Barbados:YMPC Beat Picwick In Semifinal (24 Nov 1997)

November 24 1997

YMPC Beat Picwick In Semifinal

by Philip Hackett

A DISCIPLINED, yet enterprising, half-century from Adrian Jones and good all-round performances from Orion Bostic and Winston Reid inspired Sports and Games YMPC to a 32-run Fire Cup semifinal victory over ESA Field Pickwick yesterday.

Jones topscored with 50 in a low-scoring match in which the next best score was 25 by PickwickÕs topscorer Rondell Yearwood.

Set 165 for victory after bowling YMPC out in the final over for 164, Pickwick wasted a good start and fell for 132 with 2.5 overs left.

Jones, who opened the innings with Leon Layne, provided much needed stability for the home team as they lost wickets regularly after being invited to bat by Pickwick.

Layne was run out with the score on 31, attempting a single for a ball struck straight to Graham Bethell at cover point.

Barbados all-rounder Terry Rollock followed shortly afterward, caught at mid-off by Pickwick captain Adrian Griffith off the bowling of left-arm spinner Ryan Hinds, who bowled impressively in taking three for 34.

Hinds then fired out Darcy Burke with a direct hit at the non-strikerÕs end from backward point to leave YMPC shaking at 50 for three.

Michael Matthews soon replced Hinds at the northern end and totally undermined YMPCÕs middleorder batting.

His four for 19 from eight overs included the valuable wickets of Jones, Stephen Lorde, Kenrick Marshall and Winston Reid (22).

Lorde was bowled by a shooter as YMPC slumped further into trouble at 69 for four.

Marshall followed at 82 and when Jones skied a catch to Tennyson Roach at long-off, the end seemed near for YMPC.

Jones batted 104 minutes and faced 82 balls, striking three fours and five threes in his 50.

Bostic and Reid then revived the innings in a stand of 40 for the seventh wicket, and William Lashley (18 not out) steered YMPC through the closing overs.

Pickwick started well through the efforts of openers Adrian Griffith (19) and Rondell Yearwood (25) but after they were separated at 53, through a needless run out, the innings swiftly declined.

Griffith attempted a second run on a mis-field by Burke who, after initially moving slowly to the ball, pounced on it and fired an accurate return to Bostic who broke the stumps.

Without addition AdrianÕs brother Raymond fell lbw to ReidÕs arm ball and just eight runs later YearwoodÕs promising innings ended when he edged a catch to wicket-keeper Mark Estwick. That was the first of three wickets for Bostic in an impressive spell of three for 13 from eight overs including three maidens.

Bostic removed both Michael Matthews and Ryan Hinds in the course of one of his maiden overs as Pickwick slipped to 79 for five.

A few hefty blows from the big-hitting Henderson Wallace provided some hope for Pickwick as wickets continued to fall but apart from WallaceÕs 22, including three massive fours and two threes, only Adrian Grant (23) provided any real alarms for YMPC.

Reid took two for 11 from 6.1 overs and Burke two for 28. Lashley, who conceded seven runs in his first over when he shared the new ball with Marshall, returned to take care of Wallace in more than one way.

The burly all-rounder was hit on the head by a full toss from Lashley and, after receiving some attention from the dressing room, was bowled two balls later, effectively ending PickwickÕs hopes. Source :: The Barbados Nation (https://www.nationnews.com/)