Vincy Premier T10 League Highlights: Desron Maloney’s 19-ball 41* was the highlight of the day as cricket returned — at least in some form — from the Covid-19-induced wilderness on Friday with the Vincy Premier League. The first match on Friday — the first-ever match in the Vincy Premier League — was won by Salt Pond Breakers by three wickets. In the second match, La Soufriere Hikers skipper Desron Maloney powered his team with a nine-wicket win with 4.2 overs to spare. In the final match, Dark View Explorers eased past their opposition to win by eight wickets.
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The Vincy Premier League is a T10 tournament that will roll on for 10 days in the tiny and picturesque East Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. This league, if one discounts the Vanuatu Premier League, is the only instance of competitive cricket since the pandemic outbreak. The big draws in this league are capped West Indies players like exuberant opening batsman Sunil Ambris, pacer Kesrick Williams, up-and-coming left-arm seamer Obey McCoy, and highly-raved batsman Gidron Pope. Read less
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After getting just four runs in the eighth over, Explorers end the game by winning the match by eight wickets after Lindon James and Andrew Thomas get their team over the line with 9 balls remaining. The captain (18*) landed the final blow as he hit Strikers' Pope for a boundary with a flick of his wrist. And that brings us to the close of the opening day of Vincy Premier League!
The captain James (13*) maintains his composure and sweeps for a brilliant boundary, and he continues the excellent running between the wickets with Thomas (15*) to continue building pressure on Strikers. Explorers just need 7 runs more.
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Thomas now tried to change the pace of the game as he hits Sealroy Williaams for a flat-six in the first ball of the over. But the spinner gets some valuable dots and instills some hope in Strikers. 20 runs needed now.
Rasheed Frederick comes in with the ball hoping to continue with the onslaught. But James (5*) plays some sensible cricket with good running between the wickets with Thomas (5*). Eight runs from the over.
But there's a twist in the story now! Kensley Joseph (13) and Deron Greaves (11) are both dismissed by Kirton Lavia and Sealroy Williams respectively with the latter playing himself out on the first ball of the fourth over. Lindon James and Andrew Thomas are on the pitch now. Two down, 39 runs needed from 35 balls.
Kirton Lavia comes on for the bowling team, and he concedes a free-hit on the first ball itself while conceding a boundary. He makes amends with a good short-pitched delivery in the free-hit. But Lavia concedes five-wides in the next ball, and Greaves (11*) hits him twice for two boundaries. The floodgates have opened and it's 20 runs from the over. Are Strikers losing the plot?
Charles Stowe takes charge of the ball now, and he starts with two extras. Joseph opens his account with three runs, and it is followed by a wide. Joseph (8*) adds to the agony with a clean boundary above everyone's heads. 12 runs from the over.
Deron Greaves and Kensley Joseph have opened the chase for Dark View Explorers with Strikers' Ray Jordan in charge of the ball. After a tight start to the over, Explorers get a huge boost as they get four bye runs.
Kirton Lavia (1*) and Jaheil Waters (2*) finish the innings for Fort Charlotte Strikers as they end on 75/5. Gidron Pope is the highest scorer for them with a 28-run knock. Darius Martin and Sealron Williaams bagged two wickets for Explorers.
Stowe came on and on the second ball itself, he hit a boundary to his leg-side with a power shot. Pop, without his helmet on, fails to get the big shots in and he is dismissed in the next over by Martin. Stowe is also caught out on the third ball of the over.
Sealron Williaams works his magic again, and on the first ball again too. His delivery completely confuses Keron Cottoy (8) and removes the bails off as the batsman came charging ahead. Chelson Stowe comes on at number five.
With the end coming near, Pope (27*) just went for power and hit a flat-six off the first ball of Greaves' first-ball of the over. On the other hand, Cottoy (8*) is managing to rotate strike successfully. Strikers are looking for a big finish.
Sealron Williaams comes in and he makes his breakthrough with his very first ball. He removes Renrick Williams for 20 with a LBW. And on comes the marquee player, Keron Cottoy for the Strikers!
Deron Greaves comes in with a bit of spin as Explorers look to restrict Strikers within 60. With six players outside the circle, the batsman are a bit reserved with their shots. An economical over, just 4 runs from it.
Pope (17*) and Williams (18*) are trying to push their team with a nice little partnership as the former hits a nice boundary on the second ball. Williams follows suit as he smashes the ball over the boundary with another huge maximum.
