Written by Isaac Lockett
The first match during Day 9 at the Cool and Smooth T20 saw the Piggots Crushers take on the winless Bethesda Golden Eagles. Heading into the game, the Golden Eagles had lost five matches in a row, but there is always a chance to rip up the form book in sport.
The Golden Eagles’ captain Deran Benta wanted the team to try and set a defendable total and bat first. Number 3 batter Sadique Henry found himself at the crease during the powerplay and had been the Golden Eagles’ top scorer during the competition. On another difficult surface to bat on, Henry began navigating through the Crushers’ efforts. Crushers captain Elroy Francis who is having an impressive tournament with the ball, picked up figures of 3-14 from his four overs as wickets continued to fall around Henry. But Henry continued until the last ball of the inning, hitting three boundaries and one six in an inning of 46 off 52 balls, helping the Golden Eagles reach 119-8 from their 20 overs.
During the Crushers’ response, U19 player Jewel Andrew played a similar role to Henry keeping his team in the chase throughout the second half of the match. Andrew has been having a tournament to remember and has now got a lot of people talking about him, wondering what comes next for the exciting keeper-batter. Fans saw a different side of the Crushers’ batter, responsibly anchoring the inning, scoring 42 off 45. The only significant difference was the number of extras between the two teams, with the Golden Eagles conceding seven to the Crushers’ 17. But when the final over started, both teams were in with a chance of winning. Andrew’s efforts ended on the first ball, meaning the equation was 17 off five balls. Despite being hit for a boundary, Golden Eagles captain Benta guided the team to their first win of the tournament. The experienced Anthony Martin was given the Player of the Match award for his exceptional 3-15 for the Golden Eagles.
The second game saw another masterclass from the Empire Nation’s Darren Nedd against the New Winthorpes Lions. However, before Nedd entered the arena, fans were treated to impressive knocks by Mikyle Louis (46 off 42) and Scotland international Matthew Cross (41 off 26). The Nation looked on course for another big first-inning score when Nedd came to the crease with the score on 92-2 after ten overs, and he wasted little time getting stuck in. Nedd hit three fours and three sixes during a 35-ball stay at the crease finishing not out on 51 taking his tournament tally to 135 at an average of 45. The Nation’s efforts saw them reach 183-3.
With 184 to win, the Lions needed to make the most of the powerplay. However, tight bowling from openers Javaughn James (1-27) and Justin Athanaze (0-21) prevented the Lions from getting the upper hand. Scotland international Michael Leask has been in fine form with both bat and ball for the Lions. Coming in at number four during this contest, Leask briefly swang the momentum back in his team’s favour. With sensational power hitting, Leask scored 47 off 27 balls; however, the other Lions batters couldn’t stick with him. Instead, Nedd was in the wickets disrupting Leask’s charge. Nedd finished with figures of 3-31, including the vital wicket of Leask, ensuring that the Nation picked up the win. The Lions were bowled out for 129-10, falling short by 54 runs.
