SOFTBALL Cricket Canada (SCC) ensured the Open title stayed at home when the Ontario Twilight Softball League (OSCL) second Canada Cup concluded at the Ashtonbee ground, Scarborough, Toronto, on Sunday.
Spurred on by the home support, SCC turned back the challenge of their New York counterparts, Titans, in a pulsating final that ebbed and flowed with the former eventually coming out tops.
Set 132 for victory, after restricting SCC to 131 all out in 19.2 overs, Titans fared worse and were left high and dry on 110 for nine when their 20 overs expired.

Apart from opener Zamal Khan, a former Guyana and West Indies Under-19 player, who battled his way to a top score of 29, the rest of the batting folded meekly to some fine bowling by SCC and also to brilliant fielding which saw two run-outs.
Avinash Sookdeo ended with two for 15, Faheer Juman two for 19 while there was one wicket apiece for Keyon Sinclair, Amith Rukhram and Devanand Ramsawak.
Earlier, Farook Hussain stood out with the bat, spanking 40 as wickets fell around him, hitting two fours and a six.

Siddiq Kayoon was the pick of the bowlers with three for 15, while there were two wickets each for Murph Seeram and Timothy Persaud for 15 and 21 runs respectively.
The winner carted off the Reshma Raman Homelife/Mapleleaf sponsored trophy and medallions plus a cash prize of US$3,000 while the runner-up received the Heralall Nandlall Chartered Accountant sponsored trophy and medallions.
Hussain copped the player of the final award, a trophy sponsored by Jai Kishun Paradise Distribution & Recycling and also a cash prize.

There were several individual awards, which went to Kelvin Shivrattan of SCC (four-wicket haul), Shaw Mahabir of Chargers (four-wicket haul), Tusiram Lithoo of World Boss (hattrick), Sagind Dhaniram of World Boss (most wickets) and Keyon Sinclair (best catch).
Meanwhile, the Masters Over-40 final, featuring Canadian Legends and SCC Masters ended on a sour note after Canadian Legends player Chien Gittens (Canadian Legends) refused to accept an umpiring decision for run-out. Efforts to restart the game were in vain, forcing the organisers to abandon it.
According to reports, the Executives of the OTSCL are scheduled to convene a hearing shortly to deal with the issue.
The incident occurred in the third over with Canadian Legends in pursuit of 126 for victory.