Kris Samlal's all-round effort guided S&S XI to the premier division title of the Ministry of Sport/Lucozade Sport Don Miguel Night Windball cricket competition, defeating Aranguez Sports Club by 21 runs at the St Georges College Recreation Ground, Barataria, on August 10.
Batting first, S&S posted a competitive 80/6 off their 15 overs behind Samlal's unbeaten 26. Marlon Moonsammy contributed 13 to the total, while Hanuman Moonsammy tried to contain the S&S batsmen, grabbing 2/15.
In reply, Aranguez never got going, as some economical bowling from S&S reduced the Aranguez boys to 59 all out in 15 overs. Avian Mejias was the best bowler, taking 3/10 in three overs. Mejias was ably supported by Samlal (2/10) and Damien Peters (2/9), who both snatched two wickets. Rohan Parsan and Vikash Mearns both made eight runs, as all the Aranguez batsmen failed to get into double figures.
Earlier, one-sided finals were contested in division one and the women's division. In the division one final between Ranga XI and AS II at 5.30 pm, Ronald Ragoonanan's 3/8 restricted Ranga to 49/7 off their 12 overs. Mark Sankar also gave the Ranga XI some problems, taking 2/18, while Ariz Khan offered some resistance, top-scoring with 15.
AS II had little difficulty getting to the target, cruising to 52/1 off only 7.5 overs. Anthony George led the chase with 22, while Isaac Kennedy contributed 15 not out. Donnie Supersad was the lone wicket-taker for Ranga XI.
In the women's match at 7 pm, Cricket Lovers also made light work of their opponents, defeating Ball Players United by nine wickets. Bowling first, Cricket Lovers reduced Ball Players to a dismal 37/8 in 12 overs. Nicole George and Beverly Griffith were the chief destroyers, taking 3/9 and 2/6 respectively.
In their run chase, Cricket Lovers eased their way home behind an unbeaten 21 from Jenelle Charles. Her knock guided Cricket Lovers to 38/1 in only five overs to win the crown.
Meanwhile, league organiser Inshan Ali declared that over $100,000 in cash and prizes were up for grabs. "There were also lots of Lucozade products (cups, bags, jerseys etc) given away through Questions & Answers during the Finals. Don Miguel Sports League would like to thank our sponsors: Gold-Ministry of Sport, SILVER-Lucozade sport, Bronze-Tiger Pro Windballs & Trinidad & Tobago Windball Cricket Association. We would also like to make special mention of Phillip Butcher & Wayne Baghoo, the hard-working staff Judy Forde, Marisha Nikkie, Nicole Bugros, Jeffrey John and Shazid Ali; also the umpires Learie Morris, Tano Mannah, Kurt Bugros, Cervin Cleghorn, Simon Joseph and scorers Jeena Pitty and Narinedath Marajh.
SCORES
Premier Division: S&S XI 80/6 (15 overs) (Kris Samlal 26 no, Marlon Moonsammy 13, Hanuman Moonsammy 2/15) vs Aranguez SC 59 (15 overs) (Avian Mejias 3/10, Kris Samlal 2/10, Damien Peters 2/9) S&S XI won by 21 runs
Division One: Ranga XI 49/7 (12 overs) (Ariz Khan 15, Jai Teemul 14, Ronald Ragoonanan 3/8, Mark Sankar 2/18) vs AS ll 52/1 (7.5 overs) (Anthony George 22, Isaac Kennedy 15 no, Donnie Supersad 1/16) AS II won by 9 wickets
Women: Ball Players United 37/8 (12 overs) (Nicole George 3/9, Beverly Griffith 2/6) vs Cricket Lovers 38/1 (5 overs) (Jenelle Charles 21 no) Cricket Lovers won by 9 wickets