By Sham Ali
(Celebrating 47th Anniversary – Match #1338: – If the all-round performances by Cosmos last Sunday are indicators of the team’s make-up, then the season ahead will be most exciting as Cosmos registered a convincing over Queens Gladiators at Ferry Point Park last Sunday to bowled off the 2026 season in celebration of their 47th Anniversary.
Cosmos captain Devindra Balgobin won the toss and elected to bat on a chilly afternoon with the temperature hovering in the upper fifties with a steady wind. Openers Yogeshwar Ramgobin and Vitendra Koomar got off to a good start with Ramgobin making some early noise over mid-wicket and mid-on with his new found mrf, while Koomar found the cover-point boundary with a few crisply timed drives. With the score on 44 runs in 6 overs, Ramgobin mis-hit a full-toss to the man at short mid-on and Koomar went via the same route.
Cosmos then lost a few wickets at crucial stages. Ghanam Tariq went cheaply via a leading edge. Viendra Gooniah and Antanio Rooplall added some stability to the inning taking the score to 92 in 15 overs, before Rooplall was given out caught to one of those sportsman-like catches over the boundary. Gooniah then went for a steady 25.
With the score on 133 for 6 in the 24th over, Akash Rahim and Ahmad Dodson showed the dept in this Cosmos line-up with Balgobin and Ryan Ganesh yet to come. Rahim anchored one end and was watchful throughout while Dodson shifted gears into overdrive and produced a cameo. He unleashed a few telling blows over mid-on and mid-wicket boundary as he and Rahim posted an unbeaten 68-run partnership in just 38 balls with Dodson getting a breezy 28-ball 59 runs (4-4’s, 4-6’s) and Rahim a patient 35-balls 32 runs, as Cosmos inning closed on a competitive 201 for 6 in their allotted 30 overs.
In reply, Queens Gladiators found themselves in early trouble as their batsmen had few answers against the Cosmos bowling attack. Ryan Ganesh put an early dent in the opposition’s armory when, in his first over, he cramped N. Iyana for room and induced a simple return catch, and then handed S. Singh Jaffer that pierced through the gates to knock over the leg-stump, a well directed Yorker accounted for V. Singh. Dodson then knocked over S. St. Clair as he and Ganesh sliced through the top order with Ganesh picking up 4 for 33 in his spell. Ganesh missed a fifer when a sharp chance went begging to Gooniah, and the Ramgobin spilled a watermelon at point.
At 14 for 4 in 4 over, Cosmos had backed the opposition into a corner. At the change, a parsimonious spell of 11 and 19 runs respectively between Viendra Gooniah and Towgeshwar Thakoordeen, though wicket-less, asphyxiated this opposition and put a lid on the inning with Gooniah and Chatram Nauth affected three brilliant runs outs in the process. Nauth them mopped up the tail taking 2 for 13 to zip-up this match with the opposition bundled out for a paltry 98 runs as Cosmos sealed a convincing 103 runs victory.
Cosmos will play GT Fire next Sunday at Ferry Point Park #1 at 1:30pm.
Cosmos Kings will play Next Gen XI at Roy Wilkins Park on Sunday at 8:30am.
