalman Kowlessar and Richard Ramkissoon, secretary of the interim committee of the Central Zone.  

SUMMARISED SCORES 

BFL (Brasso) 130 (19.4 Overs) Winston Forrester 44, T Rampersad 3/10 vs Orange Field 134/2 (14.5 Overs) D Krishna 77 not out. 

Orange Field won by eight wickets 

Best Batsman: Davindra Krishna 

Best Bowler: Totaram Rampersad 

Best Fieldsman: Akeel Awong (BFL) 

“Man-of-the-Match”: Davindra Krishna 

TTCB Media Release.

Trinidad Express article.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - The battle for the Shanghai Construction Group three-day Premier Division One league title intensifies this weekend when the defending champions Merry Boys square off against current leaders Queen's Park Cricket Club (QPCC) in the penultimate round of the competition bowling off today in Diego Martin.

The Parkites (172 points) hold a slim seven-point lead over Merry Boys at the top of the ten-team standings with just two rounds of matches to be played.

Both teams have won their previous five matches to pull away from the pack.

The Parkites were made to work hard for their win over Jenexcon Tableland in round seven last weekend when they pulled off a close three-wicket win thanks to an unbeaten 45 from Akeal Hosein in their second innings.

Meanwhile, Merry Boys pulled off a 75-run win over struggling Caldrac Club in their previous match to keep pace with the Parkites and set up an intriguing penultimate round contest.

After trailing for the most of the season, Merry Boys now have a golden opportunity to overtake the leaders but the Parkites will not go down without a fight especially after losing to the Diego Martin club in the Premiership Twenty20 final a month ago.

While the top two clubs battle for the pole position, former champions Alescon Comets will be fighting to avoid relegation.

The last three teams will be demoted to Premier Two at the end of the season and Comets are currently seventh on the standings just four points better than Caldrac who are eighth.

The two sides meet at Gilbert Park in round eight.

Comets, led by Rayad Emrit's 164 blew away last placed Esmeralda Sports by an innings and 41 runs and they will be looking for another dominant performance as they try to close off the season on a high.

Esmeralda have no chance of avoiding the drop and will face third place PowerGen Penal Sports club in the penultimate round at Enterprise.

In the other Premi er Division One matches starting today, First Citizens Clarke Road United take on Victoria United at Wilson Road in Penal while Preysal Sports host Jenexcon Tableland at Inshan Ali Park in Preysal.

The three-day league matches will take a break tomorrow as the teams square off in the penultimate round of the Sunday League 50 over competition before concluding on May 30 and 31.

The Parkites also lead the Sunday League standings with a perfect record of seven wins in seven matches with Victoria, PowerGen and Merry Boys all tied on 15 points each.

First Published In The Trinidad Express.

Trinidad Express article.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - Amir Jangoo and Verendra Jagroop have been named captains for the Vasha Foods Limited North/South Classic Under-19 match.

The teams will square off on Monday at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain, Couva from 2.30 p.m. in a day/night 50 over match where players will have a final opportunity to impress the national selectors before the Trinidad and Tobago team is selected for the West Indies Cricket Board Under-19 Championships. After the regional youth tournament, a West Indies team will be selected for the 2016 ICC Youth World Cup.

SQUADS

North: Amir Jangoo (captain), Jordan Warner, Brandon Maharaj, Saeed Mohammed, Joshua De Silva, Akil Seetal, Stephon Ramdial, Jean-Paul Rocke, Kirstan Kallicharan, Jonathan Bootan, Cavan Byrne, Renaldo Lezama, Sean Persaud, Keagan Simmons.

South: Varendra Jagroop (captain), Bryan Boodram, Jyd Goolie, Cephas Cooper, Jeron Maniram, Clevon Kalawan, Akeel Mohammed, Brandon Jaggernauth, Saiba Batoosingh, Anderson Phillip, Jonathan Williams, Jarlanie Seales, Dejourn Charles, David Williams Jr.

First Published In The Trinidad Express.

Trinidad Express article.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - Trinity College East booked their place in the PowerGen Secondary Schools Cricket League National Under-16 final with an easy five- wicket win over Shiva Boys Hindu College in their semi-final fixture at Buccaro Ground in Freeport, yesterday.

Keagan Simmons was again at the forefront of the battle for Trinity College.

He grabbed one wicket for 23 runs while Teron Jadoo snatched two for 50 as Shiva Boys were restricted to 245 for six off their 40 overs.

Simmons then anchored the Trinity chase, hitting 58 to put his team on course for the win. Jadoo also got a half-century, hitting 54 but it was wicket-keeper batsman Leonardo Julien that took them home, hitting a vital unbeaten 41 as Trinity posted 246 for five with 2.5 overs to spare.

They will now await the winners of the other semifinal between Naparima Boys College and Fatima College which is scheduled for Tuesday.

