By Frederick Halley

TORONTO, Canada – After enjoying a remarkable regular season, which saw them lose just one game to archrivals Centurions, Vikings ended their 2018 campaign in a blaze of glory by capturing the Super 9 championship when the Toronto & District Cricket Association (T&DCA) tournament ended on Sunday at the Maple Leaf Cricket Club ground, King City, Toronto.

Led by former Guyana and West Indies player, Royston Crandon, Vikings inflicted a huge 116-run defeat on JB Masters to end a 21-year drought, although they were declared joint-champions in last year’s controversial final versus Centurions, a decision that did not go down well with executives and players of the club.

Batting first in overcast and somewhat cold conditions, Vikings rattled up 298 for eight in their allotted 50 overs and with the addition of 12 penalty runs, the score soared to 310, a total which proved a winning one in the end.

The champions were given a rousing start of 73 in 12 overs from openers Marvin Small and recently selected Canadian player Rodrigo Thomas (28). This set the pattern for the rest of the innings with Small smashing three fours and three sixes in 49.

Former Guyana Under-19 player Eugene Lafleur, who batted at number four, then held the middle- and lower-order together with a workmanlike 53 which contained four fours while the consistent Kamil Pooran chipped in with 45 (3×4, 2×6) and wicketkeeper Rodney Lawrence a quick-fire 36 (4×4, 1×6) towards the end.

Former Guyana Youth player Dillon Heyliger, who also represents Canada, ended with three for 46 from seven overs while Nikhil Dutta took two for 43 from 10.

JB Masters reply started disastrously, as they slipped to 12 for two in the second over, a position from which they never fully recovered.

Skipper Saad bin Zafar tried desperately to hold the innings together but once he departed lbw offering no stroke to left-arm spinner Raj Nannan for 37, JB Masters were in danger of falling below 150.

However, wicketkeeper Ethon Bhal with a stubborn knock of 42, Atiba Allert (36), batting at number 10 and T. Castro (29), saw JB Masters bowled out for 194 in 39.1 overs.

Bhal, who struck four fours, added 47 for the sixth-wicket with Castro and 61 for the ninth with Allert, whose 36 included six fours. Left-arm spinner Lafleur bagged three for 34 from 10 overs and Nannan two for 48 also from 10.

Saturday’s semi-final, which was reduced to 25 overs because of overnight and early morning rain, was dominated by a brilliant unbeaten 102 from Vikings’ Kamil Pooran and a robust 62 from Crandon which saw the new champions reaching 230 for three in their allotted overs versus Victoria Park Cricket Club.

Trinidadian Pooran featured in two huge stands, adding 118 for the second-wicket with Small (46) and 96 for the third with Crandon who smashed four fours and five towering sixes off 36 balls. Pooran, on the other hand, blasted 14 fours and two sixes off a mere 67 balls while Small’s innings contained four fours and two sixes.

Victoria Park, who opted to bat last, were shut out for 106 in 19.1 overs, losing by the comprehensive margin of 124 runs, with Nannan capturing three for 36 and Lafleur two for 20.

Vikings’ long-standing president Bhowan Persaud praised his charges for a fantastic display, not only in the final but also their outstanding performances throughout the entire 2018 season.

Several prominent Vikings members, including Leonard Seecharran, Chris Sawh, Paltoo Taurus and Karan Rajkumar were also on hand to celebrate the occasion.