NATIONAL Under-17 captain Sheldon Charles continued his impressive form as he stroked another century, this time in his debut for Bacchus Bulls, who were among the winners in the first round of the Central and South Essequibo T20 league played last Sunday.

At the Imam Bacchus ground in Affiance, Bulls piled on a mammoth 235-5 in 17 overs against Reliance Veterans with Charles’ brilliant 112 (2×6, 15×4) and Rajendra Persaud’s 60 (2×6, 6×4) being the highest scores.

The veterans wilted under pressure and were all-out for 79 in 14 overs with Essequibo Under-15 leg-spinner Rajindra Ramballi grabbing 5-14 from 4 overs to lead the demolition.

At the same venue, Cotton Field Strikers continued the run fest by humbling GT Warriors by 159 runs. The Strikers rattled up 253-4 with Jamol Wilson 72 (5×6, 4×4) and Parmanand Persaud 64 (9×4) leading the way. In reply, Warriors ran out of ammunition and were routed for 94 in 19 overs.

Wilson returned with the ball to claim 3-14 from 4 overs to cap off a good all-round performance while Eon Dookie supported with 3-18 from his 4 overs.

At the Number 1 ground in Affiance, Reliance SC earned a slim 5-run win against Golden Fleece SC. Batting first, Reliance mustered 144-8 in 20 overs with Rondel Boyal 48 (3×6, 2×4) and his brother Cleon Boyal 39 (2×6, 4×4) giving the score some impetus.

Steady medium fast bowling from Ramlochan Nankishore earned him 3-18 from his 4 overs. In reply, Golden Fleece kept themselves in the game with a fighting half-century from Teemal Singh at the top of the order. However, when he departed for 64 (4×6, 4×4), the others couldn’t complete the run chase with only Vinesh Persaud resisting with 40 (2×6, 5×4).

Former Essequibo senior inter-county all-rounder Elroy Stephney 4-12 from 4 overs and Rondel Boyal 3-19 from his 4 overs restricted their opponents to 139-9 when the overs expired.

In the other matches, Queenstown tamed the Jaguars by 21 runs after scoring 164-7 then hunted out the Jaguars for 143 all-out in 19 overs at the Aurora ground.

The competition will continue on Sunday with matches scheduled for various grounds along the Essequibo Coast.