Summarised Scores:

Shiva Boys Hindu College 245-6 (40 overs) (R Gosine 75, T Abdool 70 n.o.; Teron Jadoo 2/50, Keagan Simmons 1/23) vs Trinity College East 246-5 (37.1 overs) (Keagan Simmons 58, Teron Jadoo 54, Leonardo Julien 41 n.o., Sachin Seecharan 24, Bradley Rambharose 10 n.o.)

-Trinity College East won by 5 wickets

First Published In The Trinidad Express.

Trinidad Express article.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - The Championship Division 50-overs semi-finals take place today with East North East league champions Cane Farm coming up against rivals UTT at Cane Farm and North Central league winners Felicity Central Sports taking on South Championship runners up F&E Diamond United at Kennedy Park in South Trinidad.

Cane Farm clinched the East North East league title with 160 points while UTT came in third with 118 points.

Central played unbeaten in the North Central Championship to clinch the league title and are now after the 50-overs crown.

In the South Championship, Valiants won the league crown.

Valiants, Cane Farm and Central Sports will all be promoted to the Premier Division Two next season.

Today's winners will meet in the Championship 50-overs final tomorrow at Munroe Road from 10 a.m.

First Published In The Trinidad Express.

Trinidad & Tobago Newsday article.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - Local cricket historian, Reza Abasali, rummages through the glorious history of West Indian cricket to bring to the fore arguably the region’s greatest ever spinner Sonny Ramadin.

The ex-Trinidadian off-spinner, brought tremendous success to the West Indies with his ability to turn the ball both ways and bamboozled England on his maiden tour.

KT “Sonny” Ramadhin was the first cricketer of East Indian descent to represent the West Indies in Test cricket. 

Born on May 1, 1930, Ramadhin hailed from Esperance village in South Trinidad. He was spotted by Barbados inter-colonial cricketer Clarence Skinner who was working in Trinidad in the 1940s. He marvelled at the sight of Sonny mesmerising local batsmen in a club match with his potpourri of leg-breaks and off-breaks and encouraged him to join the Trinidad Leasehold Oil Company to develop his armoury. 

After two trial matches against Jamaica in which he snared 12 wickets, Ramadhin, at age 20 and no formal coaching, found himself on the boat for the West Indies tour of England in the summer of 1950. 

The 1950 series vs England was a watershed period in the lives of thousands of West Indian people who were now making their homes in the “mother” land. Sonny Ramadhin and Jamaican left-arm spinner Alfred Valentine (also in his first tour) instantly became folk heroes after their amazing exploits in England. 

West Indies’ victory by 326 runs over England at the Mecca of cricket, Lord’s, in June 1950 was their first on English soil. Ramadhin (11-152) and Valentine (7-127) captured 18 wickets in the match that triggered wild Carnival-like celebrations from the West Indian community in England. 

The “spin twins,” arguably the best to work in tandem for the West Indies, won the hearts of calypsonians Lord Kitchener and Lord Beginner whose redemption song, “Cricket Lovely Cricket” resonated throughout London on June 29 1950. The chorus of this is cricket legend: 

“With those two little pals of mine, 

Ramadhin and Valentine.” 

Lord Kitchener penned his own tribute, “Kitch’s Cricket Calypso”. Back in Trinidad, King Radio immortalised Sonny Ramadhin in his song, “We want Ramadhin on the ball”. There was initially some confusion about Ramadhin’s nationality in an article that appeared in a newspaper claiming that he was Barbadian but this was quickly dispelled by King Radio…. 

“He navel string bury in this land, 

They got Weekes, Worrell and all the rest…. 

…they know Ramadhin is the best 

But the best of all…. 

I say he is no Bajan at all” 

According to teammate and Barbadian batting colossus Clyde Walcott, Ramadhin’s bowling action with his sleeves buttoned down often trapped the Englishmen in their crease, not knowing which way the ball would turn upon pitching. 

The WI victory by a margin of 3-1 signalled the Unilateral Declaration of Independence by the WI from half a century of English colonial rule. In this series, Sonny Ramadhin captured 26 wickets at 23.23 and Alf Valentine 33 wickets at 20.42. This 1950 four-Test series were watched by 372,000 people and gate receipts totalled 94,000 pounds, The WI Board took home 30,000 pounds, a huge amount of money in those days. 

In 43 Tests, Ramadhin bowled slightly over 2200 overs, capturing 158 wickets at 28.98 average and career first class record of 758 wickets at 20.24 average. 

On the overall West Indies 1950 tour of England, he bowled 1043 overs, plugged 403 maidens, conceded 2009 runs, and captured 135 wickets at an average of 14.88 runs per wicket. 

He took five wickets in an innings on 12 occasions, ten wickets in a match on six occasions with a best return of 8-15 at Cheltenham! 

Between international calls, he had played for Crompton in the Central Lancashire League, starring in 1953 and 1954 when he snared 106 and 135 wickets at incredible averages of 7.88 and 6.28 runs per wicket respectively. As late as 1969, Ramadhin played for Minor County Lincolnshire, and ended second on the league table with 56 wickets in that year at an average of 9.76 runs per wicket.

