By Frederick Halley

TORONTO, Canada – A mouthwatering contest is anticipated when two of the top teams in the Ontario Softball Cricket League (OSCL) clash on the opening day of the 2016 season, set to get underway next month.Defending T-10 champions Caribbean Sensation and Dant, two of the fiercest rivals in the league, will battle for a second round place in the knockout competition which will see a return of the Supreme ball after last year’s introduction of the white ball.
Based on the formula used at the drawing, which was done at the OSCL recent meeting, none of the teams was seeded, hence all the teams in both the A and B divisions were bunched together before the draw took place.
Both Caribbean Sensation and Dant enjoyed relative successes last season with the former breaking a five-year jinx by emerging winners of the T-10 tournament, which incidentally is being sponsored by club’s long-standing president Harri Sukhu.
Dant, who had previously dominated their debut season in 2014 by copping all three major competitions (10-, 15- and 20-over), however bounced back to turn back the efforts of their counterparts in the Grand Finale on a cold and wintry October Saturday at the Ashtonbee ground, Scarborough, after a relatively disappointing. Dant also had the distinct honour of reaching the Ontario Masters Cricket Clubs (OMSCC) Torono Cup 1 final last October then bowing out to New York Enforcers in the process.
The battle lines are therefore drawn for an intriguing first-round encounter with softball fans eagerly looking forward to its staging.
The predominant Berbician side Dant will once again be led by Loaknauth Ramsuchit, who took over the mantle last season and despite expressing some reservations about his charges’ performance last year, is confident they will be a dominant force once again this season.
Ramsuchit apart, the batting hinges around former Guyana national captain Damodar Daesrath, former Guyana and West Indies Under-19 player Hemnarine Chattergoon, Yadram ‘Lara’ Bogh, Farook Hussain, Muniran Karran, Shawn Deonandan and Reyaz Kadir. Karran is reportedly returning after missing last season.
Seasoned campaigner Satrohan “Blade’ ‘Balkarran will once again spearhead the bowling attack which features the likes of Bolanauth Sukhu, Kadir and Deonandan among others.
While not possessing the “big name”, Caribbean Sensation have been a constant feature among the big guns over the years, reaching five consecutive finals in the East Division and failing to win any. However, they broke that jinx last year by emerging victorious in the 10/10 final thumping Masters by 21 runs.
Skipper Navin Singh is extremely confident Caribbean Sensation will not only be a force to be reckoned with again but they are also capable of winning championships.
A fine all-rounder in his own right, Singh will once again bank on batting support from Anil Samuel, Zaheer Allard and the experienced Richard Driffield while all-rounders Anand Balwant, Shane Murli and the wily Zakir Khan will also be called upon to play major roles.
The remaining fixtures are: Cougars vs Rems; Restoration Warriors vs CI; GT Bannas vs Bacchus Cricket Club; GTA Storm vs Robbies; Sunshine vs East Coast; Lions vs Enmore; Better Hope vs Wakenaam; Carrtec vs Ramblers and Rebels vs Enterprise.
Scarborough Angels have opted not to participate in the T-10 tournament hence their players have been given the option to play for other teams in this version once they are registered.