By Isaac Lockett
Day eight at the Cool and Smooth T20 was full of twists and turns as another day came and went on the beautiful island of Antigua. However, before the floodlights were switched off at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, vital points were up for grabs.
The day’s first match saw the Pigotts Crushers take on the Empire Nation in a game that will last long in the memories. The Crushers won the toss and elected to bat, but a quick-fire two wickets saw the Nation gain the early upper hand. Darren Nedd (2-31) has been making a name for himself during the 2023 edition of the Cool and Smooth T20 after some impressive performances and picked up the wickets of Kristan Kallicharan (5 off 14) and Kadeem Henry (0 off 3) during his first two overs. Momentum shifted, and Piggots found stability during their inning in the form of captain Elroy Francis (43 off 30) and Chris Greves. The pair combined scoring 79 off 62 balls, with Greaves top scoring in the innings with 54 off 44. After completing the Crushers’ 20 overs, the team finished with 150. Overseas Nathan Edward was the pick of the bowlers for the Nation finishing with figures of 2-18 from his four overs.
If the Crushers’ innings was characterised by one big partnership, the Nations’ innings could be characterised by many batters making starts without a big score. Tyrone Williams Jr (26 off 17), Matthew Cross (39 off 28), Kershaski JnoLewis (25 off 19) and Kenrick Scott (23 off 18) all make contributions to help the Nation chase down the Crushers’ total. Chris Greves continued his impressive performance picking up 3-21 from his four overs, with Henry also picking up three wickets. The game was in the balance all the way until the end, when there was only one ball left. The equation was simple, three runs from the last ball of the innings, and the Nation completes the win; two runs and the match heads to a super over; anything less and the Crushers win. Shalome Parnell bowled to Scott, who got the ball to deep backward square leg. As the batters were coming back for the third run, Micah McKenzie was found short of his ground, with Jewel Andrew collecting the ball and breaking the stumps. The two teams went to a super over, the first one of the 2023 season. Greaves stepped up and bowled a magnificent over, only conceding six off his over. Kallicharan then stepped up for the Crushers and found the boundary scoring 6 from 4 balls as Andrew scored the winning run. The Crushers completed a famous super-over.
After the mouthwatering encounter of the first game, the Liberta Blackhawks took the field looking to bounce back following their first defeat of the tournament against the Bethesda Golden Eagles. Three batters got into the 20s for the Golden Eagles, with Jamaul Fernandez (28 off 32), Sadique Henry (24 off 26) and Nosthusha Kenjige (27 off 25) finding the ability to score against the ever-impressive bowling attack of the Blackhawks. Left-arm quick Javier Spencer was impressive with the new white ball in his hand, finishing with 0-13 from his four overs, while Kofi James continued to show his prowess as an all-rounder finishing with 2-19 from his four overs. The Golden Eagles finished with 113 on the board, which on first impressions, may look under par, but with a bowler-friendly pitch, was going to take a lot of work.
Jamaican overseas Leroy Lugg, who came in as a late replacement for Jahmar Hamilton, has made a real impact at the Cool and Smooth T20 with his tremendous six-hitting ability. Opening the batting for the Blackhawks, Lugg scored 29 off 23 during an opening partnership with Amahl Nathaniel, who played a supporting role (33 off 40). The scoreboard read 59-1 off 8.3 overs before Lugg was dismissed, and the Blackhawks looked in control. Golden Eagles captain Anthony Martin bowled four economical overs conceding 11 runs and picking up two wickets. But in the end, the class of Karima Gore (22 off 21) and James (15* off 14) proved too much for the Eagles as the Blackhawks got home by six wickets.
In the day’s final game, Hilroy Andrew played an anchoring role for the New Winthorpes Lions, who batted first against the All Saints Pythons. Lions’ batter Andrew scored 40 off 41 as Scotland international Michael Leask (29 off 22) and Mikkel Govia (28 off 13) played around accelerating innings. Tournament MVP contender Matthew Forde once again impressed with the ball finishing with 2-13 from his four overs, while Scotland’s Christopher McBride took three outfield catches. The Lions finished with 154-7 from their 20 overs.
The Pythons, therefore, needed 155 to win at a run rate of 7.75 to win. James Clarke scored 32 off 28 for the Pythons. However, he was the only batter to reach the 20-run mark. Mikkel Govia had taken six wickets before this game and took a further three during this encounter, taking his season tally to nine. Govia has been a fantastic addition to the Lions’ bowling unit finishing with figures of 3-18. Michael Palmer also took three wickets, finishing with 3-21 as the Pythons could not build any momentum. The Pythons ran out of time and finished with 117-9 from their 20 overs, finishing 37 runs short.
