Former national Under-19 captain Abdul Raheem Toppin capitalised on the absence of key players to lead Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC) to their seventh victory in eight matches, finishing the T&T Cricket Board Premier League Division One season strongly with a win over Glo Frank Motors Central Sports Yorkshire at Cunjal Recreation Ground, Barrackpore on Sunday (April 12).
Despite missing eight regular starters due to Red Force and Indian Premier League (IPL) commitments, QPCC demonstrated their depth against a newly merged Central Sports Yorkshire side.
Chasing Central Sports Yorkshire’s first-innings total of 167, Queen’s Park resumed at 125 for five but were eventually bowled out for 156, trailing by 12 runs and conceding first innings points to the Cunjal team. Darren Bravo, who resumed the second day unbeaten on 19, remained not out on 43 while Samuel Roopnarine produced an impressive performance for Yorkshire, claiming six wickets for 47 runs in 18 overs.
In their second innings, Central Sports Yorkshire adopted an aggressive approach, declaring at 88 for eight in just 20.1 overs. Presentation College San Fernando batsman Riyaad Mohammed top-scored with 26, but contributions from the rest of the lineup were limited.
Toppin seized the rare opportunity to lead the attack in the absence of the usual pace and spin quartet of Khary Pierre, Bryan Charles, Yannic Cariah, and Sunil Narine, all absent on Red Force and IPL duties. The powerful pacer claimed five wickets for 26 runs in nine overs, highlighting the depth of Queen’s Park’s squad. Both Toppin and fellow seamer Terrance Hinds had bowled sparingly this season as the spinners primarily carried the workload throughout a dominant campaign.
Chasing a target of 97, Queen’s Park reached 101 for six in 18.4 overs. Kadeem Alleyne’s quickfire 42 off 25 balls laid the foundation for the successful chase, earning a four-wicket victory. Samuel Roopnarine continued his strong form by taking three wickets for 19 runs in the second innings, although it was not enough to stop the Parkites.
Elsewhere, Powergen secured second place in Division One despite losing first innings points to Merryboys, who produced their best performance of the season. After bowling Powergen out for 285 on the first day, the Diego Martin-based side ended the second day on 288 for four, resulting in a drawn match at Syne Village.
Summarised scores
At Cunjal: Central Sports Yorkshire 167 (41.4 overs) (Nicholas Ali 38; Roshon Primus 31; Mikkel Govia 5-39; Yuvvie Kantasingh 3-33) & 86/8 (20.1 overs) (Riyaad Mohammed 26; Abdul Raheem Toppin 5-26) vs QPCC 156 (42 overs) (Darren Bravo 43 not out; Kyle Ramdoo 35; Samuel Roopnarine 6-57) and 101/6 (18.4 overs) (Kadeem Alleyne 42; Samuel Roopnarine 3-19). Queen’s Park won by 4 wickets.
Clarke Road: KFC Clarke Road Utd 185 (42 overs) (Anderson Mahase 50; Yannick Ottley 38; Sanjay Naidoo 3-12 ; Justyn Gangoo 2-30) vs Preysal 198 /5 (64 overs) (Aaron Bankay 50; Justin Jaggersar 43; Ahkeel Mollon 3-82). Match Drawn.
At Syne Village: Powergen 285 (68 overs) (Jeremy Solozano 73; Avinash Mahabirsingh 64; Andrew Ramberan 7-65) vs Merryboys 288 /4 (76.5 overs) (Gerrad Chin 77; Luke Ali 63; Ashmead Nedd 2-42). Match Drawn.
At Barrackpore: Prisons 127 (38.1 overs) (Rickson Maniram 30; Keno Mason 24; Damion Joachim 4-30; Eric Garcia 3-41) & 201 (35.5 overs) (Brandon Sooklal 40; Damion Joachim 7-49) vs Victoria 401 (63.4 overs) (Jordan Warner 174; Chadeon Raymond 83; Vikash Rampersad 6-96). Victoria won by an innings and 73 runs.
