By Frederick Halley
REGAL Legends have been invincible since their entry into the Over-50 category in 2020 and are once again hot favourites to cart off championship honours at the Orlando Softball Cricket League (OSCL) tournament, set for March 17-19 in Florida.

However, despite the favourites tag, long-standing skipper Mahendra Hardyal is not taking any of the other teams for granted. According to Hardyal, he’s aware that Regal Legends are being hunted and as such they are guarding against being complacent.

Hardyal disclosed that their latest victory in the Prime Minister’s Cup, played last November in Guyana, was certainly a wake-up call for his players.

“We’ve been successful over the past few years, but we also realise that other teams have also been getting better and we are being targeted.”

Seemingly dead and buried at 104 for 8 in the 16th over, Regal Legends were rescued by a riveting 45-run partnership between Rudolph Baker and Hardyal himself, rallying to defend the title with a thrilling eighth-wicket victory over the previously unbeaten New York Softball Cricket League (NYSCL) Legends at the Guyana National Stadium.

Set 147 for victory, after restricting NYSCL Legends to 146 for seven in 20 overs, Regal Legends achieved the target with four balls to spare.

Earlier in the year, Regal Legends were also tested by Canada’s Toronto Blizzards in the South Florida Softball Cricket League (SFSCL) tournament, played in the ‘Sunshine State’, before being rescued by a pugnacious innings from the no-nonsense Eric Thomas.

Regal Legends, in pursuit of 157, were staring down the barrel at 56 for four after the first 10 overs, before Thomas changed the complexion of the game in dramatic fashion, smashing 63 off a mere 14 deliveries, with nine huge sixes and a four.

In the 2021Prime Minister’s Cup final, played for the first time at the Guyana National Stadium, Regal Legends completed an emphatic 92-run victory over archrivals Mike’s Wellman.

Winning the toss and batting, Regal Legends reached 171 for six in their allotted 20 overs before Wellman succumbed to 79 all out in 17.2 overs in disappointing performance.

Long-standing manager of Toronto Blizzards, Azeem Khan is unfazed with the favourite tag of Regal Legends and is confident his charges are capable of lifting the winning trophy in Orlando.

According to Khan, “with Desmond Chumney and Sunil Dhaniram out, the latter representing West Indies in the Masters Over-50 tournament in South Africa, we will need one hundred and ten per cent from the other players. I do understand there will be strong competition from the NYSCL and Regal Legends. Having said that, we do expect to win the Legends division.”

The tournament will also include the Open and Over-40 categories.

Regals Legends team: Mahendra Hardyal (captain), Mohendra Arjune, Unnis Yusuf, Ramesh Deonarine, David Harper, Eric Thomas, Rudolph Baker, Eion Abel, Parsram Persaud, Surujdeo Ramdeen, Wayne Jones, Ramraj Sumair.

Toronto Blizzards: Shivnauth Seeram (captain),Jaimini Singh, Mohan Harihar, Rabindra (Jesh) Parasnauth, Lall (Dingo) Singh, Roy Britannia, Gerard Austin, Shazam (Strike) Baksh, Wally Bacchus, Fazil Rasool, Ramcho (Tiger) Singh, Sohan Singh, Azeem Khan (Manager), Naseer Baksh (President).