Crusaders defeated Bleachers by 79 runs at Idlewild (223rd) last weekend to take their record for the season to 6 wins and 1 loss, and stay atop the table standings with a lead of nine points. Batting first, Crusaders compiled a challenging score of 280 for 7 in their 35 overs. Esnard James was top scorer with 74, supported by Paul Peter with 54 not out, while France Cunningham, Leroy Skeen and Terry Wells contributed 24 runs each. Bleachers struggled in reply and only managed 201 for 7 in 32 overs when the match ended. Batting at No. 7, Dwight Meikle led the resistance effort until he was finally bowled by Gaswel Birch for a  top score of 85.  Charles Walker provided the only other innings of substance with a knock of 36. Joseph Allen (3-35) and Terry Wells (3-47) were the main wicket takers.

Blue Warriors, visiting Jolly XI at Beach 32A, suffered the shock of the season, losing their first four wickets for 16 runs by the first ball of the fifth over. A combination of injudicious shots and the run-out route plunged them deep into early trouble, and it was a disaster they never quite got over. Captain Dwayne Gomes and Clarence Phillip led the recovery effort with an 89-run fifth wicket partnership, but in the end it proved a bridge too far for the Warriors. For Jolly XI, Timal Singh got 2 wickets for 11 runs. Unable to set a target of any challenging proportion, and with butter fingers in the outfield, the Warriors could not prevent the Jolly XI batsmen from quickly erasing the 161-run target in 18.4 overs, and for the loss of only 3 wickets. R. Toussaint was top scorer with 66 not out and Rudy Singh got 35. Morris Jeffrey was the only Blue Warriors bowler who had any impact with figures of 2 for 27. Jolly XI easily won by 7 wickets.

Village Rams amassed a total of 259 for 5 in 30 overs as they defeated Lions King at the Gateway Oval. Clif Roye was unlucky to miss out on a century when he was bowled by Morris Rodriques for 97 runs; Paul Salmon contributed 58. In their turn at bat, Lions King were rolled over for 170 in 24.4 overs. Clifton Waldron was the main wrecker taking 4 for 32 in his 6 overs. Ballister McCleish 66 and Marvel Robinson 31 were the only Lions King batsmen with significant contributions.

Up north, Caribbean Masters recorded their fourth win of the season as they ended the visiting All-Pro Masters’ winning streak at Keney Park, Hartford, CT. Batting first, Caribbean Masters recorded 223 for 5 wickets in their 30 overs. Everton Mchaurgh 65 not out, and Curtis Smith 56 were the leading batsmen. All-Pro Masters could only muster 143 runs in their turn at bat, as they were routed in 26.5 overs. Lee Ramsey (23) was the only batsman who managed to get into the twenties. Main wicket takers were E. Mchaurgh 3-29, R. Ali 2-8, and E. Palmer 2-21.

At Beach 32B, Everest were victorious over West Demerara; unfortunately, neither team has provided  any details for this match.

Match summaries for Saturday 8/7/2010:
Bleachers v Crusaders (35 Overs)  at Idlewild (223rd)

Crusaders 280 for 7 in 35 overs (E. James 74, P. Peter 54*, L. Skeen 24, F. Cunningham 24, T. Wells 24;  A. Hutchinson 2-54, D. Meikle 2-53)
Bleachers 201 for 7 in 32 overs (D. Meikle 85, C. Walker 36; J. Allen 3-35, T. Wells 3-47)
Crusaders won by 79 runs

Village Rams v Lions King (30 overs) at Gateway Oval, Brooklyn
Village Rams 259 for 5 in 30 overs (C. Roye 97, P. Salmon 58, J. Lall 29, K. Sang 22, I. Grizzle 20)
Lions King 170 all out in 24.4 overs (B. McCleish 66, M. Robinson 31; C. Waldron 4-32)
Village Rams won by 89 runs

Jolly XI v Blue Warriors (30 overs) at Beach 32 A, Far Rockaway
Blue Warriors 161 for 6 in 30 overs (D. Gomes 75*, C. Phillip 24, P. Cadogan 21; T. Singh 2-11)
Jolly XI 163 for 3 in 18.4 overs (R. Toussaint 66*, R. Singh 35; M. Jeffrey 2-27)
Jolly XI won by 7 wickets

Caribbean Masters v All-Pro Masters (30 overs) at Keney Park, Hartford, CT
Caribbean Masters 223 for 6 in 30 overs (E.Mchaurgh 65*, C. Smith 56, J. Lavine 22 ret,  N. Brown 22; M. Ali 2-39)
All-Pro Masters 143 all out in 26.5 overs (L. Ramsey 23; E. Mchaurgh 3-29, R. Ali 2-8, E. Palmer 2-21)
Caribbean Masters won by 80 runs

West Demerara v Everest (30 overs) at Beach 32 B, Far Rockaway
Everest won … Score details unavailable

The current NY Masters Cricket Association Standings are as follows:

FOR AGAINST
Team P W L LxD T Inc Abnd Runs / Overs Runs / Overs NRR Pts
Crusaders 7 6 1 0 0 0 0 1,645 / 208 1,198 / 222 2.512257 36
Caribbean Masters 7 4 2 0 1 0 0 1,468 / 219 1,371 / 225 0.609863 27
Jolly XI 6 4 2 0 0 0 0 1,129 / 159 1,162 / 185 0.819548 24
Blue Warriors 6 3 2 0 1 0 0 1,212 / 179 1,085 / 157 -0.159808 21
Village Rams 7 3 4 0 0 0 0 1,745 / 225 1,520 / 227 1.054600 18
Everest 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 657 / 100 655 / 130 1.498852 18
Bleachers 6 3 3 0 0 0 0 1,173 / 185 1,192 / 182 -0.226000 18
All-Pro Masters 6 2 4 0 0 0 0 912 / 187 1,450 / 194 -2.603811 12
Lions King 7 2 5 0 0 0 0 1,243 / 224 1,427 / 197 -1.711014 12
West Demerara 6 0 6 0 0 0 0 994 / 185 1,118 / 154 -1.855475 0
LxD – Loss by Default (-2 points awarded) …
The top four (4) teams move on to the Semi-final Play-offs
The Semi-final winners meet in the Finals to determine 2010 Championship


The next NY Masters Cricket Association games are scheduled for Saturday August 21, 2010

All-Pro Masters vs Blue Warriors Idlewild (223rd)
Jolly XI vs Bleachers B 32 A
Everest vs Caribbean Masters Lido Beach
Lions King vs Crusaders B 32 B
West Demerara vs Village Rams B 58