Trinidad Sunday League: Parkites strike again (31 May 1997)

Saturday, May 31, 1997

Parkites strike again

Trindiad Express

WHEN his side squeezed past Moosai Sports by one run in the very first match of the competition, Queen's Park captain Andre Lawrence might have termed the win a great escape.

But yesterday at the Queen's Park Oval, his team pulled off perhaps their greatest escape of all to claim a second lien on the Carib Sunday League trophy.

When Rajindra Dhanraj bowled Steve Roodal to seal the victory, Lawrence, head bent, seemingly in silent thanksgiving, would have had a new appreciation for the stuff of which champions are made. For to have come out of the hole Sims Central Sports had put them in, the Parkites displayed championship grit under pressure. That ability to maintain poise was the difference between a dramatic 18-run win and a disappointing defeat.

In the silent moments spent in their dressing room last evening, David Williams and his Central Sports team-mates would have been wistfully wishing they had similarly kept their cool.

Instead, they must come to terms with the several mad minutes yesterday afternoon when seven wickets crashed for 19 runs in nine overs. When Williams (25) frustratingly made his way back to the pavilion having carelessly cut "Man of the Match" Imran Jan's first ball of his final spell into Richard Smith's hands at backward point, he could not have imagined the debacle that would follow.

Bodoe and himself after all, had just added, what seemed a match winning 57 runs for the fourth wicket. The stand had taken the Central Sports score to 107 in the 31st over and only 38 runs were needed for victory. Lawrence however saw a glimmer of hope.

His team had been outplayed up to then, embarassingly restricted to 144 for 9 in 40 overs by admirably disciplined bowling and fielding by the men from Chaguanas.

At that time, Brent Augustus' typically fighting 54-ball 42 (two fours, one six) did not seem as vital as Anderson Persad's excellent low diving catch at square leg that got rid of the dangerous Suruj Ragoonath (14). But the captain had now put the ball in the hand of Jan one final time. The teenager had been one of the youngsters who had served Lawrence well throughout the season. The left-arm medium pacer had also made the very first breakthrough in the Sims innings, having Ryan Jones caught by Rajindra Dhanraj at mid-on as he tried to pull.

And with Williams, Sims' most experienced man gone, there was still a chance for the Parkites.

That hope would soon grow. Williams had barely disappeared up the pavilion steps before 107 for 4 had become 107 for 5, Jan's very next delivery trapping Ghavri Ramlogan LBW.

The smattering of fans from central that made up the meagre holiday audience were now becoming a little concerned-with good cause. Four overs later, that concern increased. Wicketkeeper Kris Ramdath swung wildly at the hobbling off-spinner Michael Carew, missed and was quickly stumped by Navin Chan.

It was 121 for 6- 24 were needed off 5 overs. But Bodoe, himself struggling with a groin injury, was still there. And while he stayed, Sims retained had hopes of victory. But two overs later, that hope had faded.

Hansraj Persad had already been run out, stranded down the wicket has he tried for a run on a ball that Bodoe had played along the pitch. Then Bodoe himself, having held things together for 20 overs and 39 runs, chanced a run to Steve Roodal's dab to backward point. He did not make it. And that, as they say, was that.

At 123 for 8 in 37, Sims had lost the play completely. It was a case of haste leading to waste. But for Lawrence and Queen's Park, patience was paying off.

Jan by this time was ready for his final over, and when his spell was finished, he had bagged a fourth victim, Ricky Mahabir also falling lbw. The Tunapuna music makers were keeping a steady tempo by now. And when Dhanraj struck Roodal's off-stump with the final ball of the 39th over, the drummers were serenading the new Sunday League champs.

Even as he watched a beaming Lawrence lift the trophy in front of his cheering men, Williams must have still been trying to come to terms with a dream shattered.

The Parkite captain however was musing happily on cricket's glorious uncertainties.....and great escapes.

Scoreboard

Queen's Park vs Sims Central Sports

Queen's Park innings S. Ragoonath c Ramlogan b Persad...........................14 M. Carew c Persad b Mahabir........................... ....2 R. Smith b Williams.............................. .........24 A. Lawrence run out.........................................9 C. Pamphille b Mahabir........................ .............0 G. Davis c wkpt Ramdath b Mahabir...........................1 B. Augustus c Persad b Bodoe...............................42 E. Williams stpd wkpt Ramdath b Bodoe.................. ..4 N. Chan not out............................................15 A. Jan b Williams..........................................12 R. Dhanraj not out............................. ............4 Extras 1b 9, w 5, nb 3 17 Total off 40 overs, for 9 wickets 144 Wickets at: 21, 25, 39, 39, 43, 82, 104, 115, 140

Bowling: Persad 6-0-23-1, Mahabir 7-1-22-3, Jaggernath 8-1-26-0, Roodal 8-1-26-0, Williams 8-0-28-3, Bodoe 3-0-10-1.

Sims Central Sports innings R. Jones c Dhanraj b Jan.................... ...............7 D. Ganga c Pamphille b Carew...............................31 A. Persad c Ragoonath b Dhanraj.............................9 M. Bodoe run out...........................................39 D. Williams c Smith b Jan..................................25 G. Ramlogan lbw Jan.................... ....................0 K. Ramdath stpd Chan b Carew................................6 H. Persad run out...........................................0 S. Roodal b Dhanraj...................... ..................0 R. Mahabir lbw Jan..................... ....................0 R. Jaggernath not out................ .....................1 Extras: b 1, lb 3, w 1, nb 1 6 Total all out off 39 overs 126

Fall of wkts: 9, 48, 50, 107, 107, 121, 123, 123, 124 Bowling: Jan 8-2-16-4, Augustus 8-0-24-0, Lawrence 8-1-30-0, Dhanraj 8-3-22-2, Carew 7-0-30-2

Result: Queen's Park won by 18 runs. Man of Match: A. Jan

Source :: The Trinidad Express (https://www.trinidad.net/express/)