First Published In The Trinidad & Tobago Newsday.

RANCHI, India, CMC – Chris Gayle threatened to spoil the party but Chennai Super Kings (CSK) did just enough to pull off a tense three-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore with a ball to spare, to storm into tomorrow’s final of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Chasing 140 for victory after the left-handed Gayle had top-scored with 41, CSK stumbled through their innings, eventually scoring the five runs required from the last over, to seal victory at the JSCA International Stadium Complex yesterday.

West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo suffered the indignity of a first-ball duck while his regional counterpart, opener Dwayne Smith, managed just 17, but CSK were rescued by Australian Mike Hussey who stroked 56 off 46 deliveries to keep the innings afloat.

Influential captain MS Dhoni struck a patient 26 down the order to give the innings impetus.

CSK will now meet Mumbai Indians in the final, an encounter that will put Bravo and Smith against West Indies teammates Kieron Pollard and Lendl Simmons.

Sent in, RCB were in deep trouble early on at 36 for three in the eighth, thanks to a brilliant new-ball spell from left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra who finished with three for 28.

Gayle was forced to lead the rebuilding effort, facing 43 deliveries and counting two fours and three sixes, and anchoring an 44-run, fourth-wicket stand with Denesh Karthik who hit 28 from 26 balls.

Gayle eventually fell in the 14th over, caught and bowled off Suresh Raina’s off-spin, and RCB then needed Safaraz Khan’s cameo 31 from 21 balls, to get up to their eventual score.

In reply, CSK were given a bright start by Smith who hammered three fours off 14 balls, and seemed set to play a cameo. However, he pulled left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc down the throat of deep square leg in the fourth over to leave CSK 21 for one.

Hussey then controlled two partnerships to lay the foundation for CSK’s victory. He put on 40 for the second wicket with South African Faf du Plessis who made 21 from 22 balls, and a further 47 for the fourth wicket with Dhoni.

The left-handed Hussey perished in the 17th over, after striking three fours and two sixes, with CSK still requiring 32 from 21 deliveries.

Dhoni stepped up, however, carrying CSK to the brink of victory before falling to the fourth ball of the final over.

Trinidad Express article.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - Mystery spinner Sunil Narine was in good form for Queen's Park Cricket Club yesterday, grabbing four wickets for 25 runs to derail the first innings of defending champions Merry Boys on the first day of their three-day Shanghai Construction Group Premier Division One match at Diego Martin Recreation Ground yesterday.

Narine, who struggled during the 2015 Indian Premier League Twenty20 with the legality of his bowling action, got back in the groove on home soil and made some crucial breakthroughs yesterday as the defending champions Merry Boys were dismissed for 113 after they won the toss and elected to bat first.

The Parkites, who started the match with a seven-point lead over Merry Boys at the top if the league standings, closed the day on 138 for three with a lead of 25.

Earlier, Merry Boys were rocked by two early strikes from Barbados pacer Javon Searles who sent back opening batsman Mario Belcon (five) and number three batsman Amir Jangoo (zero) in the fifth over of the game with the score on 21.

Aaron Alfred and Samuel Felix revived the innings for the hosts with a 50-run stand but Pierre and Narine struck just before lunch to keep the Parkites in front.

Pierre had Felix lbw for 30 before Jeetendra Sookdeo was caught by Searles for a duck. Ryan Hinds was Narine's first scalp, lbw for zero as the Merry Boys went to lunch on 74 for five.

Narine sent back Alfred (30) via the lbw route shortly after the resumption effectively ending the Merry Boys resistance.

The Parkites' reply got off to a solid start with Jeremy Solozano (36) and Petrock Nicholas (25) putting on 51 for the first wicket before Nicholas was lbw to Rishaad Harris.

Aneil Kanhai struck two more blows as Queen's Park slipped to 86 for three before Daron Cruickshank (26 not out) and Yannic Cariah (21 not out) came together in an unbroken 52-run stand for the fourth wicket put their team in the lead.

Elsewhere, Evin Lewis continued his good form with the bat, stroking 140 as Jenexcon Tableland took control of their match against Preysal Sports at Inshan Ali Park in Preysal.

Lewis, who slammed a century in a losing cause against Queen's Park last week, came good again for his club, hitting six sixes and 11 fours in his 121-ball knock as Tableland posted 249 in their first innings.

Preysal were reduced to 77 for eight at stumps yesterday with left-arm pacer Daniel St Clair doing the damage, taking three wickets for 21 runs.

Further South, Lincoln Roberts fell five runs short of a century but did enough to lead Victoria United to 228 all out at stumps against First Citizens Clarke Road at Wilson Road in Penal.

In the other matches yesterday, Esmeralda Sports forfeited their match against PowerGen Penal while Alescon Comets made 230 all out against Caldrac at Gilbert Park in Couva before reducing their hosts to 52 for two at stumps.

The three-day league will break today as the same teams square off in the penultimate round of the Sunday League 50 over tournament.

