EACA 2012 Division A Power40
On a sunny day at the well manicured Baisley Park (Cage), team Richmond Hill who required a win in this game to qualify for the final four, having won the toss and elected to bat first on a placid batting wicket.
Azurdeen Mohammed was impressive against Richmond Hill bagging 6 wickets, took 3 catches and scored 28. Photos by Shiek Mohamed
Richmond Hill veteran Debo Sankar and the hard hitting Wahid Ward marched out to open the batting for their club. For Meten-Meer-Zorg’s Rocky Kowchi from the Foch Boulevard end and young Rayhanul Islam from the Basket Ball court end led the attack. In their brief spell, Rocky and Islam were taken round the park by Ward and Sankar.
Skipper Azurdeen Mohammed immediately brought Himendra Ramdihal and himself into the fold to put a check on the rapid scoring. Within the next over, Wahid Ward was brilliantly caught by Saud Hussain trying to pull a short delivery from Ramdihal. Next to go was the veteran Debo Sankar caught by Saud Hussain who dived forward and took a rebound catch off Mohammed. With the score at 44 for 2 off 8.1 overs it was up to the two left handers Zaheer Sadloo and Prashad Mahadeo to the rescue Richmond Hill.
A docile pitch suddenly looked dangerous when the skipper introduced his two off spinners, the young Trevis Ross and Zaaid Majeed. An inspiring bowling display from these two hopefuls helped MMZ to keep it tight from both ends. With pressure building, Mahadeo cut a ball from Ross to Majeed at backward square took off for a quick single but was brilliantly run out from a direct throw at the non striker end as the ball ricocheted accurately onto the stumps to see Mahadeo just short of his ground.
Ross and Majeed bowled an economical spell, both going wicket less with figures of 8-0-29-0 and 8-0-22-0 respectively. It was Mohammed and Ramdihal back in the attack this move brought immediate success, Zaheer Sadloo was caught by Kowchi off Mohammed for a well compiled 35. MMZ bowled with good discipline and purpose as wickets started to fall, in came the West Indies player Brandon Bess. With the ball turning away from Bess he found it very difficult to cope with the left arm spin duo of Mohammed and Ramdihall. Scoreboard reading 141 Bess mistimed a shot to sky one to Mohammed who took a return catch. Richmond Hill eventually finished on 190 off their 40 overs. Mohammed finished impressively with figures of 8-0-44-6 and Ramdihall 8-1-27-1.
Needing 191 to herald a team win, USA player Azurdeen Mohammed and Ken Nandkumar opened the batting. MMZ were playing this time without their regular number three batsman, former Guyana youth player Deonauth Baksh who declined and chose to play a benefit match in New Jersey.
Amarnauth Persaud contributed a winning 48 for Meten-Meer-Zorg.
Dereck McDonald and Brandon Bess opened the bowling for Richmond Hill. MMZ lost an early wicket of Nandkumar who tried to flick Bess and was caught at short midwicket for 1. With the score at 4/1 in the 2nd over, in walked Singapore National Player Glenn Meyer to the crease. This was Meyer’s first match of the season for MMZ since broken his hand in a college match earlier in the year. Meyer being completely recovered was severed on Brandon Bess who was bowling with great pace from the basketball end. Mohammed on the other hand, in his usual rhythm was batting excellently hitting some huge sixes with great ease and composition. Having just crossed a 50 run partnership with Meyer, Azurdeen was faced with an unexpected delivery down the leg side and was brilliantly stumped by Mahadeo for 28. It was a notable shift in momentum and one which leaves the match finely poised as Richmond Hill having claimed the prize wicket of the skipper felt for that moment it was all over.
In walked the talented and aggressive 17 year old Trevis Ross in fluent form to the crease to join Meyer and secure the inning. With the score on 61, the Richmond skipper Ramphal Bactowar advancing from the Foch Blvd end had immediate success as Meyer inside edged a delivery and was caught behind having played at a ball that kept low outside off stump for a well played 22.
USA Under-19 Player, Amarnath Persaud who is in tremendous form came in to join Ross eagerly at the crease. This was the partnership that would obstruct the Richmond Hill team from reaching the semi finals as their hopes dissipated. Seventeen year old Ross and eighteen year old Persaud dominated the final set of overs in a stroke-filled partnership batted superbly for MMZ intelligently picking up singles and doubles, hitting with aggression the bad ball to the fence and on a few occasions outside the park much to their supporter’s delight it was fascinating watching these two young men took the Richmond hill bowlers apart. With the score reading 125 in 25 overs, Trevis Ross sighted an opportunity and went for a big shot off Bactowar and was caught at the long off boundary by Bess for a hard earned and well played 42 in support of his team. At that point the boys from Richmond Hill getting into a hopeful state once more, had a little sniff of victory but it was Zaaid Majeed who came in and joined Persaud to push the score to 189 before Majeed being dismissed for a helpful 22 . Persaud on 48 needed two runs for a well deserved half century tried to hit the ball out the park was caught at the mid wicket boundary for a well played 48. Needing only 2 runs for victory Hemindra Ramdihall did justice in bold style with a boundary for MMZ leading them straight into the play offs in consecutive years.
MMZ move on to 55 points tied with Everest ACS. These two team will do battle on Sunday at the new look Lido Beach. Both teams will try to finish at the top of the table. The last time these two teams met was in the 40 overs knockout final in 2011 which MMZ won.
GO MMZ!!!!