…Driffield, Malone star in thrilling win

By Frederick Halley

IT was billed as a grudge game and a possible prelude to the final of the Ontario Masters Softball Cricket Clubs (OMSCC) 2024 Legends Over-50 tournament.
In the end it took two masterful performances from two seasoned campaigners to ensure GTA Storm register a thrilling five-wicket victory over archrivals Toronto Blizzards when the second edition of the Ontario Twilight Softball Cricket League (OTSCL)Canada Cup climaxed at the Ashtonbee ground on Sunday.

The evergreen Richard Driffield produced an amazing spell of four for 11 to reduce Toronto Blizzards to 137 for nine in their allotted 20 overs, a total which seemed well in reach of the powerful GTA Storm batting lineup, after asking their opponents to take first strike.
A spirited effort by the Toronto Blizzards bowlers however kept the batting in check before the super cool and experienced Ramo Malone held the middle-order together.
Entering the fray, following the dismissal of Uniss Yusuf (five) in the seventh over with only 36 on the board, Malone shared in several useful partnerships and was there at the end when victory was achieved with a mere two balls to spare as the eventual winners reached 138 for five in 19.4 overs.
Malone added 35 for the second wicket with Driffield (18), another 35 with Zaheer Haniff (19) for the third and 28 with Rakesh Dyal (19) for the fourth.
When Dyal went via the run-out route at 106 for four in the 17th over, GTA Storm still needed 32 from 19 balls. It came down to 20 from the last two overs with supporters of both teams on tenterhooks. Twelve runs came in the 19th over bowled by Abdool Azeez and despite losing skipper Troy Gobin who was run out for five, Malone held his nerves to hit the winning runs, a boundary through midwicket off Jesh Parasnauth as GTA Storm players and supporters invaded the playing area. Malone ended on 37 not out, which included two fours and a six. Avinash Singh, Jesh Parasnauth and Azeez took a wicket each for 20, 24 and 26 runs respectively.

Earlier, Toronto Blizzards suffered a massive blow when opener Sunil Dhaniram, the leading scorer in the Legends category, holed out to backward square leg for just two, caught by Ken Itwaru off the bowling of Driffield who also knocked back the stumps of Imran Ali (one) as the defending Canada Cup champions slipped to 34 for two in the fourth over.
Jesh Parasnauth, held the innings together, adding 44 for the third wicket with Mohan Harihar, who showed glimpses of form, hitting two sixes in 22 and 30 with Desmond Chumney (17) for the fourth. Once Parasnauth departed for a purposeful 34 (one four and three sixes) at 120 for six, the innings went into decline as only 17 runs were added in the last four overs. Apart from the brilliance of Driffield, Gobin took one for 23 and Suren Persaud one for 27.

GTA Storm reached the final after defeating Kings X1 while Toronto Blizzards won from the previously unbeaten New York Softball Cricket League (NYSC) in the two semi-finals, played on Saturday afternoon. The other team in the five-team tournament, Trophy Stall Lions, defeated GTA Storm in their opening encounter on Friday but failed to reach the semis.

At the presentation ceremony, which followed, GTA Storm received the Trophy Stall sponsored trophy, and medallions, sponsored by Ramesh Sunich of Bourda Market while the runners-up trophy and medallions were sponsored by Nas Baksh of Glasstek Industries Inc. and Imran Ali of Century Paramount. The winners also took home $4,000 (Canadian).

Driffield copped both the player of the final and best bowling figures in the category awards. His player of the final award included a cash prize, compliments of Norman Sue Bakery while Dhaniram was named the MVP, collecting a bat from Reshma Raman from Homelife/Mapleleaf. He also received a trophy, donated by Trophy Stall, for registering a century. Malone collected a trophy for the “best” catch.
An elated owner of GTA Storm, Nirad Lall, told Chronicle Sport that he had every confidence his players would have emerge victorious and was “over the moon” after the victory.