The Parkites have a perfect record so far in the Sunday League and another win today against Merry Boys could see them clinch the 50 over crown.

The three-day league matches conclude next weekend.

First Published In The Trinidad Express.

Barbados Advocate article.

Bridgetown, Barbados - After years of operating in the red, the West Indies Cricket Board will seek to re-establish itself as a new commercial entity.

This from WICB President Dave Cameron as he addressed a small crowd at the first public town hall meeting hosted by the WICB at the UWI Cave Hill Campus’ Lecture Theatre One.

Cameron noted that they were quite close to establishing this new commercial entity that will take over cricket operations in the Caribbean. However, they were still looking to see which jurisdiction will be best to set up in for tax purposes.

“As soon as that is done we will be establishing a commercial entity where all our contracts will reside and we will deal with all the social issues within the West Indies Cricket Board. Once we have done that we will have a re-launching and a re-branding of West Indies Cricket,” said Cameron.

The WICB has also learned from the ill-fated tour to India last year when the West Indies team pulled out over contractual issues. Last year the players were upset because their contract terms in relation to how they would be paid were changed and they only found out when they were given their new contracts two days before the start of the India tour.

Cameron noted that just last week the WICB and WIPA came to a set of agreements but they will first notify the players before making any public announcements.

“Just last week we had a mediation/arbitration agreement with three independent persons and they have been able to come to a set of agreements which they intend to share with the players tomorrow, after which we will have some public announcements. We haven’t done it as yet because we want to share it with our players, get the buy in, explain to them exactly what the new dispensation is and those agreements will be for the next four years,” said Cameron.

The town hall meeting at LT1 was the first in a series that will he held throughout the Caribbean over the next three months. It is part of the WICB’s plan to engage directly with the regional public on the issues facing cricket in the region.

The date of the next town-hall meeting has not been finalised as yet but it is hoped to be staged before the first Test between West Indies and Australia in Dominica.

First Published In The Barbados Advocate.

KOLKATA, India, CMC - A brilliant half century and a late onslaught from West Indies cricketers Lendl Simmons and Kieron Pollard set the stage for Mumbai Indians to complete a commanding 41 run win over Chennai Super Kings to reclaim their title as champions of the Indian Premier League here on Sunday.

Simmons slammed a top score of 68 while his Trinidad and Tobago colleague Pollard struck 36 from 18 balls as Mumbai, who won the title two years ago, posted a solid 202 for five from 20 overs at Eden Gardens.

Another West Indies batsman opener Dwayne Smith offered early hope for CSK with a risky half century but his departure was a major blow to their run chase which petered out at 161 for eight in 20 0vers.

Simmons faced 45 balls hitting eight fours and three sixes to complete 500 runs in the IPL this season before succumbing to a Yorker from fellow West Indian Dwayne Smith that kissed the outside of his off stump.

He shared in a 119 run partnership for the second wicket with Captain Rohit Sharma who blasted 50 from 26 balls.

The departure of Simmons was the first of two wickets which fell in consecutive balls as CSK began clawing their way back into the game before Pollard suppressed the fight-back with an all-out attack on the bowling.

Pollard dominated the scoring in the latter stage of the innings to put on a half century stand with Ambati Rayudu who was not out on 36.

The T&T all-rounder was brutal on Ashish Nehra, scoring three sixes and a four from the 17th over which he bowled.

Barbadian Smith survived a few scary moments until he found his touch to top score with a 48 ball 57 for CSK before he was lbw to Harbhajan Singh.

Smith, who hit nine fours and a six, was beaten while attempting to sweep a top spinner from Singh.

He featured in a 66 run stand for the second wicket with Suresh Raina who was stumped for 28.

CSK’s chances of mounting a serious challenge dwindled with the frequent loss of wickets including captain MS Dhona for 18 and Dwayne Bravo for nine.

Mumbai’s triumph against two-time title holders CSK crowns a remarkable turnaround in which they transformed a terrible start, after sitting at the bottom of the table for two weeks, into a title win.

Trinidad Express article.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - Cushe United maintained their perfect record in the Biche Sports Foundation Seenath's Auto Parts Limited Twenty20 tournament with a tense Super Over win over ZNS Construction Crew at Biche Recreation Ground last Wednesday.

Batting first Cushe were restricted to 141 off their 20 overs thanks to some good bowler from ZNS' Akil Timothy who grabbed four wickets for just ten runs off his four overs. Akeem Alvarez was the best batsman for Cushe with 27.

In reply, ZNS reached 141 for seven when the overs ran out with James Dodds hitting 68. With the scores tied, a Super Over was contested. ZNS made eight in the Super Over but that was not enough to stop Cushe who scored nine to win the match and stay at the top of the standings.

More excitement followed on Friday night when Police edged Cunaripo Fight Spirit by 16 runs in a high-scoring match to earn their first points of the season.

Police scored 196 for seven when they took first strike.

