…Players sweep all the major prizes

By Frederick Halley
THE final day of the 16th edition of the South Florida Softball Cricket League (SFSCL) three-day tournament belonged almost exclusively to Regal as both the Masters Over-40 and Legends Over-50 teams emerged victorious in their respective categories in emphatic fashions.

The Over-40s brushed aside Corriverton Masters by 67 runs while the Legends crushed Toronto Blizzards by 79 runs in one-sided affairs
To crown an excellent day, players from both teams copped all the individual awards with Chien Gittens and Ramesh Deonarine easily winning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) prizes in the Over-40 and Over-50 categories respectively.

Gittens also took the MVP of the final prize and another trophy for scoring the most runs in the Over-40 division.

Apart from taking the ovsuccumbedrall MVP prize, Deonarine took home trophies for scoring the most runs and for claiming the most wickets in the Over-50 category.

Not to be outdone, hard-hitting left-hander Eric Thomas won the MVP of the final award for his masterful innings of 62.

Asked to bat first on a sunlit day before a bumper Saturday crowd, openers Gittens and Samuel Kingston added 42 for the first wicket before the latter went via the run out route. Kemchandra Dindial (0) and Mohamed Ayume (16) succumbed with the scores on 45 and 90 respectively, setting the stage for a blazing fifth wicket partnership between Gittens and Lennox “Assassin” Marks.

Living up to his name, Marks proceeded to dominate a 98-run partnership with Gittens, clobbering eight sixes and a four in his knock of 63 before he was run out in the final over. Gittens was left undefeated on 76 when the 20 overs expired.

Apart from Feroze Karimullah, who hit a top score of 37, which contained two fours and a six, the Corriverton batters could only muster 121 for the loss of six wickets in their turn at the crease.

The chief destroyer was Tyrone Sanasie with three for 20 from three overs while there was one wicket each for Gittens and Balram Roopnarine for 14 and 22 runs respectively.

The Legends final, played on the adjoining ground was a tale of two halves for Regal Legends who were in dire straits at 56 for fours after the first 10 overs, losing the wickets of Uniss Yusuf (10), Deonarine for a first ball duck, skipper Mahendra Hardyal (four) and David Harper (17).

It was 65 for five when Mohendra Arjune departed for 22 (three fours). The experienced Eoin Abel and Thomas started the recovery process. However, after Abel went for 28 (one four and three sixes) at 99 for six, it was the Thomas show.

The left-hander, with what could be sdescribed as brute force, proceeded to bludgeon the Toronto Blizzards bowling, taking a special liking for former Canadian World Cup player Desmond Chumney, blasting him for six sixes in his lone over.

Thomas, who was eventually bowled by Rabindra Parasnauth for 63 off a mere 14 deliveries, struck nine huge sixes and a four while adding 59 for the seventh wicket with Rudolph Baker, who later joined the party with a quickfire 33 with one four and four sixes as Regal Legends added a further 140 runs in the last 10 overs to end on an imposing 196 for nine.

Parasnauth, by far, was the best bowler on show with the immaculate figures of three for nine from his four overs while Shazam Baksh took three for 48, Lal “Dingo” Singh one for 19 and Fazil Rasool one for 40.

Needing to score at almost 10 runs an over to turn the tables on their opponents after their first round defeat, Toronto Blizzards reached a respectable 53 before losing Sunil Dhaniram (32) and Jaimii Singh (0) off successive deliveries from Laurie Singh in the seventh over. Dhaniram, who looked threatening, struck four fours and a six.

Thereafter, it was a steady process as the remaining batsmen never came to terms with the bowling. Captain Shivnauth Seeram (17), on whom much depended, was needlessly run out to compound the situation as Toronto Blizzards subsided for 117 in 17.4 overs.

Deonarine bagged four for 17 from four overs, Hardyal two for 22 from 2.4 and Singh, who engineered the early collapse, two for 24 from four.

At the presentation ceremony, which followed, SFSCL president Dave Singh thanked all the teams for their participation and the several sponsors who came on board for the three-day extravaganza.

Singh also expressed gratitude to the teams for finishing the tournament after the sudden death of former astute softball stalwart and businessman Lakhram “Mike” Singh who suffered a heart attack on the first day of the tournament and later succumbed after being taken to a nearby hospital.

Singh’s wife Mala, the SFSCL president disclosed, was in support of continuing the tournament and also gave Wellman the greenlight to stay in the hunt for championship honours in the Legends category. Unfortunately, they failed to reach the semi-final stage.

Apart from copping the winning trophies, Regal Masters pocketed $3000 (US) while Regal Legends took home $2000 (US). All the players were also recipient of medals.