Central Sports got superb individual performances from Derone Davis, Aaron Alfred and Rayad Emrit as the trio ensured the Felicity-based team overcame Powergen in the T&T Cricket Board T20 Festival, Premiership Division 1 final, at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, San Fernando on Saturday night.
Central Sports captain Imran Khan was told by his Powergen counterpart, Jason Mohammed to bat first and right away it seemed like a stroke of genius, when Kamil Pooran was out for a first-ball duck, in the very first ball of the title-match. The Red Force rookie opener, went slashing at a ‘loosener’ from ageless fast bowler Ravindranath Rampaul and the former West Indies Test bowler was happy to get a wicket, however, it came.
Keagan Simmons was joined by Aaron Alfred who was extra cautious at the start of his innings and was all too happy to simply support Simmons as he went for the runs.
Simmons, obviously aware that he was the man to go after the runs, hit three fours in his knock of 17 off of 15 balls until he held out to Akiel Cooper off-spinner Damion Joachim. By that time they scored 19 for two.
Red Force white ball opener Kjorn Ottley, scored a brisk 12 from just 10 balls but was dismissed when he edged Guyana Harpy Eagles fast bowler Nial Smith to wicketkeeper Daniel Williams.
Then came in Derone Davis, the aggressive middle-order left-hander who belted four sixes and three fours and he shared in an 82-run partnership with Aaron Alfred who scored 45 from 38 (one four and four sixes). Burly hard-hitting Barbadian Roshan Primus, no stranger to Trinidad and Tobago scored a hefty 22 from 11 while Terrence Hinds scored 26 from 18 at the back end of the innings, as Central Sports closed on 195 for seven from their 20 overs.
Rampaul, Smith and Ansil Bhagan each took two wickets.
In reply, Powergen lost Daniel Williams for a duck in the first over, but Cephas Cooper and Evin Lewis put together 65 for the second wicket, before former Red Force captain, now assistant coach Rayad Emrit removed Cooper (35, three fours and two sixes) and Jason Mohammed (2). The strikes from Emrit left Powergen at 74 for three. 35 runs later, Evin Lewis (47, three fours, four sixes) was next to go, given leg before wicket to Emrit for his third wicket, and Powergen were 109 for 4.
Akeil Cooper assumed the responsibility to take Powergen home and he was doing fine until Marlon Richards removed him caught and bowled for 32. He hit two sixes in his 23-ball knock.
Jesse Bootan and Primus also got in the action with a wicket each of their own before Emrit claimed his fourth wicket of the innings when he bowled Nial Smith for nine.
Captain Imran Khan got among the wickets when he had Rampaul (22 from 16) caught by Pooran to put the final nail in the coffin as Powergen was bowled out for 168 in 19.2 overs.
Rayad Emrit was named Man-of-the-Match and Primus was named Player-of-the-tournament.
BRIEF SCORES
Trinidad T20 Festival Premiership 1 Final
Central Sports 195/7 (20 overs) (Derone Davis 51, Aaron Alfred 45, Ansil Bhagan 2-24, Nial Smith 2-25, Ravi Rampaul 2-33) vs
Powergen 168 (19.2 overs) (Evin Lewis 47, Cephas Cooper 35, Rayad Emrit 4-31, Marlon RIchards 3-26). Central Sports won by 27 runs.