Liston Billy (89) while Damion Hanooman (39) did the damage for Police to lead them to a competitive score.

Showing a lot of fight, Cunaripo made a spirited reply but were dismissed for 180.

Ravi Khan smashed 92 and Garvin De Verteuil hit 38 for Cunaripo who fell short by 16 runs.

The Biche T20 continues tonight with Cushe United in action against Raiders from 7 p.m. at Biche Recreation Ground.

ZNS Construction Crew will continue their campaign on Thursday night against Police from 6 p.m. while hosts Biche Spots tackle Cunaripo Fight Spirit on Friday from 6 p.m.

SUMMARISED SCORES

Cushe 141 (20 overs) (Akeem Alvarez 27, Aaron Ali 17; Akil Timothy 4/10) vs ZNS 141-7 (20 overs) (James Dodds 68, Mickell Bharath 20; Junior Cedeno 3/24)

-Cushe won via a Super Over

Police 196-7 (20 overs) (Liston Billy 89, Damion Hanooman 39; Chris Pattia 2/34) vs Cunaripo Fight Spirit 180 (19 overs) (Ravi Khan 92, Garvin De Verteuil 38; Damion Hanooman 3/22)

-Police won by 16 runs

First Published In The Trinidad Express.

Trinidad Express article.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - Queen's Park Cricket Club continued their impressive form in the Premier Division One Sunday League 50 over tournament, whipping Merry Boys by 104 runs at Diego Martin Recreation Ground yesterday to maintain their perfect record and move one step closer to clinching the 2015 title.

Sunil Narine played another key role with the ball for the Parkites, grabbing four wickets for 26 runs to help dismiss Merry Boys for 161 in reply to Queen's Park's 265 for seven.

The West Indies off-spinner Narine brought the Parkites back into the match after Mario Belcon and Samuel Felix threatened to make light work of the chase.

They put on 55 for the first wicket with Belcon hitting ten fours in a 36-ball 46 before Narine rattled the opener's stumps. That was the opening the Parkites needed.

Felix followed shortly after, caught behind off left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein (three for 18) for 18. Earlier Hosein struck 69 off 80 balls, which included three fours and a six, to help the Parkites recover from a wobbly start to post a competitive score.

Queen's Park had slipped to 84 for three before Hosein and his skipper Kevon Cooper put on 67 for the fourth wicket to get the innings back on track.

The Parkites face PowerGen Penal in the final round of the competition which could turn out to be a final. PowerGen have only last one match this season but are still waiting on the National League Disciplinary Committee to rule on the outcome of their match against Alescon Comets earlier in the season.

If PowerGen are awarded the match then QPCC will have to beat them in the final round to win the 50 over crown.

If the Disciplinary Committee awards Comets the points then the Parkites will be crowned champions regardless of what happens in the final match.

YESTERDAY'S SUNDAY LEAGUE SCORES

At Diego Martin

Queen's Park Cricket Club 265-7 (Akeal Hosein 69, Javon Searles 34 n.o., Jeremy Solozano 34; Aneil Kanhai 2/31, Ryan Hinds 2/34) vs Merry Boys 161 (Mario Belcon 46, Ryan Hinds 23 n.o.; Sunil Narine 4/26, Akeal Hosein 3/18)

-QPCC won by 104 runs

At Wilson Road

Clarke Road 162 (Antonio Greenidge 51, Kjorn Ottley 35, Jyd Goolie 29; Farrel Jugmohan 3/39, Gary Mathurin 2/14, Rajindra Dhanraj 2/17) vs Victoria United 118 (Mukesh Persad 5/17, Jyd Goolie 2/19)

-Clarke Road won by 44 runs

At Enterprise

Esmeralda Sports vs PowerGen Penal

-Esmeralda forfeited the match

At Gilbert Park

Comets 185 (Adrian Ali 95, Danza Hyatt 31; Jon Russ Jagessar 4/20) vs Caldrac 93 (Anthony Simmmons 5/35)

-Comets won by 92 runs

At Inshan Ali Park

Preysal Sports 158 (Amit Maraj 45, Videsh Sookhai 42; Daniel St Clair 3/21, T Abdool 2/27, N Carthy 2/28, Brent Harriott 2/33) vs Jenexcon Tableland 149 (Chanderpaul Hemraj 49; Philton Williams 4/41, Yohance Boxill 4/46)

-Preysal won by 9 runs

First Published In The Trinidad Express.

Trinidad Express article.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - Kirstan Kallicharan slammed an unbeaten 114 to power North to an exciting three-wicket victory over South in the Vasha Foods Under-19 North-South Classic on Monday night at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva.

The East Zone batsman slammed 14 fours and two sixes off just 103 balls to lead North to 290 for seven wickets in 48.2 overs in reply to South's 289 for seven off 50 overs, which was set up by Cephas Cooper's un beaten 114 off 125 balls.

Kallicharan came to the crease with his team in trouble at 87 for five after losing Keegan Simmons (14), Amir Jangoo (19), Brandon Maharaj (0) and Saeed Mohammed cheaply.

