FOLLOWING their heart rendering two-run loss in the final of the Guyana Softball Cup IV early last month, Regal XI rebounded to avenge that defeat by inflicting a humiliating 65-run loss on their nemesis Wolf Warriors, to bring the curtain down on the Rohan and Ramchand Auto Spares Open conpetition at the Demerara Cricket Club ground last Sunday night. 

Batting first, Regal XI posted a challenging 215 for 7 off their allotted 20 overs, following a 100-run first-wicket partnership between Richard Latiff and Keon Joseph, with Latiff topscoring with 80 (8×6, 2×4), after posting his 50 from 24 deliveries.
Joseph was the perfect partner to Latiff, contributing 18 during their side’s first-wicket stand, while Safraz Esau 26 (1×4, 1×6) and Ricky Sargeant’s unbeaten 23 (2×6, 1×4), contributed to their team’s final total, after they lost some wickets midway their innings.
Amir Nizamudin captured 2-29 and Mark Harold 2-42 for Wolf Warriors who, in their turn at the wicket, were reduced to 11-2 before Amrit Rai and Safraz Karim added 67 for the third wicket to steady the chase.
Karim was dismissed for 30 (3×4, 1×6) and his side lost a few more wickets, but Rai got a useful partner in Leon Leander and they tried to keep their team in the hunt with a 56-run fifth-wicket stand in the face of consistent bowling from the eventual winners.
When Rai holed out in the deep for 41 (3×6, 2×4), the scoring rate for his side was increased and they found it hard to get there, even though Leander remained unbeaten on 32 (2×4, 2×6) and Nizamudin contributed 20.
Pritvnauth Motilall and Latiff took two wickets each for 22 and 25 runs respectively, to restrict the opposition to 150 for 6 when their overs expired, handing Regal XI the win to avenge their Guyana Softball Cup IV loss.
In the Over-40 category, tournament favourites Floodlight overcame Mike’s Wellman by eight wickets in a lop-sided final, bowling out Wellman for 131 in 9.4 overs and replying with 132 for 2 in 15.3 overs.
Terrence Daniels topscored with 26, Hardat Heranadan 23 and Nigel Estriado 19 for Wellman, even as Imtiaz Mohamed snared 4-18, Richard Persaud 2-17 and Reaz Husein 2-23 for Floodlight who in their reply saw Ramesh Narine hit seven sixes and six fours in his 84, while Persaud contributed 37.
In the third-place playoff for the Over-40 category, Slingers beat Parika Defenders by 36 runs, posting 149 for 3 with Mohammed Rafeek topscoring with 64, to which Parika Defenders replied with 113-8 in 10 overs, led by 25 from Hakim Mohamed.
In the female division, Trophy Stall Angels maintained their supremacy as the team to beat, when they thumped Mike’s Wellwoman, scoring 80 for 8 and reducing their opponents to 74 for 6.
Zola Telford and Latoya Smith had two scalps apiece for Angels.
At the presentation ceremony that followed, Ricardo Adams (Open), Wayne Jones (Over-40) and Latoya Smith (Female) were named the Most Valuable Players while Patrick Khan and Sadik Yusuf (Farm), Diaram Persaud and Narine Bailey of Wolf Warriors were rewarded for taking five-wicket hauls.
Adams (Wolf Warriors), Harrinarine Dilchand (Uprisers), Patrick Khan and Nizam Khan (Challengers) and Ejaz Mohamed (Uprisers) received prizes for scoring centuries in the Open division, even as John Samir (Floodlight), Danny Gangadin (Fishermen), Jones (Floodlight) and N. Chand (Industry) were the centurions rewarded from the Over-40 category.

(Calvin Roberts)