Scorecard
Richmond Hill Liberty Club is now the crowned champions of the New York National Cricket League (NYNCL) 30 overs Saturday Tournament after beating Meeri Peeri in the final by 34 runs. A Splendid half-century upfront by Derick Narine (72 off 53 balls) and an extravagant power hitting from Terrence Madramootoo (52 off 23) at the end lifted the team total to 246 runs for 6.
In return, Dino Chooweenam 5-for in the second innings bamboozled the opposition side. A dominant performance by Richmond Hill Liberty Club in the final brought an end to a long competition on a high note for #TheBlueNation players and especially fans who supported them throughout the season.
NYNCL 30 overs Play-Off 2021 Saturday: Final
Richmond Hill Liberty: 246/6 (Derick Narine 72, Terrence Madramootoo 52, Troy Mars 47) beat Meri Peeri 212/10 (Dino Chooweenam 5/44, Michael Sultan 2/4, Altaaf Habibulla 2/31) by 34 runs.
Richmond Hill Liberty (RHL) won the toss and elected to bat first, making three changes for the all-important game Derick Narine, Leon Mohabir, and Michael Sultan cemented their place in the final XI in place of Naresh Rambharos, Azeemuddin Khan, and Tamesh Persaud. Opener Dino Chooweenam reciprocated a similar pattern of scoring runs at a hefty strike rate as RHL raced past fifty within five overs. Chooweenam, unfortunately, departed for 22 but provided the momentum required for the big game. Alex Amsterdam stepped in next and played a watchful inning whereas Derick Narine accelerated the scoring rate. Alex was dismissed lbw in the thirteenth over for 18 at a crucial period of play followed by Narine with his rapid-fire 72 off 53 deliveries.
Although the wickets fell from one end and the scoring rate went down in the middle overs, Troy Mars made sure to keep the scoreboard ticking. RHL were 188 for 6 at the end of twenty-sixth over but it was Terrence Madramootoo who announced his intentions straightway with his hard-hitting lofty shots, he reached his half-century in just 23 deliveries including 4 sixes and 3 fours. With his fiery innings, RHL was able to accumulate 58 runs in the last 4 overs posting 246 on the board asking the opposition a run rate of 8.2.
In reply, Meeri Peeri batters were not allowed to score runs freely as they lost their first wicket in the third over to Altaaf Habibulla who dismissed Amandeep Motta Aman Singh for 3 runs. Amandeep Ammu Singh was RHL’s next scalp departed courtesy of a brilliant delivery by Derick Narine. Soon Gurjeevan Singh left for 13 and the chasing side was on their backfoot with just 50 runs in 9 overs. However, Meeri Peeri pulled things back with a couple of solid partnerships before Dino Chooweenam cast a magical spell of bowling started with knocking over the ominous Davinder Singh for 37 and luring Gourav Grover out of his crease resulting in him being stumped by the wicket-keeper. An intriguing game of cricket had its ups and downs and at one moment it seemed as if the match was slipping away from the grasp of RHL when Meeri Peeri required 40 runs in the last 4 overs with 5 wickets in hand. This is thanks to a stint of spilled catches from the boys in blue.
A smart decision by the RHL captain to hand over the bowl to Micheal Sultan, having not bowled in the early stages of the match, proved the game-changer. He struck on his first two balls to remove the dangerous looking Dilbag Singh and Gursewak Sing. The duo was on a 44 runs partnership off just 26 balls and looked set to steal the win. Sultan’s over only conceding three runs. On the other end, Dino deceived the batters and collectively the pair dismantled the rest of the opposition side for 6 more runs in the span of two overs. Meeri Peeri ended up from 206 for 5 to 212 for 10 as RHL comprehensively won the match with 34 runs to spare, lifting the trophy after a successful journey throughout the season. Derick Narine was awarded the man of the match for his magnificent 72 runs which laid a strong foundation for a challenging total and an economical spell including a crucial wicket.