By Isaac Lockett
By the end of day two at the Cool and Smooth T20 on the beautiful island of Antigua, fans would have had their first chance to look at all eight teams. Teams would have been able to assess themselves and the squads around them. After an exciting day yesterday, it was over to the New Winthorpes Lions and the Jennings Tigers to take centre stage in the day’s first game.
The Tigers roared loudest at the start of play, with Jedidiah Martin’s right arm fast bowling creating early inroads picking up both of the Lions’ opening batters. Glenton Williams (2-9) was not to be outdone, also picking up an early wicket before the run out of Scotland international Michael Leask saw the Lions reduced to 8-4 off 3.3 overs. 8-4 quickly turned into 19-6; however, Bartlette Henry was still at the crease for the Lions.
Henry, who has been with the Lions since 2020, combined first with regional representative Nino Henry (21 off 9) and then Michael Palmer (35 off 32) before getting run out for 42 off 48 balls in what could be a match-defining inning. Martin finished with figures of 3-33, while overseas Ben Sexton picked up three wickets from his 3.5 overs.
The Lions had set the Tigers a target of 131, which seemed a long way away after being 19-6. The match hung in the balance at the interval, and the side that started the second innings the best would be in the driving seat. The Tigers, who lost Scotland international George Munsey to injury, faced a formidable bowling attack with Henry (1-25) combining with Trinidadian Mikkel Govia (1-17) to open the bowling and make scoring difficult. DAhri Francis (18 off 18), Lachlan Bangs (12 off 23), Jedidiah Martin (18 off 31) and Winston Nelson (13 off 12) all made double figures for the Tigers.
However, frequent wickets and tight bowling meant the chase needed more momentum. Medium pacer Ishmael Peters (2-21) and off-spinner Leask (0-17). Despite captain Paul Miller scoring 31 off 28, the Tigers fell short, scoring 110/7 from their 20 overs.
The second game saw the All Saints Pythons bat first against the Pigotts Crushers. The Pythons’ batting lineup has been bolstered by two Scottish batters, with Liam Naylor and Christopher McBride looking to make an impact. The pair had a partnership of 69 off 56 as both batters brought up half-centuries, with McBride top scoring (59 off 40) while Naylor also impressed with 51 off 40.
Following the dismissal of Naylor, 20-year-old rising talent Matthew Forde took centre stage for the Pythons. Forde has been gathering franchise experience with the St Lucia Stars in the CPL and the Dambulla Aura in the Lanka Premier League. His experience playing in different situations showed. Forde didn’t let the innings’ momentum slide with a strike rate of 160.87, finishing with 37* off 23 balls. The combined efforts of the Pythons saw them put up the highest score of the tournament so far, 190-4.
After his impressive showing with the bat, Forde opened the bowling finishing with figures of 2-13 to complete a player-of-the-match performance and set the tone for the bowling innings. The Pythons shared the wickets around, with five different bowlers taking a wicket. An impressive 46 from U19 player Jewel Andrew wasn’t enough to take the Crushers close to the Python’s massive score. Leg spinner Kadeem Josiah also impressed, completing his spell with figures of 1-22. The Crushers eventually fell 56 runs short of the target after scoring 134-7 from their 20 overs.
Today sees the first triple header of the tournament, with the search for the first local player to bring up their half-century continuing. To close out the first round of fixtures, Richie Berrington is the tournament’s top run scorer after his impressive 66 on the first match day, while Ben Sexton, Jedidiah Martin, Taiem Tonge and Mikkel Govia are all tied on three wickets.