… Woodstock retain memorial trophy

By Frederick Halley
TORONTO, Canada – A brilliant all-round performance from Blairmont Cricket Club player Waqar Hassan wasn’t enough to earn a Fly Jamaica X1 their first lien on the memorial cricket tournament versus Woodstock Cricket Club last Sunday.

The game, played in memory of the late Maureen Franklyn and Debbie Moore at Woodstock, some 88 miles from Toronto, saw the defending champions romp to an exciting seven-run victory in the 35-over affair, played before a vocal home crowd, with Mayor Trevor Birch witnessing the closing stages.
Set 138 for victory, after winning the toss and asking the home sise to take first strike, Fly Jamaica were shut out for 130 in 34.1 overs with Hassan’s fine 66 being the lone shining light in a disappointing batting performance.
Joining the fray with his team precariously placed at 30 for five in the 12th over, after the top half was blown away by the Woodstock opening bowlers, the left-handed Hassan who was vacationing in Canada, held the lower half of the innings together with a mixture of attacking strokes and solid defence.
Hassan shared a 34-run sixth-wicket partnership with former Guyana national wicketkeeper Azib Ali Hanif (14) and a further 45 for the eighth wicket with his brother Ifteeqar (eight) but once he departed at 126 for eight, the innings folded.
Seemingly well set to take his team to victory, Hassan’s adventurism became his downfall as, in attempting to repeat a pull shot off the returning Fabian Stoner, he offered a simple catch to mid-wicket after hoisting the previous delivery for a towering six.
His fine knock, which earned him the Most Valuable Player award overall and for his team and also the highest score in the game, was laced with two sixes and eight fours.

For Woodstock, skipper Orain Francis finished with three for 20 from 6.1 overs, Dennis Leeburt three for 22 from six and Stoner two for 22 from seven.
Earlier, Woodstock were led to their challenging total by MVP Martin Clarkson (27 with a six and two fours) and 18 from Codlin Solomon. They were also indebted to a last-wicket stand of 28 from their numbers 10 and 11 batsmen which proved decisive in the end.
Ravi Bodo took three for 21 from 6.1 overs to claim the Best Bowler prize while there were two wickets each for Ryiad Sattaur, Ifteeqar Hassan and MVP Waqar Hassan for 22, 27 and 31 runs respectively.
The tournament was first played in 2013 and also took place in 2015 and after a lapse last year returned this year with the home team winning for the third consecutive time.
It was organised following the deaths of the two women which reportedly occurred within two days of each other after they had witnessed a game at the venue the weekend prior to their demise.
At the presentation ceremony, Mayor Birch praised the efforts of the Woodstock Cricket Club officials for keeping the game of cricket alive in the small community.
The officials included president Clyde Glasgow, brother of former national players Ovid and Keith ‘Ball Oil’ Glasgow (deceased). He has been living in Canada for the past 48 years.
Fly Jamaica officials Lawrence Kanhai and Edward VanLuien represented the airline company, the latter serving as captain while Hawaiian Arctic Cricket Club president Narchand ‘Archie’ Mohan was also in attendance.