After scoring just 5 runs and losing a wicket in the last over, Williams decides to change the momentum of the match. He hits a mighty six to his off-side but in the subsequent free-hit, he misses the ball completely. A three and two singles conclude the over.
Ronald Scott is off! He walks back on a duck after Kody Horne dismisses the batsman with an accurate throw. Renrick Williams is on for the Strikers now. The Explorers have asserted their dominance early in the game.
And finally, the Strikers get their innings off to a start as Gidron Pope uses a pull shot to hit the first boundary of the match. The fielding has been exceptional from the Explorers so far, and that's why it's just 5 runs off the over.
After an initial leg-bye, Darius Martin took control of the over where he troubled Ronald Scott with a variation of pace. Another extra before the end of the over. Just the two runs so far, a good start by the Explorers.
Fort Charlotte Strikers are going to bat first with Gidron Pope and Ronald Scott opening for them. Darius Martin is going to start the proceedings with the ball for Dark View Explorers. Here we go...
The first match was won by Salt Pond Breakers, which is led by Sunil Ambris, three wickets against Grenadines Divers. The Breakers chased down a target of 69. In the second match, La Soufriere Hikers skipper Desron Maloney powered his team with a 9-wicket win as they chased Botanic Garden Rangers' target of 71. Up next is Dark View Explorers vs Fort Charlotte Strikers...
Today's third and last match will be between Dark View Explorers vs Fort Charlotte Strikers. The match will start at 10 pm. How the teams look:
Dark View Explorers: Lindon James (marquee player); Bertram Stapleton (coach), Deron Greaves Andrew Thomas, Darius Martin, Shammon Hooper, Davian Barnum, Sealron Williaams, Kensley Joseph, Kody Horne, Kemron Strough, Ojay Matthews, Javid Williams, Denson Hoyte.
Fort Charlotte Strikers: Keron Cottoy (marquee player); Kenroy Martin (coach), Gidron Pope, Ray Jordan, Ronald Scott, Rasheed Frederick, Kirton Lavia, Jahiel Walters, Sealroy Williams, Olanzo Bellingy, Chelson Stowe, Kenroy Williams, Sylvan Spencer, Renrick Williams.
Cut over point to finish it off. Desron Maloney finishes with 41* off 19 balls. The Hikers win by 9 wickets with 4.2 overs to spare. A huge victory. Only the two openers were required to face balls in the chase. No 3 Dillion Douglas did not even get to face one ball. A commanding victory.
What a shot. Cracked down the ground. Excellent cover drive. Desron Maloneuy has played the best innings of the day so far. He moves on to 31. And he lands one on the roof of the pavilion. All fielders rooted to their spots as Maloney smashes yet another maximum and moves to 37.
Browne hits a boundary after a while as Maloney goes to the non-striker's end with a single. Both batsmen in their 20s now. Ray Charles bowls a tighter over - his lack of pace making him harder to hit than someone like Kesrick. And he gets the first wicket of this innings with his last ball of the obver. Salvan departs for 22. 58/1 after 5 overs
Kesrick Williams comes on to bowl the 4th over and he cannot stop the run slide. The sixes keep coming. Maloney moves into the 20s. 50/0 comes up after the end of the 4th over. The most supreme batting display we have seen today. Maloney on 26. Browne on 15, has been the quieter batsman, after an explosive start. Kesrick goes for 15 runs in his over, which was the total runs he scored in the first innings.
Dunbar comes on to bowl the third over. And Maloney welcomes him with a huge smash over his head. Another six. The openers are bringing this target up in no time. Powerful hitting. 33/0 after 2.4 overs
Romel Currency swirls around like a madman as a edge balloons up and stays in the air for an eternity as Salvan Browne miscues one, loses sight of the ball in the sun, and the ball lands in no man's land. Maloney pounces on a short ball and cracks a four on the leg side. 26/0 after 2 overs
Good comeback from the bowler. A catch is put down at short third man. Salvan Browne takes the initiative. Smashed over backward point. Huge six. And the last ball of the over is also smashed for four in the same region. Salvan Brown is on his way and the Hikers are also on their way. Huge over to start off. 16/0 after 1 over
Salvan Browne and Desron Maloney, one of the most potent opening pairs in this league, walk out to start the Hikers' chase. Nigel Small's spin to start off the bowling for the Rangers. Poor start for the bowler. Two wides and the batsmen take two singles as well. 4/0 off 0 overs
Kesrick only gets one run off the fifth ball and he smashes his bat on the ground in frsutration. Another single off the last ball. 70/5 after their 10 overs. Another total which does not flatter the batting team. Kesrick Williams, with 15, was the highest scorer in that innings. The Hikers need 71 to win when we come back for the chase.
