FOUR years after gracing Toronto with his batting prowess, popular softball player, Uniss Yusuf returned with a bang last Saturday at the Ashtonbree Reservoir ground.
Still licking the wounds after Regal Legends were eliminated on the opening day of the 19th Annual New York Softball Cricket League (NYSCL) tournament, played in the “Big Apple” recently, Yusuf was in a no-nonsense mood on a sunlit Saturday afternoon.
The pugnacious diminutive right-hander literally “swept” his way to a blistering unbeaten 94 off 30 balls as GTA Storm made light work of Friendship Masters in their Over-50 Ontario Masters Softball Cricket Clubs (OMSCC) ongoing tournament.
Using both the conventional and reverse sweeps to good effect, and for which he’s well known, Yusuf plundered four fours and 11 sixes off the hapless eight-man Friendship team, as GTA Storm raced to the required 142 in 10.2 overs, losing the wicket of opener Ken Itwaru in the process.

Yusuf and Itwaru added 58 for the first wicket, before the latter went bowled by Rafiq Sulaman for 11. He then dominated an unbeaten 84-run second wicket partnership with Jai Singh, who was undefeated on 28 when victory was achieved. Singh’s knock contained two fours and two sixes off 18 balls.
Earlier, Naresh Prashad was the mainstay of the Friendship Masters innings, slamming four fours and five sixes in a fine innings of 54 but got little support from the other batters as Friendship Masters reached 141 for seven in 17.2 overs.
Khem Singh took two for five from 1.2 overs while Orlando Deonarine ended with two for 12 from three.
GTA Storm will oppose Seatown on Saturday at the Littles ground in Scarborough, Ontario.