At that stage South would have fancied their chances of making light work of the opposition as wily spinner Varendra Jagroop grabbed two wickets with assistance from Bryan Boodram and Jonathan Williams who started the slide with one apiece.

But Kallicharan found a useful partner in Joshua De Silva who made a well-played 37 with four fours.

The pair put on 89 for the sixth wicket which took the score to 176 for six in 37.6 overs before De Silva was run out.

However, his dismissal let in Renaldo Lezama who teamed up with Kallicharan to put on a match-winning partnership of 105 runs and place North on the brink of victory before he too was run out for 36.

Earlier opener Cooper struck 14 fours and a huge six and carried his bat through the innings to help his team to a good total.

He shared a 97-run opening stand with Dejourn Charles (47) before joining with Jeron Maniram (27) to post 55 for the fifth wicket.

North's Kallicharan was named Man-of-the-Match and Best Batsman while his colleague Akil Seetal copped the bowling equivalent, and South's Kalawan snatched the prize for the outstanding fieldsman.

It was the second straight victory by the North team in the classic series having defeated South last week in the Under-17 clash.

The Under-15 North-South match takes place today at NCC in Balmain starting at 2:30 p.m.

Summarised Scores

South 289-7 (50 overs) (Cephas Cooper 114 n.o., Dejourn Charles 47, Jeron Maniran 27, Cclevon Kalawan 27; Akil Seetal 2/42, Cavan Byrne 2/66) vs North 290-7 (48.2 overs) (Kirstan Kallicharan 114 n.o., Jordan Warner 39, Joshua De Silva 37, Renaldo Lezama 36; Varendra Jagrup 2/46) -North won by three wickets.

First Published In The Trinidad Express.

Trinidad Express article.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - Shaundell Emmons continued his fine form for Juniors Coaching School in the Spring Village Youth League Under-13 Division, scoring his fourth consecutive half-century to lead his team to a 22-run win over Trinidad Freshh Spring Village on Saturday.

At the North Oropuche Recreation Ground in Sangre Grande, Emmons struck an unbeaten 60 as Juniors reached 118 for four. In reply, Spring Village were dismissed for 96 with Tyrese Reid top-scoring with 29.

On Sunday in the Under-17 Division, Emmons hit 27 as Juniors defeated Cane Farm Sports by 27 runs. Juniors made 131 for three before Keshan Ramroop (three wicket for four runs) took a hat trick to dismiss Cane Farm for 104.

First Published In The Trinidad Express.

Trinidad & Tobago Newsday article.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - Victoria District champions Cunjal Government were defeated once again in the Inter-School Boys Cricket Competition in the Atlantic National Primary Schools Cricket League, losing by nine wickets to Preysal Government on Friday night in Barrackpore.

Batting first, Cunjal Government. scored 111 for six off 20 overs. As formidable as this score seemed, the boys from Preysal were undaunted, sending in brothers Kyle and David Kissoondath as openers. The brothers posted a 50-run opening stand, with Kyle unbeaten at 36 and David racking up 19. Captain Kristian Dookrie also represented well, hitting 26 not out. Kyle Kissoondath was named Man of the Match. 

Earlier at the same ground, the Cedros Government Girls maintained their winning form, defeating Preysal Government Girls by seven wickets. 

Preysal were bowled out for 71 off 19.1 overs and, at their turn at crease, the Cedros girls scored 74 for three off 11 overs.

First Published In The Trinidad & Tobago Newsday.

Trinidad & Tobago Newsday article.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - In commemoration of Scotiabank’s Kiddy Cricket Programme 15th anniversary, a player monument has been installed within the compound of the Couva Branch of Scotiabank Trinidad and Tobago Limited.

This particular location was selected since Couva is the home of the National Cricket Centre and is seen as a hub for major cricket activity. 

The monument was also recently revealed in celebration of Dr Michael Seepersaud’s, chief cricket development officer of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), idea of rebuilding regional cricket from the grassroot level. 

Soon after, the WICB launched the Kiddy Cricket Programme by introducing it into some schools around the region. 

“Our aim is not primarily to produce stars, but to reintroduce cricket into the school system thereby generating interest in the game and hopefully to produce cricketing stars as a residual effect, and to inform and educate. 

“The objective is for the kids to have fun while playing the game regularly again and to acquire life skills while doing so,” stated Dr Seepersaud. 

To grow and fulfil its mandate, however, the Programme needed the support and strength of a major, committed sponsor and so, in 2000, Scotiabank became the exclusive sponsor of the Kiddy Cricket Programme. 

Over the last 15 years, approximately one million Caribbean children from over 700 primary schools have received their first formal training in the basic skills and techniques of cricket through Kiddy Cricket’s coaching programme. 

They have seen their first glimpse of the ‘big stage’ of international cricket during the well-known Kiddy Cricket interval displays which are held during the lunch breaks at Test matches and One Day Internationals. 