Six from Oziko Williams. Kesrick Williams was becoming frustrated with him as he let two dot balls pass him by in the last over. He connects with one and it flies over long off. Kesrick gets the strike with two balls left in the innings. 68/5 after 9.4 overs
Hayward takes his third wicket. Dembar finds the fielder on the leg side fence. 54/5 no with 9 balls left in the innings. Oziko Williams plays a forward defence stroke off his first ball. Drives to long off for one. Wiliams comes down the track off the last ball opf the over and he gets six runs. 61/5 after 9 overs
Some runs come for the Rangers. Kesrick Williams and Dembar move the score along nicely. Williams plays a Kohli-esque pull but the fielder runs around to cut off the boundary. Good effort in the field from the Hikers today.
Kesrick Williams and Kenneth Dunbar are struggling to time the ball well and the Hikers are strangling the score. Three overs remain in the innings. 68 was not enough in the first match. How much more can the Rangers add?
Run out. Abrahams is run out. He went for the run. Kesrick Williams never showed any signs of responding. Turned his back on his running partner. And the fourth wicket falls. 35/4 after 6.3 overs
Kesrick Williams gets off the mark with a frantically run two. Kevin Abraham then gets a four with a tickle off a Dlazell short ball that runs past the keeper. Dalzell bowls a good off-and-middle line to cramp the batsman for room. Batsmen opting for quick singles. One overthrow coming in the process as well. 35/3 after 6 overs
Jeremy Haywood gets his second wicket! Spin has done the trick for them so far. After Othnell Lewis, now it is haywood who has ripped through the batsman. Currency goes. Kesrick Williams, known for flamboyance for West Indies, but is also known to bat much further down the order, comes in at No.5 with his team in trouble. 25/3 after 4.4 overs
Jeremy Haywood strikes with his second ball. Caught behind. Shallow is gone after a slow start. Tried to cut it to point but only managed to edge it to Browne, the keeper. Kevin Abraham the new man in at 4. 24/2 after 4.2 overs
Big hitting from Romel Currency to start his innings. And played with perfect technique. Hyron Shallow also plays with a straight bat. A much more solid start to the batting innings from the Rangers than either of the teams in the first match. Shallow on 7, Currency on 8. 24/1 after 4 overs
Othnell lewis strikes. Following up on his great first over, he gets Atticus Browne caught behind and follows that up with a jubilant celebration. Romel Currency in at No.3 ater that first wicket. 14/1 after 2.3 overs
Dean Browne strays down the pads and is dispatched for four down to fine leg. The wicketkeeper happens to be his brother, another of the many Brownes playing in the league. Atticus Browne and Hyron Shallow move the score along to 14/0 after 2 overs.
The first runs come with a very good looking drive by Shallow. The Hikers have started proceedings with spin. An unconventional move even by 10-over standards, but the move pays off. A tight over brings only 4 runs.
All set for the second match. The Botanic Garden rangers, in green, to bat first. Hyron Shallow and Atticus to open for them. La Soufriere Hikers, in red, to field. Desron Maloney, their captain, and a batsman who comes with some reputation in domestic cricket, chose to field first.
La Soufriere Hikers vs Botanic Garden Rangers is going to be the second T10 match of the day.
Here are the two teams:
Botanic Gardens Rangers: Kesrick Williams, Hyron Shallow, Romel Currency, Kenneth Dember, Romario Bibby, Atticus Browne, Oziko Williams, Kimali Williams, Kevin Abraham, Nigel Small, Casnel Morris, Joey Welcome, Ray Charles.
La Soufriere Hikers: Desron Maloney, Dean Browne, Dillon Douglas, Othneil Lewis, Salvan Browne, Rayan Williams, Rawdon Bentick, Casmus Hackshaw, Kenson Dalzell, Jeremy Haywood, Tilron Harry, Kimson Dalzell, Camano Cain
A four is hit by Jeremy Layne off the second ball of the last over to complete the formalities. The Salt Pond breakers have won the first ever match in the Vincy Premier League. They needed 69 to win and it seemed it would be a walk in the park but the match became increasingly tight. In the 9th over though, the match was tilted decisively in the Breakers' favour, when two misfields at third man by Braxie Browne off consecutive balls gave 8 runs to the Breakers instead of 2 wickets.
