Lusignan Sports Club (LSC) gained sweet revenge over arch-rivals Enterprise Cricket Club (ECC) when they defeated them in a feature Twenty/20 match at the LSC ground, East Coast Demerara, on Saturday.
The game was organized by the East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) to mark the launching of the East Coast leg of the ANSA McAL/Pepsi Twenty/20 first-division cricket competition.
It was widely regarded as a “grudge” match by virtue of the defeat suffered by the LSC at the hands of the ECC two weekends ago in the final of another ECCB-organized Twenty/20 competition at the Enmore Community Centre ground.
On Saturday, the ECC won the toss and invited LSC to bat in the presence of a fair-sized crowd which grew appreciably as the game progressed. LSC suffered an early setback when Harrinarine Hera was run out in the first over. ECC’s joy at their early success was short-lived however, as opener Chandrika Jeenarine, who was dropped at least twice, tore into the ECC attack.
The burly opener took 28 runs, including three sixes and one four off one over, the unfortunate bowler being left-arm seamer, Rohan Mangal. Krishna Deosarran, who was dropped twice, also joined the onslaught as the 50 came in five overs.
Jeenarine eventually fell for a swashbuckling 72 (6x6s,6x4s) bowled by off-spinner, Zaheer Mohammed, with the score at 89.
Vishnu Ramjeet then teamed up with Deosarran and the two saw the hundred up in only the ninth over. They added 63 for the fourth wicket, before Ramjeet went for 15. ECC’s next breakthrough didn’t come until the score had reached 181, when Deosarran was bowled by off-spiner Sultan Safdar for an aggressive 71 (4x6s,4x4s). Thereafter, LSC’s innings fell away in the hunt for quick runs,with Hardeo Sattaur, n.o. 20 and Surujpaul Deosarran, n.o.12 being the only other batsmen to reach double figures as LSC reached 206-5 off the allotted 20 overs.
Bowling for ECC: S. Safdar, Z.Mohammed, leg-spinner C.Singh and V.Lall took 1-50; 1-21; 1-32; and 1-35, respectively.
In their turn at the crease, ECC also were pegged back early, losing their first three wickets at 12, 19 and 26. A fourth-wicket partnership between Zaheer Mohammed and L. Samaroo, yielded an invaluable 43 runs before Samaroo fell for 18 (3x4s). Mohammed was next to go for a well played 30, which was punctuated by three sixes and one four.
Thereafter, only I. Habib with 27, which included three sixes, offered any significant resistance, as ECC crumbled for 140 off 19 overs, giving LSC victory by 66 runs.
Bowling for LSC: left-arm spinner Narvan Singh was the pick of the bowlers with 5-29, supported by the impressive, under-19 pacer, Delon Hamilton, 2-29; Emran Khan, 2-26; and Jeenarine, 1-20.
Chandrika Seenarine was named Man-of-the-Match for his swashbuckling innings.
