Richmond Hill Liberty Cricket Club (RHLCC) is a month and a half into the 2022, rain-affected cricket season. Top performances from leg-spinning, all-rounder, Raymond Ramratan, all-rounder Derick Narine, spinner Leon Mohabir, and fast bowlers Keron Sewnarine and Jamiel Jackman have highlighted the matches so far.
The Queens, New York-based club plays in both the Saturday 30-Overs and Sunday 40-Overs New York National Cricket League (NYNCL).
On Saturdays, the defending champions are undefeated in five games with two matches being washed out. On Sunday the team has one win and two losses in its five matches so far with games being washed out also.
Week 1 – Rain, No Play
The opening weekend of the NYNCL was met with heavy downpour preventing any play at all. This resulted in a no-result, split point, on both days. The Saturday, May 7th, the match-up was against Cultural United Cricket Club, and Sunday, May 8th, the fixture was against New York Titans.
Week 2 – Ramrattan Picks Up 8 Wickets
RHLCC vs Game Changer’z – Saturday, May 14th
Eger to get some cricket in the RHLCC Saturday squad knocked over Game Changer’z for 128 runs after RHLCC won the toss and bowled first.
Raymond Ramrattan led the charge with 4 wickets for 25 runs in his 6 overs. Dino Chooweenam also picked up 3 wickets and Derick Narine (2 wickets) and skipper Tegana McKenzie (1 wicket) struck with the ball. Umar Farook (34) and Dymd Boy (27) were the top scorers for Game Changer’z.
Poised to record the first win of the season, rain again spoiled the show at half-time. The match was washed out leading to another no-result, split points.
Scorecard
RHLCC vs Team United Fighters – Sunday, May 15th
RHLCC Sunday skipper Trevor Henry won the toss and elected to bowl first. His decision was justified after the boys in blue bundled out the opposition for 73. Once again, Raymond Ramrattan led the bowling with 4 wickets for 18 runs from his 8 overs with 2 maidens. Leon Mohabir (2 wickets), Henry (2 wickets), and Altaaf Habibulla (1 wicket) aided in the routing.
Christopher Blucher (39) and Naresh Rambharos (25 not out) made light work of the chase. RHLCC wrapped up the match in the 19th over with Blucher being the only wicket to fall.
Scorecard
Week 3 – Ramrattan All-Round Performance Earn First Saturday Win
RHLCC vs Everest/ACS – Saturday, May 21st
The RHLCC boys headed out to Lido Beach to take on the formidable Everest/ACS in a much-anticipated match-up. The toss fell in Tegana McKenzie’s favor and his decision to bowl first paid off. RHLCC limited E/ACS to 104 runs all out.
There were two wickets each for Michael Sultan, Derick Narine, Dino Chooweenam, and Leon Mohabir while Raymond Ramrattan picked up 1. In reply, RHLCC chased down the total for the loss of four wickets in the 19th over. Ramrattan scored an unbeaten 31 to anchor the chase while Renwick Batson top scored with 32 and Christopher Blucher scored 13 not-out. Suresh Dhani was the pick of the E/ACS bowlers with 3 wickets for 31 runs.
Scorecard
RHLCC vs Port Mourant CC – Sunday, May 22nd
RHLCC won the toss and elected to bat first. The team got off to a solid start despite losing Christopher Blucher early. Opener, Naresh Rambharos led the batting with 32 and found support from Mohindra Boodram (29) and Trevor Henry (26).
However, the middle and lower order did not lend much more impetus seeing the team slide from 100 for 3 in the 22nd over to 178 all out in the 40th. Rajendra Latcha was the pic of the Port Mourant bowlers with 3 wickets for 29 runs.
The chase was strangled by some very disciplined early bowling from RHLCC. After getting rid of the big-hitting Sharaz Baksh (48) in the 21st over the match was evenly poised. Wickets kept on falling in between the odd boundaries bringing down the match to PMCC needing 29 runs off 24 balls with 4 wickets remaining.
Odean Chambers survived a very favorable decision when he was bowled and the umpire decided to give him not out, incorrectly assessing that the wicket-keeper disturbed the stumps.
This even though there was clear daylight between the keeper and the stumps throughout the delivery and the ball remaining in the keeper’s gloves.
Chambers (41) rode his luck and continued to smash three sixes in the over to bring the chase down to 9 runs needed off the last two overs and eventually winning the match.
Bowling for RHLCC Latchman Bisram and Videshpaul Singh scalped 2 wickets while there was one each for Keron Sewnarine and Leon Mohabir.
Scorecard
Week 4 – Keron Sewnarine Picks Up 4’fer
RHLCC vs Columbia CC – Saturday, June 4th
Derick Narine, Leon Mohabir, and Andrew Tomby bagged two wickets each to lead the early demolition of Columbia Cricket Club. The opposition won the toss and elected to bat first with Shiv Kumar (15) top scoring in the side’s 68 all out inside 19 overs.
Narine returned to blast 43 off 24 balls to spearhead the chase in 7 overs with the loss of 1 wicket.
Scorecard
RHLCC vs Majestic CC – Sunday, June 5th
RHLCC inserted Majestic Cricket Club after winning the toss. The hard-hitting duo of Derick Narine (Narine is part of RHLCC’s Saturday squad but plays for Majestic CC on Sundays) and Chris Patadin laid a solid foundation scoring 44 runs each.
The opening pair partnered for 95 runs in the 14th over before they were removed in short succession. Keron Sewnarine led a rearguard bowling resurgence to limit the visiting team to 187 all out. Sewnarine scalped 4 for 47 in 6.5 overs and was assisted by Leon Mohabir (3 wickets), Raymond Ramratan (2 wickets), and Videshpaul Singh (1 wicket).
The chase got off to a rocky start for RHLCC. The team lost Rambharos early, then Mohindra Boodram off of a brilliant, fielding effort. Shortly after, in one of the most appalling umpiring decisions (to really put it lightly), skipper, Trevor Henry was given out leg-before-wicket (LBW) after glancing a ball off the face of his bat into his pads.
With the stars and the moon and officiating discretion all aligned against the chase, Raymond Ramrattan stood in defiance of the proceedings. He found some small support from the lower-middle order, but wickets just kept on falling around him.
Ramratan scored a responsible 41 and by the time he departed RHLCC needed 51 off of 57 balls with two wickets in-hand. Vedeshpaul Sing then took over the chase with some judicious hitting and found a partner in Leon Mohair (12).
The duo brought the game down to 36 runs needed off of 27 balls before Mohabir held out to long-off. With 19 runs needed off 14 balls, and Sing going great guns on 34 not out off 24 balls, he ran out of partners after the last wicket was out bowled to give Majestic the win.
Scorecard
Week 5 – Jackman Scalps 4 and More Rain
RHLCC vs NY Zalmi CC – Saturday June 11th
New York Zalmi won the toss and elected to bat first. Opener Talha Momand top-scored with 24 before RHLCC’s Jamiel Jack steamed through the middle order.
Jackman picked up 4 wickets for 19 runs in his 5-over spell to wrap up the inning for 82 all out. Yutesh Dhanpaul and Michael Sultan picked up 2 wickets each while Keron Sewnarine accounted for 1.
Christopher Blucher (39) and Derick Narine (34) made light work of the chase to wrap up the win in 6.1 overs.
Scorecard
RHLCC vs Everest/ACS – Sunday, June 12th
NYNCL administration called off all league matches due to inclement weather.
Richmond Hill Liberty Cricket Club continues its tournament pursuits this weekend. On Saturday they come up against Punjab XI 2 and on Sunday they take on Phantom Stallions.