POINTE-A-PIERRE, Trinidad (CMC) – Trinidadian club Preysal defeated Guyana’s Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) by four wickets Wednesday evening to advance to the quarter-finals of the WIPA Twenty20 series at Guaracara Park.
All three teams in Group C ended with one win apiece and Preysal and Merryboys advance on a better run rate.
Chasing a competitive 145 runs for victory, Preysal ran home impressive winners after skipper Shazam Babwah lashed 55 off just 41 balls with eight fours and a six.
He was ably supported by the attacking Andy Jackson, who struck 24 and youngster Kjorn Ottley who got 20, as Preysal reached 145 for six off 18.1 overs.
Earlier, DCC won the toss and scored 144 for seven off their 20 overs after electing to take first strike.
They owed their total to a brisk 42 from opener Christopher Barnwell. The Guyana national player faced just 37 balls and struck seven fours. He and fellow opener Andrew Lyght (19) posted 36 runs in just five overs.
Later in the innings Trevon Griffith smashed 31 runs from just 22 balls and Dion Ferrier stroked 23 not out off 12 balls with three fours and one six.
The pick of the Preysal bowlers were Babwah (2-27) and Andre Brown (2-35).
Babwah, for his fine all-round effort, was named man-of-the-match.
In the night cap game, half-centuries from Nevisian Kieran Powell and William Perkins gave W-Connection to a 65-run victory over First Citizens Clarke Road.
Batting first, Wanderers posted a competitive 165 for five off 20 overs with Perkins hitting 56 off 39 balls with nine fours.
Powell, who scored the first century in the WIPA series on Monday, got 52 from 35 balls with six fours.
The duo posted an impressive 98 runs off the first 10 overs but the innings fell away after their dismissal.
Guyanese Homchand Pooran (2-27) and Dane Teelucksingh (2-32) were the chief wicket-takers.
Clarke Road never looked interested in chasing their big target and lost wickets at regular intervals.
The only standout player was Pooran, who got a run-a-ball 26 with three fours.
Half the Clarke Road team were back in the pavilion with only 64 runs on the board and the fight was over by the 10th over.
Veteran Rajendra Mangallie grabbed three for 10, and was backed up by Navin Stewart (2-33) and Atiba Allert (2-23), as they restricted Demerara to 100 all out in 16.4 overs.
The quarter-finals were to get going last evening with PowerGen opposing Merryboys and Maple taking on Wanderers.
