CUL DE SAC--When Future Champs and Winair Conquerors clash on Saturday in the final Playoff match, the results will be highly significant because the loser will have many regrets while the winner will advance to the final.
A win for Future Champs will cap a good tournament for the youth team while a loss will hurt deep down inside and many regrets will surface in the post mortem. Conquerors have hurt deep down inside on a few occasions in this tournament and so it is either another breath-taking performance or another hide-your-face and run performance.
Future Champs have played their best tournament thus far, and are ambitiously dreaming of advancing to their first Twenty20 final. They are coming up against the Conquerors who have made it to a few local finals and even though they have experienced limited successes; they are in possession of the 10/10 championship trophy which was sponsored by the current sponsors; Motorworld.
Future Champs nevertheless, must be confident in this is a crucial match. In the preliminary round, the youngsters hammered Conquerors in a one-sided affair. Conquerors were bowled out for an embarrassing 58 in 13.2 overs to lose by mammoth 112 runs. With those wounds already inflicted, the youth team must be thinking that the job is half done.
Conquerors are expected to include three players from off island. They are Merlin Liburd, Joel Simmons and Adelvin Phillips from Nevis. Those three players could make a big difference in the batting department which have twice collapsed under 100 runs in the four completed matches in the preliminary rounds.
To beat NAGICO in the eliminator must be the biggest euphoria for a team which is based on the French side and could be the catalyst to push them forward at this stage of the tournament.
In that victory, Lerry Baptiste and Raphael Baptiste batted with maturity and plenty of common-sense which was lacking in the earlier matches. They added 46 runs off 32 balls for the sixth wicket to swing the match for Conquerors. Both players had an indifferent tournament with the bat but played well to set up the win.
Shameer Baux at the top of the order has enjoyed some time at the crease but the team will be hoping that Captain Ron James who is a big-hitting batsman will bat at least six balls (one over) in his innings to undo his unprofitable performance with the bat throughout the tournament.
Future Champs have performed excellently in the batting, bowling and fielding divisions. They have all bases covered which have driven them to five wins out of six matches. The team comprises mainly U19 players who usually train four times per week. They swifter across the field, faster between the wickets and better at catching than most of the six other teams which competed in the tournament.
Captain Daniel Doram, Vice-Captain Mrinal Wadhwa, Shadrack Descarte and Iassie Gabriel have all combined to hurt the oppositions in the tournament. They have all played a key role in the five wins. Fast bowler Antonio Fernandes has picked up early wickets with the new ball and then the host of spinners in the team completed the job in friendly conditions.
Cricket lovers are set to be served some heart racing set of matches in the closing stages of the Motorworld Twenty20.
Saturday's match begins at 1:30pm.
