Vincy Premier T10 League 2020 Highlights: Salt Pond Breakers, La Soufriere Hikers continue domination

Maloney and Dillon Douglas marshall the chase to completion. They lost their openers in a heap but No 3 and No 4 Maloney and Douglas stamp their class on the match, scoring without risks and finding gaps at will. After Salvan Browne went out for 22, Harry soon followed for 15. However, after that, Douglas has taken control and Maloney has given him good company. Both have moved to double digits in no time.

The big advantage for the Hikers is the wickets in hand though. Salvan Browne goes after Romario, making this advantage count. He gets a boundary is then bowled out by Romario. Salvan Browne knows he missed out on abig one today. Threw his bat at the ball and threw his wicket away. Dillon Douglas comes in at No 3.

The Rangers are putting in some good work in the field to cut off the runs but there is a bit of disappointment for them off the last ball as it trickles past the keeper with an edge to the boundary. Salvan Browne on 16 not out, Harry on 15 not out. Romario Bibby to bowl the first non-Powerplay over. This match is pretty much evenly poised now.

Tilron manages to go over extra cover with a lofted shot and gets a four. Kimali Williams bowls good lines and lengths to cramp up the batsmen otherwise. The Hikers will be pleased with how the chase is progressing.

Dembar, the other experienced bowler, in the Rangers' ranks, bowls the second over and manages to keep it tight. Six runs from the over as the score moves to 15/0 after 2 overs. Kimali, another pacer who has impressed in the VPL, replaces Kesrick. 

Kesrick gets the ball to climb on the batsmen, a bit too much on one occasion, as an overhead wide is signalled. Salvan Browne then gets on over the infield to get a four off the last ball of the over. 

Kesrick Williams bowls the first over. And he induces a chance off the first ball. But it is dropped. The fielder points at the Sun as if to indicate the villain in that incident was not him but someone in the skies. Kesrick, never one to hide his emotions, lets it rip at the fielder. Salvan Browne and Tilron Harry open for the Hikers. Loud shouts for run out as well. Lots happening in the first over.

Kesrick Williams emerges as the highest scorer from his side. He swings hard at every ball he faces. He runs hard to get back on strike, Nigel Small gives him complete cooperation. But Small  is run out at the non striker's end off the fifth ball. Kesrick finishes off with a six down the ground. Kesrick remains not out on 30 off 12 deliveries. A decent recovery from the Rangers, considering how early they lost their top order today. The Hikers need 80 to win in their 10 overs.

Kesrick Williams takes charge of the 9th over as well after Nigel Small hands him the strike with a single. Nigel Small manages to make good contact off the fifth ball and a catch is dropped in the deep as the lower order counter attack continues. 

Kesrick Williams makes some amends for the failure of his top order. Consecutive fours to end the 8th over, hit on either side of the ground. Gets his team's total above 50. Kesrick moves to 13 off 4 balls. A rapid innings for the West Indies international. Some hope for the Rangers courtesy with rearguard attack.

And there's a run out! Dember is run out by the bowler in the follow-through of his run-up. Dember goes for 13. Kesrick Williams is involved in that run out, not the first one he has been involvedn in in the VPL, but there was little he could do. Nigel Small walks out to join Kesrick as the Rangers look in danger to be the first team to be all out in a VPL match.

Kesrick Williams comes in at No 7. And he gets going with a boundary off the last ball of the seventh over. Kenneth Dember, meanwhile, has moved to double digits. He is not out on 13 runs off 11 balls. 

30/4 after 5 overs as Abraham and Dembar look to weather the storm from the Hikers. Then Dalzell comes back to bowl his second over. Othneil Lewis does some good work on the boundary ropes to cut off a six. And then he gets his third wicket off his last ball. Abraham is bowled out for 6 runs. Dembar still out there but even he is batting at a strike rate of less than 100. The Rangers look to be in danger of posting the lowest total in the VPL.

