Esmeralda Sports Club secured their spot in the semi-finals of the 2012 University of the West Indies (UWI) T20 Cricket competition with an impressive 24-run win over Fulham Sports Club at the Sir Frank Worrell Ground, UWI SPEC, St Augustine, last Friday night. Batting first after they lost the toss, the Central boys posted a very challenging total of 154 for nine in 20 overs, and then bowled out Fulham for 130 with the last ball of their allotment of overs. Man-of- the- match Kerwyn Sirju of Esmeralda took three wickets for 17 runs, while skipper Shazan Badwah (two for 20), Vishan Jagessar (two for 24) and Mervyn Dillon (two for 26) contributed to the win. Stocky Chris Pattia cracked a breezy 43 (from 23 ball, that included nine fours ) and Akeem Alvarez,who constructed a solid 33 from 15 balls ,which was decorated with three sixes and a pair of fours shared a second-wicket stand of 56 to spearhead an unsuccessful Fulham's run chase. Other good scores for the losers came from Sherwin Peters, who scored 24 from 25 balls, while hitting two sixes and one four. Captain Wayne Pamphille also chipped in 13 off 17 deliveries.
Earlier in the night, openers Kevon Edwards (29, from 24 balls, with two fours) and A Bamble (24, including four fours off 21 balls) batted brilliantly to post 58 off just seven overs to set the platform for Esmeralda's winning total. Other notable scores for the winners came from Badwah (16 from 15 balls) and Dillon (ten), while Jagessar and Teshawn Castro added ten apiece. Esmeralda, who were surprise -winners in the first round against T&TEC-will now play the winners of the third quarter-finalists in the second semi-finals on March 23. The third quarter -final match-up will see Queen's Park Cricket Club playing either Preysal or Central Sports on Friday. Both clubs will meet on Wednesday in a reschedule first round encounter, after rain had washout their previous engagement which was carded for last week Thursday. Action on the campaign will continue on Thursday night at the same venue with the second quarter-final clash between Ceramic Trinidad Limited Merry Boys and Prison. Meanwhile, the Trinidad Women's Cricket Board will be partnering with the St Augustine Campus for the UWI T-20 Finals on March 30th. The two semifinals of the Women's Sixes competition and the final will be played on the same day- March 30 -at the same venue as the final of the UWI T-20 competition.