By John L. Aaron
Villagers Cricket Club vs. Lucas Sports Club
Lucas Shut Out from Entering the Village
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, Villagers posted 318 and lost eight wickets in the allotted 40 overs. The runs came from the bats of Michael Frew, 73 not out off 46 balls with 7x6s and 2x4s, Andre McCarty, 60 (3x6s, 2x4s), Barrington Bartley sans the heroics of the previous week, had a quiet knock of 45 with 3x4s. Opener Jevoy Spence posted 40 alongside fellow opener Tristan Coleman, 22. Skipper George Adams chipped in 26 at the number nine slot. Thirty-three extras helped round out the three-figure total of 318.
The Villagers’ wickets fell at 39, 92, 180, 191, 214, 220, 252 and 302. Bowling for Lucas – Troy Baptiste captured 2 for 43, Wayne Amsterdam had 2 for 59, and the stoic Rodwell Busgith enjoyed 2 for 69. Vishaul Singh and Johan Jeremiah enjoyed a wicket each at 40 and 80, respectively.
Faced with responding to three centuries plus at an asking rate of 1.329 per delivery or 7.975 per over, Lucas was off to a miserable start losing their first eight wickets with less than 50 runs on the board. It was an easy day at the office for Villagers as the Lucas inning wrapped up at 108 all-out in 19.4 overs. Vishaul Singh, 55 (1×6, 7x4s), and Extras, 17, were the only ones to reach double digits for Lucas.
Aldean Elliott was the Villagers’ stand-out bowler, capturing 5 for 34 off his six overs. Duwayne Kerr 2 for seven off 2.4 overs and Zahib Tariq 3 for 16 rounded out the wicket-takers for Lucas, culminating in the Villagers’ victory by 210 runs at the Marine Park venue.
Player-of-the-Match was Aldean Elliott.
Atlantis Cricket Club – NY vs. Westbury Cricket Club
The West Buried Atlantis
Atlantis Cricket Club – NY, with debutantes Telston Johnson and Steve Roopnarine, fared no better than Lucas chasing 374 posted by Westbury Cricket Club at the Roy Sweeney Oval in Brooklyn.
Losing the toss and finding themselves at the bowler’s end, Atlantis took to the field expecting to ultimately face a huge total at the smaller Roy Sweeney Oval posted by the big hitters carried by Westbury. Richard Allen and Company did not disappoint anyone except for perhaps the disappointment shown on the faces of the Atlantis camp.
Skipper Richard Allen, in sensational form this season, immediately got to work attacking opening bowlers Telston Johnson and Kellon Carmichael after losing his opening partner Roberto Simpson, 3, caught by substitute wicket-keeper Giovanni Letren off Kellon Carmichael.
Despite losing four wickets between the two and six batting slots, Allen, joined by Javein Thomas, took apart the Atlantis bowling lineup and depleted the supply of balls carried by Atlantis, as the duo posted 115 off 77 balls and 102 not out off 62 balls, respectively. Thomas enjoyed 8x6s and 6x4s, while Allen clobbered 6x6s and 11x4s. Just when you thought the onslaught was over, here comes six-footer, 17 plus stones, Horace Porter to add 90 not out (9x6s, 4x4s), adding to the massive total of 374 for 6 in the 40-overs affair.
The Westbury wickets fell at 33, 57, 90, 112, 186, and 198. That’s where Thomas and Porter continued the aerial mortar assault from the West.
Bowling for Atlantis, Sumantro Das was the most economical with 2 for 51 off his eight overs. Steve Roopnarine had a spell of 4 overs for ten runs before falling behind and ending up wicket-less with 53 off his eight overs. Isaiah Gomez and Kellon Carmichael each grabbed two wickets apiece to round out the Westbury six-wicket inning.
Faced with the daunting task of scoring 9.375 per over, Atlantis’ skipper Randall Wilson and Mbeki Joseph took to the middle with a confident approach. However, Joseph would quickly return to the shade after posting just one run. The Atlantis skipper desperately sought a batting partner from among his remaining roster, but after losing his Vice Captain Kellon Carmichael for 6, b. Ryan Bennett, Wilson, too, was headed for the shade. What followed was a parade of entries and exits by the Atlantis batters. Except for the day’s debutantes Johnson, 11, and Roopnarine, 10, the other Atlantis batters played single-string guitars. Atlantis would eventually fold up its tent at 101 all-out in just 15.3 overs—an embarrassing total, no doubt, for Atlantis.
The Atlantis wickets fell at 22, 34, 54, 56, 58, 63, 74, 95, 96, and 101.
Bowling for Westbury: Ryan Bennett was the pick of the crop with figures of 7.3-2-25-7. Michael Meggs had the remaining 3 for 55 off his six overs. Romaine Johnson bowled two overs at 5.5 each and was wicket-less.
Player-of-the-Match was Ryan Bennett
Island Wide Cricket Club vs. Suburbia Sports Club
Suburbia Didn’t Take Island Wide Serieux
Roy Wilkins Park in Queens was the scene of another lop-sided contest between Suburbia Sports Club and Island Wide Cricket Club, with the latter winning the toss and electing to bat first.
From the willow of Lebert Serieux came a serious knock of 136 off just 89 deliveries, including 11 maximums and ten fours in the team’s 243 total. He dominated the bowlers before being caught off the bowling of Suburbia’s skipper Cuthbert “Cutty” Mendonca in the 29th over with the team’s score at 233. The supporting cast of Island Wide batters each contributed 17 or fewer runs individually. Extras chipped in with 31.
The Island Wide wickets fell at 35, 58, 146, 178, 184, 228, 233, 243, and 243. Bowling for Suburbia – Romain Martin topped the figures with 7-0-60-3. However, Towan Henry had a maiden spell, capturing two wickets in three balls to close out the Island Wide inning at 32.3 overs. John Martelly did not make an appearance in the middle.
Suburbia playing on their home turf, was off to an impressive start, showing a clear intent on posting five points to their 2023 season tally, as the openers Andre Lindsey and Towan Henry posted 129 in an impressive opening stand. (Lindsay, 69 not out, and Henry, 54 off 66 balls). Dean Burrell teamed up with Lindsay after losing Romain Martin for 17 to close out the win with a 40 ball 62, not-out contribution that included 3x6s and 8x4s. Extras raised its hand with 42.
The Suburbia inning lasted 33.4 overs, losing two wickets to edge out Island Wide by an eight-wicket margin. It was Suburbia’s second five-point posting in the three matches played so far. The Suburbia wickets fell at 129 and 156, with Aloysious Fontenelle and his Skipper Mario Lawrence sharing the two wickets at 25 and 44, respectively.
This Sunday’s match-ups are:
Villagers Sports Club hosts Atlantis Cricket Club – NY at the Roy Sweeney Cricket Oval.
Westbury Cricket Club entertains Island Wide at Westbury High School.
Spice Island welcomes Lucas Sports Club to Marine Park D.
All fixtures start at 12:00 PM