Kimson Dalzell comes in to bowl the first over of pace in the innings and there is an instant reward. Oziko Williams swings wildly and gets an edge that carries to the keeper's outstretched hands. Oziko survived for a long time but managed only 4 runs. Kenneth Dembar the new man in. Dembar manages to get one shot away to the boundary to deep midwicket to break the momentum of the Hikers a little bit. But then Dalzell strikes again. Again caught behind by the keeper. Atticus Browne departs for a duck. Two wickets in the over and an exhibition of fast bowling by Dalzell in the over. Kevin Abraham joins Dembar with the Rangers in deep trouble. Dembar on 5 not out.

Currency is gone! Caught and bowled by Lewis. Currency, the main man for the Rangers today, is gone for 16. Some joy on the field for the Hikers then, even though they are 2 players down at the moment. Dillon Douglas the 2nd player to be off the field with a knock. Atticus Browne comes in at No 4. 22/2 after 3 overs An excellent spell from Othneil Lewis again. Two wickets for him.

Salvan Browne, the keeper, took a knock in the 2nd over and he walks off injured. Romel Currency, meanwhile, has moved on to 14, taking charge of the innings. Othneil comes back to bowl the 3rd over as the Hiker still stick with spin. Othneil does well to cramp Oziko for room. And there is another fielder down in the field for the La Soufriere Hikers after he fell awkwardly after a throw. Second fielder injured in the match and LSH are having a hard day in the field already. 22/1 after 2.3 overs

Dillon Douglas, one of the most reputed all-rounders from this region, bowls the 2nd over as the Hikers also opt to start off with their spinners. Romel Currency pulls hard at the second ball and brings up a boundary. And Currency goes hard at the third ball of the over again. Over mid off's head. Currency is making the most of the Powerplay overs. 

Both Romel Currency and Oziko Williams start off in style. Sweep to the leg side for fours. Othneil Lewis hangs his head as the keeper misses a stumping opportunity off the last ball. 9/1 after 1 over

Hyron Shallow takes strike as the Botanic Garden Ranngers bat first. And he is dismissed first ball! First ball duck. Othneil Lewis starts the bowling for the Hikers and he strikes immediately. Romel Currency comes out at No 3. he is the captain of the team today.

The last match of the day is a dead ruber between La Soufriere Hikers and Botanic Garden Rangers, both of which teams are already into the semis.

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

Strough bowls a great 10th over, like he has done throughout the competition for the Salt Pond Breakers. The batsmen run hard in the last over, give it their all with their shots, but it is not enough. They needed to get 17. They needed 6 to win off the last ball but Obed McCoy swings and misses. This was a close match and an intense finish. But at the end of the day, the Salt Pond Breakers prevail again. Their 6th win in 7 matches. As for the equation in terms of the knockout spots, the Grenadine Divers still hold on to 4th spot. The Explorers and the Divers remain tied on 4 points each, with the results in the last round of league matches to decide which of the two goes through to the last 4.

Richie Richards goes for a big pull shot but is caught in the deep. Second wicket in the over as Delorn Johnson makes a great comeback in the later part of the 9th over. 17 runs to win in the last over. Could the Divers find a hero in this last over?

Delorn Johnson goes for runs. Shem Browne goes after him. A four and a six. But then he is gone. He goes for 11 runs. Went for the big shots because he had to, his big shots have given the Divers a chance to finish this off, but he is now gone. Richie Richards comes in at No 6. 17 needed off 9 balls. This is going down to the wire!

10 runs fropm the over from Ambris. Delorn Johnson comes back to bowl the 9th over and this is crunch time in this match. 27 runs to get from the last 2 overs. Pierre has done well to stay out there so far. Unbeaten on 15 runs. Can he complete the job for the Divers?

Stapleton, who is back in the XI after missing out the last few matches, bowls the 7th over. And he does a fine job of it. Pierre falls cheaply. Shem Browne comes in at 5. Stapleton bowls a line just outisde the off stump and frustratingly out of the batsmens' reach. Some excellent defensive bowling by Salt Pond Breakers has left the Divers with 37 runs to get in the last three overs to win and earn a semi spot.

