Jonelle Eugene played a fluent inning for the Combined Unites to top score with 66 off 44 balls against General Auto Repairs Spartans in the Cricket4life tourney at Caribe Lumber Ballpark on Thursday afternoon. The Spartans won by six wickets.
Adam Sanford bowls for the Adam Sanford All Stars against the Anguilla Tigers in the Cricket4life tourney at Caribe Lumber Ballpark on Thursday afternoon. The Tigers won by six wickets.
CUL DE SAC--The opening day of the Adam Sanford Cricket4Life Twenty20 tourney lived up to all the hype it received before the tournament started. Well decorated ground, exciting vibes, All-star cricketers, massive crowd and thrilling cricket matches were all shown on the opening day which left cricket fans in an expectant mood for the rest of weekend.
On the cricketing side of things; General Auto Repairs Spartans collected a narrow win against the Combined United while the Adam Sanford All Stars lost quite surprisingly to a more determined Anguilla Tigers.
In the first match of the tournament, Spartans replied successfully to 146 for six off 18 overs posted by the Combined United. The match was reduced to 18 overs because of a late start.
Sherwin Peters batted superbly to take his team to the win among chaos at the other end of the batting crease. No one spent long enough at the crease as some players seemed overwhelmed by the occasion.
Peters stroked a stylish half-century. Spartans needed a gettable 13 runs off the last 12 balls with Peters and Christopher Barnwell.
The top scorer for Combined United was Jonelle Eugene, the son of former St. Maarten national Cricket Captain, John Eugene. He hit a fluent 66 off 44 balls while Lassie Gabriel gave the inning an explosive start with 32 off 23 balls. Captain Moreland Le Blanc scored a vital 25 off 24 balls but most be still licking his wounds after dropping three crucial catches including one off Peters.
Peters was the best bowler for Spartans with four wickets.
In the second match, the Adam Sanford All Stars posted 157 all out off 19.2 overs. Antigua and Leeward islands Captain Rakheem Cornwall led the way with an out-of-character 71 off 54 balls. Cornwall, known for his big-hitting, somewhat had to temper his aggressive as regular wickets fell at the other end right through the inning. He was the only All Star on show for the first match. Dwayne Smith scored 23 off 17 balls Bilal Qureshi contributed five off five balls, John Eugene scored 15 off 11 balls and Shivnarine Chanderpaul was given out leg-before-wicket for two off four balls which prompted one spectator to jokingly remark that she needed a refund.
The Anguillians started off promisingly with Montcin Hodge, in particular playing some crunching cover drives which were pleasing on the eyes. But in the end, it was Justin Athanaze with a fine half century that brought his team to victory with five balls to spare.
The Cricket4Life tourney continues today when Mad Dogs from New York do battle against Anguilla Tigers from 10:00am and then the Kalinago Braves face up to the Combined United from 2:00pm.
