EVEN without the services of their West Indies quartet in Assad Fudadin, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo and Narsingh Deonarine, coupled with the absence of Brandon Bess and Royston Crandon, the Universal DVD Club Titans still managed to remain unbeaten on local soil.

This followed their four wicket victory over the Hits and Jams Superstars at the Albion Community Centre ground in the wee hours of Sunday morning, scoring 134 for 6 from 13 overs in reply to H&J Superstars’ 128 for 9 that was scored off their 15 overs, of which Shemroy Barrington top scored with a robust 55.
A massive crowd withstood the more than 45 minutes wait they were forced to undergo by the visiting H&J Superstars, who had some of their players contest the quarterfinals of the Georgetown Cricket Association/Queensway Open Cup tournament earlier in the day, to witness the exhibition matchup that was reduced by five overs, due to time.
Sewnarine Chattergoon, who recently led the Titans to victory in the Universal DVD Club and Universal Solutions seventh anniversary finals called correctly and asked the Tyrell Tull men to take first strike.
He must have regretted making that decision, as the visitors raced to 50 for 1 at the end of five overs, thanks to the destructive mode that was displayed by Barrington who dispatched all the Titans bowlers with disdain, following the early demise of Andrew Lyght Jnr. who failed to trouble the scorers.
Barrington signaled his intentions early, by hitting the first two deliveries of the contest from Keon Joseph for four, before he saw Lyght getting a thick outside edge through to Delbert Hicks, in the second over that was bowled by Michael Newland (1-23).
Joined by Elton Baker, Barrington continued his assault on the unbeaten team’s bowling, hitting Newland for 6, 4, 4 in one over, before Clinton Pestano disappeared over the boundary for his second six over long on, followed by a four through extra cover and another maximum over backward sqaureleg, to post his team’s 50.
Barrington reached his 50 off 22 deliveries, when he struck Gudakesh Motie for back to back fours, counting five fours and three sixes while doing so, before he attempted a slog sweep at Motie and was bowled at 59 for 2 off 5.5 overs.
Barrington faced 24 deliveries for his 55, hitting seven fours and three sixes in the process and when he was dismissed, many felt that the H&J Superstars would have followed his lead and post a total in the vicinity of 150.
But that was not to be, as the spin trio of Chattergoon (2-15), Motie (3-30) and Eon Hooper (1-26) applied the brakes to the scoring while picking up wickets at intervals, while Joseph picked up two late wickets in the death as H&J Superstars gifted their wickets away.
Baker 25 (1×6, 1×4) chanced his hand hitting Chattergoon for a four and six, while Orin Forde also struck Motie for four through point with class and precision, before he was bowled by Chattergoon, who watched as Jeetendra Sookdeo hit Motie for a four and six in the 12th over of the innings, realizing the 100 with the maximum, but Baker fell shortly after.
However, when Sookdeo (11, 1×4 and 1×6) looked to hit Motie over wide mid-wicket, he found the safe hands of Hooper who later trapped Troy Gonsalves lbw for 13 that included two gigantic sixes off Motie, leaving the Superstars on 120 for 7.
They struggled to 128 for 9 from their 15 overs, losing Kellon Carmichael (10) and Tull (03), as Joseph who ended with 2 for 15 in support to the spin trio, returned to dismiss both batsmen.
The Titans reply was just as exciting as the H&J Superstars’ innings, as both Chattergoon (22; 2×4, 1×6) and Richard Ramdeen (13, 2×6) opened their shoulders from the second over of their team’s innings, following Seon Daniels’ impressive first over where he conceded a mere three runs.
Carmichael was guilty of bowling two short and paid the penalty, giving away a whopping 25 runs in his first over, after he was struck for 6 over backward point by Chattergoon, followed by two sixes which flowed off the bat of Ramdeen, before the said batsman picked out Sookdeo at short cover off the final delivery of the over.
Chattergoon continued to bat in a disdain manner, hitting Daniels’ first delivery of the third over for 6 over extra cover, while Anthony Bramble, who had replaced Ramdeen and was dropped by West Indies Under-19 speedster Ronsford Beaton at long on off Sookdeo, hit that same bowler for four.
Daniels brought the H&J team back into the limelight, when he bowled Chattergoon with the second delivery of the fifth over at 49 for 2.
Bramble took a liking to Sookdeo, hitting him over the head of Beaton at long on for six, before he looked on wishfully after holding out to the same fielder off the next delivery, to which Beaton made amends for his blunder earlier, by taking the offer with ease.
At  57 for 3 in the sixth over, Rajiv Ivan saw Hicks, his Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets’ teammate, walking to the wicket to replace Bramble and with authority, shimmied down the wicket twice to hit Baker, who was preferred ahead of the lively Beaton, over extra cover for the sixes he struck in his 16.
Hicks also struck Baker through backward point for four, followed by a six over long on before he was caught at the wicket by the burly Tull off Baker’s final delivery of his lone over, leaving the Titans on 82 for 4 after 7 overs, with Jonathan Foo joining Ivan.
At this point, Tull offered the white pill to Beaton who said thank you gratefully by inducing Ivan to glove one through to Tull, and this was followed by the wicket of Pestano (00) who still seemed shaky after being struck on the body by Beaton, when he was bowled by Carmichael.
At 86 for 6 in the 9th over and with Foo at the non-striker’s end on 02, the Superstars were smiling broadly as Hooper st
rolled to the wicket.
But what they witnessed after the demise of Pestano must have left them in awe, as Hooper who was later named man of the match, showed no signs of fear even though Beaton was bowling with pace and vigour at the opposition.
He (Hooper) welcomed Carmichael back into the attack with a four through point to realize the Titans’ 100 in the 11th over, after witnessing Foo driving Beaton with disdain past Forde at cover point for his lone four.
The duo who added an unbroken 48 runs for the 7th wicket continued to show fight for the Titans, as they both struck Sookdeo for sixes, before Hooper fittingly won the match for the Titans, when he hit Beaton over extra cover for his second six.
Foo who was an unusual character at the non striker’s end, being unbeaten on 16 (1×4, 1×6) while Hooper’s unbeaten 30 took him 20 deliveries to accumulate which was decorated with two sixes and the same number of fours, as Carmichael who took 2 for 35, ended as the Superstars’ best bowler.
At the simple presentation ceremony that got underway at 01:00hrs, it was disclosed that the grand presentation ceremony, which will take the form of a cocktail reception, would be held sometime this week.
However, Barrington (Best Batsman), Motie (Best Bowler), Hooper (man of the match) and both the Titans and Superstars, all received trophies that were sponsored by the Universal DVD Club and Universal Solutions, for their efforts on the night.