Sunil Ambris brings himself on in the 6th over. Samuel manages to get one four in the over. he has been joined by Romano Pierre. Their good start has kept them in the hunt but they have been falling off the run rate a bit in the last few overs. 43 to get in the last 4 overs. Eminently achievable but who will stand up for the Divers? 

Jeremy Layne comes back to finish off his quota of overs. And there is a wicket in that over! Harper goes for 12. He skies the last ball of the over and is caught by Nedd. The Divers innings has taken a bit of a dive here, with both the openers back in the hut. 41/2 after 5 overs

Asif Hooper is gone! Big wicket! Caught at long on. And that turns the match around a fair bit. Alex Samuel joins Harper. 30/1 after 3.3 overs. Harper manages to pierce the infield on the off side as some runs come off the later part of the fourth over. The Divers are on track in terms of run rate, but the big wicket of Asif Hooper would have pushed them back a little.

Jeremy Layne bowls the 3rd over and Hooper goes after him too. Big swing of the bat and the skipper moves into his 20s. The Divers have not had much luck when chasing in the VPL, but like earlier in the tournament, captain Asif Hooper is leading his team from the front in challenging circumstances. One six and singles off every other ball seems to be the formula for Hooper and Harper now. Hooper not out on 22, Harper on 4.

Javid Harry's left arm spin for the second over. Asif Hooper welcomes him with a smash for six on the leg side. Fine use of the wrist from the skipper. Hooper moves into double digits. The Divers are off to a good start in this chase. Hooper the scorer-in-chief so far.

Grenadine Divers, with their fate in their own hands, begin their chase of 93. Wayne Harper, taking strike, and Asif Hooper in the middle for the Divers. Delorn Johnson starts off for the Breakers. Asif Hooper manages to flick the ball past the keeper for four runs. A good over from Johnson but the batsmen manage to put up 9 in the first over. Asif Hooper on 7.

Thomas starts the over with a six. Went hard at it, but probably on the leg side. The ball flew over third man but that's a six all the same. Thomas moves into his 30s, having again anchored the innings. Gets Delorn Johnson on strike with a single off the 2nd ball. Delorn Johnson goes high in the air and is dropped in the infield. Thomas back on strike with three balls to go. He again fails to connect as Braxie Browne drops his pace. And he is caught off the last ball as he skies one again. Thomas ends with 32 from the innings, the highest scorer from his team. 93 to win for the Divers and to make a big step towards the knockouts.

Thomas manages to get one away off McCoy. One bounce and across the ropes at cow corner. 81/4 after 9 overs and Thomas, on 25, will be on strike as we head into the last over of the innings.

Obed McCoy bowls the 9th over and he picks up a wicket. New man Rickford Walker departs for 2, skying one from McCoy. Delorn Johnson joins Thomas. 9 deliveries left but McCoy is making the score of 100 look hard to reach right now.

Donwell Hector joins the party. Drives for four to extra cover off Razine Browne to takes the team score to the 70s. But it is Razine Browne who has the last laugh. Gets the batsman caught behind. Hector falls for 8 as the third wicket falls. Urnel Thomas the man the Breakers will be looking to to give them a strong finish and take them beyond 100. 

Urnel Thomas connects with a pull. Cleanest shot we have seen this match. And that ball flies above the roof of the pavilion and out of the ground, requiring new balls to be brought out. Braxie Browne, the bowler, responds by bowling a big wide down the leg side. He dows well to improve his length later in the over. Thomas moves his score to 20.

Kadir Nedd is also run out. He goes for 25. Both the Salt Pond openers have been run out today. Kadir Nedd called for a run, Thomas never responded, Nedd kept running, and he kept on running to the pavilion as the second wicket falls. Donwell Hector comes in at No 4.

Obed McCoy comes steaming in for thr 5th over. One of the more promising left arm pacers going around in West Indies right now. Gets Nedd fidgeting in his crease with his pace. Darius Martin made his mark in the first match, Obed McCoy looking to follow up with a worthy display in this match. Urnel Thomas also made to look comfortable against the bounce generated by McCoy. He does manage to push the ball off his pads to fine leg to bring up a boundary off the last ball of the over. 

