By Isaac Lockett
Day 12 at the Cool and Smooth T20 saw the final two group-stage matches before the tournament heads to the semi-finals. Before the day’s play, there were still places up for grabs in the top four to move into the first match of the day, which saw the Bolans Blasters take on the New Winthropes Lions.
The Lions won the toss and elected to field, which proved to be the right decision early on as batting was not easy. Scoring was slower than what is typically seen at a T20 as Mikkel Govia once again impressed with the ball finishing with figures of 1-11 from his four overs, while Michael Palmer finished with 2-13. But the Blasters ensured that they adapted their batting style to match the conditions instead of trying to force their way to a big total and lost wickets along the way. Kerry Mentore scored 34 off 52 to maintain his excellent run with the bat, while Orlando Peters (22 off 27) also played a controlled inning. As with every T20 inning, acceleration towards the back end of the inning can make such an impact, and Gavin Williams’ 22 off 12 balls helped to propel the Blasters to 105-4.
With a target of 106 to win, the Lions knew that controlling the run rate would be key to their chase. However, the Lions’ batters struggled to maintain time at the crease in the same way the Blasters’ batters could. Wickets were falling rapidly, and every bowler used by the Blasters’ claimed on, as captain Taiem Tonge (2-13) and Micheal Harilall (2-7) picked up two wickets each. Harilall finished the group stage with 11 wickets at an average of 8 and a staggering economy rate of 4.19. Bartlette Henry provided some resistance for the Lions scoring 18 off 23 from number 7. Ultimately, more was needed from the Lions, who fell 15 runs short.
After claiming their first win last time, the Bethesda Golden Eagles were looking to end their tournament on a high against the Jennings Tigers, who needed a win to cement their semi-final spot. The Tigers won the toss and elected to bat, but scoring was challenging as the other teams found it during the day’s first match. There were three runouts in the Tigers’ inning which did not help the cause, as the number 9 batter Glenton Williams top scored for the team with 18 off 18. Despite going wicketless, Timmo Thomas had a fantastic display with the ball conceding six runs from his four overs. At the same time, Anthony Martin picked up three wickets while involved in a runout. The Tigers’ reached 71 all out after their 20 overs, but with scoring proving difficult, there was still a chance.
Kevin Pitman opened the Golden Eagles’ batting and focused on helping the team secure the win. The wicket-keeper batter played a responsible knock top scoring with 21 off 26, putting a sizeable dent into the total. There was a risk that when he was dismissed, the chase could stop progressing, and pressure would rise. Shacoy Floyd (12 off 18) and Sadique Henry (15 off 10) reached double figures along with Pitman, so when a late run out did happen, it was too late to derail the Golden Eagles’ inning as they chased the total down at the 13.3 over mark. Winston Nelson picked up the Tigers’ best figures of the match finishing with 2-14.
These results meant that the Blasters finished in the top four alongside the Liberta Blackhawks, Empire Nation and Pigotts Crushers. While the Tigers, New Winthorpes Lions, All Saints Pythons and Golden Eagles all missed out.