On Thursday, Prisons Sports Club handed Merryboys their first loss in the T20 Festival tournament after four consecutive victories to deny them the Premier Division II title and 24 hours later, it was HKL Aranguez Sports Club turn to inflict a similar result and denied them an eighth consecutive win when the teams clashed in the Sports and Culture Fund T&TCB Premier Division II 50 Overs competition for North teams at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva, yesterday. Aranguez won the encounter by three wickets.
Aranguez captain Malcolm Ramlogan won the toss and decided to bowl, fancying their chances that they can chase down any score set by Merryboys.
Openers Samuel Feliz and former national Mario Belcon put on 88 runs first the first wicket after Belcon, who scored just one in Friday’s T20 final, was bowled by Leorando Francis for 52 runs off 45 balls that included seven fours and one six. It was Iqwe Craig who joined Felix and they added 49 more runs before Ramlogan accounted for Craigh’s wicket after he faced 34 balls for 23 runs and dispatched two sixes.
Felix was the fifth wicket to fall after he was bowled by left-arm Orthodox bowler Aamir Ali for 75 off 125 balls with three fours and three sixes. Franklyn Rouse added 28 off 30 balls with five fours, Keenan Tinto (18), Qadeer Mohammed (15) and Kevon Charles and Tevon Jadoo chipped with 11 runs each to close their innings on 254 for 8 from their allotted 50 overs.
Bowling for Aranguez, who defeated Queen’s Park II in their Play-off match to book their place in the finals, Triston Singh took 3/66, while Ali and Ramlogan both finished with 2/39.
In their turn at the crease, their openers Randy Mahase and Francis found batting very easy with an opening stand of 145 off 33.2 overs as they beat Merryboys bowling attack all over, the grounds and in the air before they were separated. The first to go was Mahase, who was caught by substitute Sachin Balliram off right-arm medium pacer Tinto’s bowling for 91 off 96 balls. He had 11 fours and one six.
Following his departure Aranguez had a wobble losing Ramlogan for six and Kaleem Felix for two runs before Giovanni Gajadhar joined Francis to put on 32 runs before Mohammed brought his stay at the wicket to an end for 84 runs off 141 balls to stabilize the innings during which time he scored eight fours and one six.
Still short of 42 runs, The medium pacer Mohammed was back in the act when he had Ali caught by Clidell Gorin for five raising the tension among Aranguez fans and the excitement in the Merryboys camp.
Mohammed, 32, played a critical role in having Mahase run out for ten, but Triston Singh unbeaten on 10 and Ashmeed Mohammed on one not out on one guided their team over the line as they reached 257/7 in the 49th over.
Bowling for Merryboys, Mohammed took 2/47 and Tinto 2/69 runs.
SUMMARISED SCORES
MEERYBOYS 254/8 (50 overs) (S Felix 75, M Belcon 52, F Rouse 29, I Craig 23, K Tinto 18, K Charles 11, T Jadoo 11; T Singh 3/66, M Ramlogan 2/39, A Ali 2/39) vs HKL ARANGUEZ SC 257/7 (49 overs) R Mahase 91, L Francis 84, G Gajadhar 32, A Mahase 10, T Singh 10). Aranguez won by 3 wickets.