Many, particularly in the smaller territories, have had their first taste of competition in the Kiddy Cricket Festivals, another component of the Kiddy Cricket. 

Successful graduates of this programme in the Caribbean who have gone on to represent the men in maroon are Kemar Roach, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo and Jermain Blackwood. 

Scotiabank Regional marketing director Heather Goldson said that it is this kind of progress which has made the Bank’s investment in Kiddy Cricket worthwhile. 

First Published In The Trinidad & Tobago Newsday.

Trinidad Guardian article.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - Cricket Lovers have established themselves as a serious contender to capture their first ever league title in the SIS California Women’s Windball Cricket League competition.

After five matches, Cricket Lovers lead the 2015 standings with eight points, registering four victories with one loss.

Close on their heels are Ball Players who are on six points, with three wins and one defeat. Defending champions Tamana United hold third place in the standings, with four points from three matches, winning two and losing once.

Teams are competing for a first prize of $10,000, with the 2015 season, comprising of four competitions, sponsored by Super Industrial Services (SIS).

Winton ‘Flex’ Griffith, founder and president of the league, said that the standard of cricket was extremely high with exciting finishes in several matches. “The cricket is of a high quality with some of the matches decided by the ‘super over’ route. There is also a lot of interest from spectators who are flocking to the ground to witness good and entertaining cricket,” said Griffith.

Cricket Lovers owe their top standing to victories in their last two games, overcoming Players on May 9 and Ball Players on May 16.

Batting against Players, Cricket Lovers registered a commanding 110/6 off their 15 overs, with Selene O’Neil scoring 40 and the consistent Jovanka Simon, 17 not out. Extras totalled a healthy 22. Players could only muster 49/5, with O’Neil capturing 2/6 as Cricket Lovers won by a massive 61 runs.

Taking first strike against Ball Players, Cricket Lovers rattled up a respectable total of 79/7, with Melanie Henry top scoring with 17 and Simon again among the runs, with 15 not out. Ball Players reached 67/7 off their 15 overs, losing by 12 runs.

Three matches are carded for Sunday at Macaulay Recreation Ground, California. Players will face Trinland (2 pm), Ball Players battle Tamana (4.30 pm) and Base Girlz will duke it out against Victors X1 (7 pm).

First Published In The Trinidad Guardian.

Trinidad Express article.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - After decades without a top-flight Secondary Schools Cricket League (SSCL) title, Fatima College finally ended the drought this season and coach Miguel Paty hopes it is not just a flash in the pan for the Mucurapo-based school who were once a force to be reckoned with in domestic schools cricket competitions.

Fatima played unbeaten throughout the 2015 PowerGen SSCL league season but had to settle for the runners-up position behind Naparima Boys College who clinched the crown in the final round of the tournament, having trailed their Northern rivals for most of the season.

Paty noted that the heartbreaking loss did something to the Fatima boys. It motivated them more than words ever could. It gave them the hunger and desire required to pull off a remarkable and exciting come-from-behind two-run victory over Naps in the InterCol Twenty20 final.

According to their coach, before 2015, Fatima's previous InterCol trophy was won in 1986 when the legendary Brian Lara wore the uniform. There wasn't such a presence in the squad this time around, but what they had was a lot of depth and a close group of players who have been playing together and building themselves up since the Under-14 level.

Paty said that was a major reason for their success this season.

"We have been fighting over the past few years to build the cricket programme back up in Fatima College," he said after watching his players hold their nerve and fight back to win the InterCol final in front of a huge crowd at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain Couva earlier this month.

"This team have won numerous Under-14 titles and Under-16 titles and to be honest we have always struggled at the Under-19 level, so to see the boys actually perform so well is just amazing. It says a lot about the school programme," Paty added.

Paty said the team has been building from as far back as 2010 when Trinidad and Tobago Red Force player Akeal Hosein was still part of the side.

Five years on, only one player from that 2010 final--Jonathan Hirst--was back in Fatima colours for the 2015 final and fittingly played a crucial role in delivering the win, successfully defending nine runs in the final over.

Paty is optimistic that they can end their League drought next season especially with a core group of players expected to be retained.

"The team that won this season played unbeaten. They have not lost to anyone in the league and in the InterCol and I think that says a lot about the quality of the team and the beauty of it is that only Hirst and Dominic Henderson will not be there next year. The rest of the team will still be here, so that augers well for us," Paty explained.

"It (the InterCol win) will definitely grow the sport in the school and the recognition is great for the guys who have worked really hard throughout the season," he added.

The coach said while they are hoping to win more titles in the future, the holistic development of the players remains a priority.

"We are hoping that we can keep winning titles but even when we are not winning titles we have churned out players like Darren Bravo and Akeal Hosein so we have also produced good players. We want to continue doing that," Paty noted.

"We have West Indies Under-19 player Amir Jangoo and promising all-rounder Donovan Clayton and a couple of young players coming up as well, like Michael Armbard, who scored three centuries for the season and he is still playing Under-14 cricket, so I think we have players for the future," he added.

