Barbados: Law in effect (19 Jul 1998)

19 July 1998

Law in effect

by Bernard Babb

The Police Cricket Team stepped to the fore to beat Maple by eight wickets at Trents.

An unbeaten half-century from Stanton Proverbs steered Police to a convincing victory over Maple and kept them out front in the race for the Courts/Suzuki Division 1 championship.

Proverbs hammered 56 off 34 balls as Police whipped Maple by eight wickets in the final hour in a match they controlled from the first day and always seemed capable of winning.

Set 116 for victory off 13 overs, the lawmen attacked Maples bowling from the first over and scored freely as they made nonsense of the oppositions bowling.

They posted 50 off just five overs on the threes and fours ground as Maple appeared powerless to check the flow of runs.

Opener Stephen Herbert (29) was joined by Proverbs, after Feliston Gilkes was caught with 27 runs on the board, and they put on a boundary-studded 66-run second-wicket partnership which carried the visitors within range of victory.

After Herbert was bowled by medium-pacer Elvis Medford, Proverbs, who cleared the boundary eight times and also struck four threes, continued to steer the innings and Police reached the target as he whipped away Medford for a leg-side boundary.

The victory was achieved after home team Maple, continuing their second innings from 23 for four, resisted until after tea when they were eventually dismissed for 172.

Donavan Lopez (30), Don Oneale, who top-scored with 62, and captain Andy Payne, with a defiant 41, all fought hard but succeeded only in postponing the defeat.

Veteran seamer Sylvester Louis, who took the first four wickets last week, was unable to produce another incisive spell but paceman Emmerson Sealy collected three wickets to keep the chances of victory alive.

Louis, who had Lopez caught and bowled for his lone wicket yesterday, finished with five wickets for 38 runs before his side batted their second innings and romped home with eight balls to spare.

The result meant that Police have won all three of their matches and are on 24 points, five points ahead of Big B Spartan.

Source :: The Barbados Nation (https://www.nationnews.com/)