Opening batsman Kjorn Ottley scored the first century in the T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) T20 Festival that helped Central Sports record a 46-run victory over Alescon Comets at the National Cricket Centre (NCC) in Balmain, Couva on Monday.
After being asked to bat first by Comets, opener Ottley and Daniel Williams put on six runs for the first wicket which fell with just 13 runs on the scoreboard. Having scored just one and naught batting at number three in his previous two matches, the 32-year-old Ottley, a left-hand batsman appeared focused as to not let this innings be his third strikeout and formed four other partnerships with Imran Khan (45) for the second wicket, Lendl Simmons (68) for the third wicket and Aaron Alfred (38) for the fourth-wicket en route to his century which propelled Central to the highest score to date in the tournament 205/4 in their allotted 20 overs.
Ottley, who has played for both T&T and the Combined Campuses and Colleges in the West Indies regional competition, struck six sixes in the 14th over bowled by Saif Mohammed, a left-arm slow bowler. Ottley’s strikes were 6, wide, 6, 6, 6,6, 6 as he moved from 44 to 80 runs in that over to finish with four fours and nine sixes.
Bowling for Comets, Shatrughan Rambaran was the most successful bowler with two wickets for 37 runs off his four overs, while Justin Manick and Kieron John took a wicket each for 18 and 47 runs, respectively.
In response, Comets also got off to a tough start losing its openers Denzil Antoine (2) and Wendell George (1) in the second over and 11 runs later Rambaran departed. There was a fourth-wicket stand of 62 between Sanjay Jawahir (27) and Jabari Mills (34). Jawahir finished 33 off 25 balls with five fours, Mills ended as the team’s top-scorer with 69 off 46 balls with three fours and five sixes and Manick was unbeaten on 32 off 29 balls with two fours as Comets closed 159/6 in their 20 overs.
Mills, who lost his wicket caught and bowled by left-arm leg spinner Ricky Jaipaul, became the eighth player to score a half-century behind West Indies top-order batsman Darren Bravo (55) off Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC) against Powergen, Central Sports’ Simmons (60) vs Profilbau Victoria United, QPCC I Isaiah Rajah (64) against QPCC II; Clarke Road United’s Vikash Mohan (56) against Alescon Comets; Clarke Road United Nicholas Sookdeosingh (84) vs Central Sports; Victoria’s Marcelle Jones (58) against Comets on Saturday and Ewart Nicholason of Powergen (51) against QPCC I.
Bowling for Central, who has qualified for the semifinal which starts tomorrow, Marlon Richards, 33, a right-arm medium-pacer took two for 15 from three overs while the rest of the attack, which comprised Shiva Sankar, Khan, Emrit and Jaipal, took one wicket apiece.
Sookdeosingh helps Clarke Road into semis
Nicholas Sookdeosingh scored his second consecutive half-century which helped Clarke Road United book a place in the semifinals alongside Group A winners, Central Sports, after a convincing six-wicket win over Profilbau Victoria United in the third and final group match at NCC.
Chasing 194 for victory at a required run-rate of 9.7 runs per over, the opener Vikash Mohan and Sookdeosingh put on 81 for the first wicket before Mohan lost his wicket. Dejourn Charles joined Sookdeosingh and he made only two runs. Clarke Road lost two more wickets before Joshua James joined a well set Sookdeosingh and the pair put 72 runs in six overs to reach their victory target of 195/4 off 19 overs to win by six wickets.
Sookdeosingh, who scored 40 in his first match against Alescon Comets, then an unbeaten 84 on Saturday against Central Sports and recorded his second undefeated knock of 87 against Clarke Road off 56 balls with 12 fours and one six.
Joshua James was not out on 38 off 18 balls with two fours and four sixes, while Mohan also added 38 with three fours and two sixes.
Bowling for Victoria, Vishal Roopnarine took 3-28 off his four overs.
Earlier, Opener Kyle Roopnarine scored 71 runs off 37 balls with eight fours and five sixes, Damion Jochim scored 38 runs from 21 balls with five fours and two sixes and Marcelle Jones contributed 32 off 28 balls and he struck four fours in their score of 194 all out in 19.5 overs.
Bowling for Clarke Road, Kerwyn Sirju took 4-28 off 3.5 overs and James had 2-38 off his allotted four overs.
SUMMARISED SCORES
CENTRAL SPORTS 205/4 (20 0vers) (K Ottley 101 no, Rayad Emrit 26 no, A Alfred 23, I Khan 21, D Williams 10; S Rambaran 2-37) v ALESCON COMETS 159/6 (20 overs) (J Mills 69, S Jawahir 33, J Manick 32 no). Central won by 46 runs.
PROFILBAU VICTORIA UNITED 194 all out (19.5 overs) (K Roopchand 71, D Joachim 38, M Jones 32, A Nanan 12, R Brijlal 10; K Sirju 4/28, J James 2/38) vs CLARKE ROAD UNITED 195/4 (19 overs) (N Sookdeosingh 87, V Mohan 38, J James 38, C Kalawan 10; V Roopnarine 3-28). Clarke Road United won by 6 wickets.