"The future definitely looks bright for the school. The boys were very motivated to win both the league and InterCol. We really thought we had the team to do it. The league title was taken from them in the last round and that gave them motivation to really go after the InterCol title," the coach explained.

"It was very difficult to win all our games and not win the title. That was disheartening and I think that hurt them a lot and motivate them to the point that they were not even nervous about the InterCol.

"They were just after all the schools. They wanted to dominate the InterCol because they really wanted to prove they were the best team in the competition.

"I think it is a fair trade off. Naps had a losing draw against us and they lost in the final but they played good cricket throughout the season. The two best teams played for the InterCol final and that is probably what everyone would have wanted to see," Paty added.

Fatima's coach from the early 1980's Bryan Davis was also happy to see the North Zone team's return to the top.

Davis who is now an administrator with the country's premier cricket club, Queen's Park, says he felt good for the team.

He noted that Fatima had some talented youngsters in Jangoo and Jean-Paul Rocke and is looking forward to see how they progress in the future.

"Amir is a very good player. He is one of the best young players I have seen in a long time. He can bat anywhere and looks promising.

"Rocke is another good cricketer who has really developed since going across to Fatima," Davis added.

"They have quite a few players who play with Queen's Park and they did not lose a match and that is a great achievement and some of the praise must go to the coach Miguel Paty for the job he has done because with schoolboys you not only have to coach them in the skills of the game but also about reading the game and situations," said Davis.

First Published In The Trinidad Express.

Trinidad Express article.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - The 2015 Trinidad Muslim League Windball Cricket Competition (TML Cricket) comes to an end this weekend with the TML Premier League playoff and the Championship League semifinals taking place tonight and the final of both competitions being played tomorrow night all at the TML Centre in St Joseph.

This is the tenth year of the competition which has now grown to include three categories: TML Premier League (TPL), TML Champions League (TCL) and TML Fun League (TFL).

Premier League team and defending champions ASJA Markaz, featuring Trinidad and Tobago captain Rayad Emrit will come up against Diego Martin Masjid in the playoff tonight and the winners will face Endeavour Jamaat in the TPL final tomorrow from 9 p.m. with a first prize of $7,000 up for grabs.

The runner-up will get $5,000

The Championship League semi-finals tonight will see Warrenville Jamaat coming up against Carapichaima Jamaat and Nur-e-Islam Strikers taking on Four Roads Freeport Jamaat.

The winners of those matches will meet today for a first prize of $5,000.

The TML cricket organisers are expecting a special guest appearance by a current T&T and West Indian cricketer, who will be on hand to present awards to the winners.

West Indies batsman Darren Bravo was on hand for the opening of the competition in March.

First Published In The Trinidad Express.

TTCB Media Release.

Port of Spain, Trinidad - North Trinidad’s youth cricketers are closing in on a clean sweep of the first Vasha Foods North/South Age Group Classics following a clinical demolition of South’s Under-15s on Thursday at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva. 

Over the past two weeks North has captured the Under-19, Under-17 and now Under-15 50-Over classics with only the Under-13 version to be staged following the successful completion of the BGTT Inter Zone Tournament currently underway. 

On Thursday, North won the toss and elected to take first strike and posted a competitive total of 231 for nine wickets with their opening batsman Joshua James striking a well-composed 67 off 98 balls studded with eight fours and a six. 

In reply South were bundled out for 178 in 41.1 despite a fighting knock of 57 by Brandon Singh off just 62 balls with seven fours and a six as North’s Sameer Ali grabbed three wickets for 56 runs in his allotted ten overs.  

In brilliant sunshine North were given the perfect start when openers Sachin Dookie and “Man-of-the-Match” James posting 96 for the first wicket in 21.3 overs before Dookie was out, stumped for a patient 37 with five fours. 

James continued the good work at the top of the order in a second wicket partnership of 72 with wicketkeeper/captain Leonardo Julien who made 43 with five fours, but   when James was dismissed, leg before wicket to Nicholas Ali, North’s last six wickets to fall contributed only 47 runs. 

However faced with the challenging total and batting last under lights, South were placed immediately on the back-foot losing their first two wickets with only 11 runs on the board and never truly recovered in their run chase despite the middle-order flourish of Singh. 

The cricket community now waits with bated breath to see if North can claim a historic beaver-trick of victories in the Vasha Age Group North South Classics, which has been introduced by the T&T Cricket Board to help prepare the young cricketers for regional assignments. 

Among those who were present for the Under-15 North South Classic were president of the T&T Cricket Board officials headed by its president Azim Bassarath, and including general secretary Arjoon Ramlal, executive member Lalman Kowlessar, Chief Operations Officer Dudnath Ramkessoon, chairman of youth development Tarandath Sammy, treasurer Sukesh Maniam, and Vimal Chickoree, Sales and Marketing Manager of Vasha Foods and Fresh Farms Limited.  

TTCB Media Release.