DXL Crown Point Spartans retained the Tobago T10 Community Cricket Windball title after beating HACC Roxborough Gunners by 49 runs in the final at Parade Ground, Bacolet on Sunday.
Opting to bat first, Spartans posted 122 for the loss of five wickets in their allotted ten overs. Captain Antonio Providence led the batting with 53. Providence was the last wicket to fall when he was caught in the last over. The winners recovered from losing opener, former national youth player, Shaquille Duncan in the first over when he was caught for 14 runs with 16 runs on the board.
Ryan Baksh was the second wicket to fall after he was bowled for four with the team’s total of 24. Woman player Alana Smith was sent back into the stands after she was bowled for 2 (50/3) in the fifth over. Leroy Kerr stuck 19 before he too was bowled in the eight over for 14 (84/4). After skipper Providence went with the score of 119/5, his brother Anthony and Obarri Elliot took Spartans to 122 with seven and one run respectively.
Players Tamara Wilson, Damion Ramsey, Andy Davis, Dazel Hazel, and Learie McLetchie took a wicket each for the Gunners.
In reply, Spartans put their opponents under early pressure when top player Damion Ramsey was run out without score in the first over. The Gunners were in further trouble, losing three wickets in the third with veteran Leroy Lezama and captain Freedom Mc Kenna and Any Davies going for 10, 9, and 0 respectively.
Spartans bowlers took regular wickets eventually dismissing the opposite side for 79. Dario Melville was the top scorer with 14. Mc Kenna, Duncan, and Smith claimed a pair of wickets each.
For their match-winning efforts, Antonio Providence was later named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Smith the women’s MVP.
DXL Crown Point Spartans collected $20,000 for their victory in a rematch of last year’s managed team played unbeaten in the competition received the winning cheque for former top Tobago cricket Salandy Sobers.
KABS Roxborough United took third with an eight-wicket win over Mason Hall Challengers. Batting first, Mason Hall hit 122/4 with Anroy Des Vignes getting a top score of 66. However, United got past that target to 127/2 with skipper Jahron Alfred not out on 73. Daviel Thomas also contributed 37. Alfred’s knock pushed his tournament’s total to 276, the highest.
In the semifinals played earlier in the day Spartans (90/5) overcame United (63/7) by 27 runs while Gunners (106/4) secured a 10-run triumph over Mason Hall Challengers (96/7).
In the Quarterfinals round held on Saturday, Spartans (91 all out) prevailed over Betsy’s Hope Scrape Up (74/8) by 18 runs, and Gunners (116/4) got past Patience Hill Invincibles (106/4) by ten runs. United (58 all out) defeated Juice Buccoo Unite (40 all out) by 18 runs with Mason Hall Challengers (84/5) registering an 18-run win over Main Ridge Challengers (66).
Meanwhile, manager of DXL Crown Point Spartans Quincy Trim told Guardian Media Sports that this year’s triumph was special as the team played unbeaten. “Every year is significant but this one feels sweeter as we went undefeated for the second consecutive season and stamped our dominance on the league as well as showing that we can do it. It was one of our most difficult seasons. We missed some players in some of the prelim games but it showed the depth in our team because others were able to step up and win games.”
Trim hailed the efforts of Alana Smith and said, “She was the finals MVP last year and her quality showed again in the finals as she took two wickets to swing the game in our favour.”
