A large crowd turned up to witness the local boys of the Universal DVD Club Titans team defeat the Hits and Jams Superstars on home soil at the Albion Community Centre Ground early Sunday morning.
The match was reduced to 15-overs-a-side after the visiting side arrived late in the evening. The Universal DVD Club Titans were without the services of some of their more seasoned players such as Assad Fudadin, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Narsingh Deonarine, Brandon Bess and Royston Crandon, but were still successfully able to complete their run chase with two overs to spare.
Captain Sewnarine Chattergoon won the toss and invited the Superstars to take first strike.
Opener Shemroy Barrington entertained the crowd with early aggression as Titans reached 50 for 1 in five overs, despite losing Andrew Lyght Jnr for a duck, caught behind in the second over off Michael Newland.
Barrington reached 50 off 22 deliveries, when he struck Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai for back-to-back boundaries before he attempted a slog sweep at Motie-Kanhai and was bowled at 59 for 2 in 5.5 overs. He struck seven fours and three sixes in his 55. After Barrington’s demise, the spinners Chattergoon, Motie-Kanhai and Eon Hooper applied the brakes to the scoring rate of the Superstars. The next highest score for the Superstars came from Elton Baker, who made 25 with a six and a four. Keon Joseph (2 for 15) picked up two wickets in the death to further restrict the Superstars to 128 for 9 off their 15 overs, a total which proved insufficient.
Michael Newland finished with 1 for 23, Chattergoon 2-15, Motie 3-30 and Hooper 1-26. The Titans openers played out a good first over from Seon Daniels before opening up from the second over bowled by Kellon Carmichael.
Chattergoon hit two fours and a six in 22 while his opening partner Richard Ramdeen hit two sixes in 13 before he was dismissed off the last delivery of the second over.
Daniels brought the H&J team back into contention, when he bowled Chattergoon with the second delivery of the fifth over (49-2) while
Anthony Bramble was the next wicket to fall, holing out to Ronsford Beaton at long on off the bowling of Jeetendra Sookdeo to make the score 57 for 3 in the sixth over.
Rajiv Ivan hit two sixes in 16 before Beaton had him caught behind and Carmichael returned to bowl Clinton Pestano for a duck to make the score 86 for 6 in the ninth over.
The eventual Man-of-the-Match Eon Hooper then joined Jonathon Foo at the crease and the pair put on an unbroken 48 runs for the seventh wicket as Titans reached 134 for 6 from 13 overs to secure the win.
Hooper fittingly won the match for the Titans, hitting Beaton over extra cover for his second six while Foo remained unbeaten on 16 with one six and a solitary four.
Hooper’s unbeaten 30 took 20 deliveries and was decorated with two sixes and two fours. Carmichael, who took 2 for 35, ended as the Superstars’ most successful bowler, despite going for 25 runs in his first over.
At the presentation Shemroy Barrington received the award for the Best Batsman, Gudakesh Motie was awarded Best Bowler, and Hooper was given the man of the match award.
