…Regal Legends crowned Orlando Cup Over-50 champs

By Frederick Halley
WHEN the Regal Legends team departed Guyana on Monday, March 13 for Orlando, Florida, they set out on a mission to cart off the championship honours in the only tournament that have eluded them since joining the softball ranks.

They had successes at home in Guyana, New York and Fort Lauderdale but Orlando, where they played in the 2018 tournament and lost to the Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) in the Masters Over-45 category, was still missing from their bulging collection.

On Sunday, March 19, that mission was accomplished when the Campbellville/ Guyana-based team stormed to an emphatic 45-run victory over the hosts, Orlando Cricket Super League (OCSL) at Barnett Park in Orlando. Scorers in the 20-over affair were: Regal Legends 206 for three, OSCL 161 for nine.

The victory was also sweet revenge for Regal Legends who had earlier lost a close encounter to the same opponents in the opening round of the tournament on Friday, prompting owner and long-standing skipper Mahendra Hardyal, who stood out the game, to quip that his team had never lost twice to the same side in an international tournament.

Pumped up, after claiming the scalp of stand-in captain Mahendra Arjune in the first over, after opting to field, the Orlando players and partisan supporters were brought back to earth with a pulsating second-wicket partnership of 163 by opener Uniss Yusuf (80) and the ever-green Ramesh Deonarine (81). The left-hand/right hand combination sent the spectators into deafening silence, pulverizing the bowling attack with skipper and former Guyana national player, Bhim George finding no answers as the runs flowed.

When the partnership ended with the dismissal of Deonarine in the 17th over with the score on 167, the home team was already staring a challenging total although Yusuf departed nine runs later after smashing seven fours and four sixes in his 80. Deonarine’s brilliant knock was laced with two fours and seven sixes. Towards the end, Rudolph “Gussy” Baker hit a breezy undefeated 21 (three fours and a six). Debo Sankar was Orlando’s best bowler with two for 24 while Dean Boodan took the other wicket while conceding 37 runs.

Despite losing a wicket, via a brilliant run out, initiated by Yusuf in the second over, Orlando started at a brisk rate with opener Shauza Saran (35) and George (24) finding the boundary at regular intervals. Two telling blows by Khemraj Sumair in the 12th over, which saw him disturbing the stumps of Saran and Boodan for a golden duck, completely changed the complexion of the game.

Former Guyana Under-19 player Shan Veerasammy, in an all-out attack, which saw him bludgeoning a four and five sixes, gave the homesters some hope but once he was outfoxed by the wily David Harper and lost his stumps for 36, it was al over bar the shouting. Sumair ended with three for 18, Harper two for 21 and Parsram Persaud two for 43.

It was the Rudolph “Gussy” Baker show in the semi-final on Saturday, which ended in controversy and the game being awarded to Regal Legends after Trophy Stall Lions refused to continue the match when it was moved to an adjoining ground since another body had access to the venue where the game started,
In a brutal display of power-hitting, Baker blasted four fours and 14 sixes in an undefeated 117 off a mere 41 balls as Regal Legends reached 219 for three in their allotted 20 overs. Trophy Stall Lions were 85 for three after nine overs when the umpires pulled the bails, informing the players that the time was up and the venue was needed for another event. This however didn’t sit well with the Trophy Stall Lions players. Kash Lutchman hit three four and three sixes in his 41 before he was unfortunately run out.

Earlier in the day, Regal Legends made light work of South Florida, who could only muster 95 for five in their 20 overs, replying to the massive 293 for five made by their opponents. Deonarine with 76 (four fours and seven sixes), Arjune 72 (nine fours and two sixes) and Baker a quick-fire 43 (one four and five sixes) had no respite for the South Florida attack.

Apart from the winning trophy, Regal Legends took home $3000 (US) while all the players were recipients of medals. Deonarine was adjudged the man-of-the-match in the final while Baker carted off the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in the Over-50 category.