Wicket off the last ball of the over. But its probably too little too late. Thomas the man dismissed but the Breakers tail can be expected to overhaul what remains of this target. 2 runs required in the last over.
Misfield at third man. And what a costly miss that could be. Kadir Nedd gets a four. He might even have been out if the fielder had caught that. And would you believe it! The next ball is an even easier catch to the same fielder. Braxie Browne the villain here. Two consecutive boundaries. All because of the third man fielder.n And then there is a no ball. The Divers have lost the plot in this 9th over.
Urnel Thomas brings the chase down to manageable proportions with a six off the last ball of the over. The last over will be bowled by Hooper probably. McCoy to bowl the 9th over. Crunch time in this match. 15 required from 2 overs.
Bennington loses his wicket off the last ball of the 7th over. He is yorked and he loses his bat. The bat flies off almost to the infield. Another comic dismissal! Urnel Thomas, on 13, is joined by Kadir Nedd. The Breakers will be looking to Thomas to see them home in what has become a tense chase.
Thomas manages to win one battle against Wyllie. The ball goes for six over midwicket. But that was very close to the fielder's outstretched hands. Hooper has one over to go. Wyllie, thankfully for the Breakers, has finished his quota. 26 needed off the last 4 overs.
Fourth wicket for Wyllie. 4/3 his figures. Delorn Johnson goes for a big shot but can only spoon the ball high in the air and Latchman completes the catch. The Salt Pond Breakers are looking in danger of being broken. Stapleton takes his time coming out at No.7. Urnel Thomas will be hoping a partnership can finally come for his team. Wyllie is making things happen though. getting the batsmen hopping.
Disappointing over for Browne, the bowler. He gets a lot of pace worked up but his fielders let him down. First there is a misfield for four at mid off. Then the keeper drops a catch off the last ball of the over. Urnel Thomas and Delorn Johnson, both on 5, move the score along. 36/4 after 5 overs
What a moment! Ambris steps out to the spinner and Latchman flicks his bails off and goes on an Imran Tahir-esque dash around the park. The Salt Pond Breakers have lost three wickets in a heap. What a turnaround. Seon Sween comes out at No.5 to join Delorn Johnson. And that is another wicket! Caught at slip. Disaster for the Breakers. 23/4 after 4 overs.
Geron Wyllie has turned this match on its head. His figures now 3/2.
Hector and Ambris playing intelligent cricket. Pushing and dabbing at the ball as the score moves along comfortably. There is a lot of energy around the park at the moment. They want to take another wicket. That would throw this match wide open. Hector gives them a window with a loose shot. Comfortable catch at mid on. And it is Delorn Johnson who comes out at No.4. This match has suddenly become a lot more interesting. 22/2 after 3.4 overs
First wicket of the innings. And it is captain Asif Hooper who strikes. And punches the air in delight. Walker goes after giving a simple catch to gully. Donwell Hector, who has a T20 century to his name, joins Ambris. 17/1 after 2.3 overs
Six! The first six of the innings and the second of the match. Walker gets himself into position and smashes the ball in the backward square region for a maximum. Ambris goes for another flighted shot. This lands very close to the mid on fielder. The score is moving handsomely along for the Breakers though. Ambris miscues a shot almost to mid on but the ball lands just short. Ambris smashes the last ball of the over but the ball mysteriously stops just short of the boundary as the batsmen run two.
Ambris gets the chase underway with a single down to fine leg as McCoy opts for the short ball to start up. McCoy, perhaps trying too hard, strays down either side of the wicket with his two balls. The one down the leg side is given as wide. Good carry for the young left arm seamer but his line is all awry at the moment. And then there is a no ball signalled by the umpire. Not the most auspicious start to this innings for the Divers either. Not much attacking intent from the opening batsmen. 4/0 after 1 over
Sunil Ambris and Rickford Walker open the batting for the Salt Pond Breakers. Obed McCoy to bowl the first over. Can he make the bowling team's effort explode to life? McCoy vs Ambris is set to be a delicious clash. Chase to begin in a moment. 69 to win in 10 overs.
Cannot complain of lack of action in that innings. Ambris and his men need 69 to win in 10 overs. The Salt Pond Breakers look set to win the first match of the first ever Vincy Premier League. The chase to begin in a short while.