Urnell Thomas starts off well. Slapped on the off side through the infield for a four. And then kadir Nedd steps in. First a six on the leg side. Then one over long on. Consecutive sixes. The Salt Pond Breakers, despite having lost Ambris, end the Powerplay overs with a burst of hitting. Nedd moves to 22.

Ambris is run out! Brilliant work in the field by Obed McCoy and Asif Hooper who is there to collect the throw. Ambris goes for 16 runs off 6 balls. Urnell Thomas, another of the heavy scorers from the Salt Pond side, comes out at No 3. But the early wicket of Amrbis is going to lift the spirits of the Divers team.

Richie Richards bowls the 2nd over. And Ambris gets his first scoring shot. Drives over the infield for four. And then he clears the ropes over long on. Huge six. First six of the match. Sunil Ambris rapidly moves into double digits. Richie Richards bowls an expensive over.

Great first over by Asif Hooper, ever the captain leading from the front. Deserved a wicket too. Nedd struggles to get the ball past the infield. He takes the aerial route and is dropped at long off by Shem Browne. Kadir Nedd survives two close calls in the over. He survives. Not out on 4. Ambris yet to get off the mark.

The big match of the day is ready to begin. Sunil Ambris and his Breakers take on Asif Hooper and the Divers. On the line a spot in the last 4 of the competition. Salt Pond Breakers bat first. Asif Hooper with the ball to start off the bowling for the Divers. Match of huge consequence for Hooper and his men. Ambris and Kadir Nedd open.

A big anti-climax for Lindon James and his Explorers as they succumb to defeat by 18 runs. The Fort Charlotte Strikers, having lost all their previous 6 matches, register their first win. What this means in terms of the points table is that the Grenadine Divers can now qualify for the semifinals with a win in the next match coming up. For the Explorers, the other team in contention for the last knockout place, will be praying Asif Hooper and his men lose today to table-toppers Salt Pond Breakers.

Lavia bowls the last over. Kody skies one but the catch is dropped and Horne comes back on strike as there are overthrows. A slew of misfields in the last over, but not enough to hurt the Strikers' chances. Barnum, in at No 8, has to take strike as Horne fails to get more than a single. Barnum is caught out for a duck. 75/6 after 9.4 overs

Sealron Williams is out, caught in the deep. The Strikers know they are in control of this match and they are letting out some exuberant celebrations in the field now. 69/6 after 9 overs, and an unlikely 24 runs needed in the last over. All hopes on Horne for the Explorers.

Sealron Williams comes in at No 7 and he manages to get a six down the ground. The Explorers might be going down, but they are not going down without a fight. 30 needed to win in the last 2 overs

Mathews gets his first six! Pounces on a full toss and advances down the ground to smash it past the bowler's head. Follows up with a drive for four, punched with power. Could O Jay Mathews come up with a miraculous chase? Would be a day to remember for the 16 year old. But no! He is bowled in trying to go for another smash, this time across the line. He goes for 14 runs. The Explorers lose half their side and the batsman who looked likeliest to take them close to the target.

Chelston Stowe comes back to bowl the 7th over, having picked up 2 wickets in his last over. Mathews shapes up nicely to smash him but he has not yet showed he has the strength in his arms that is needed to carry the ball over the ropes and his team across the line. Horne still dealing in pushes for singles and doubles. Ray Jordan then shapes one in back sharply into Horne's pads. The Strikers have turned up in full form today, marshalled by Pope from behind the stumps. The run out of Greaves in the first over, in which Pope played a big part, has set the tone of this chase. And it has been the Strikers all the way. 44/4 after 7 overs

49 required in the last three overs

Some welcome runs for the Explorers. And they come in the form of bye runs. They'll take them, any way they come. O Jay Mathews, the 16-year-old, looking confident in his strokes but this is a tall ask for the chasing team. Horne and Mathews need to go all out in the next 4 overs and they need to connect with more than they don't.

Hooper goes. Caught at long off. 30/3 after 5.1 overs and the Explorers sink further. Kody Horne comes out at No 5. Chelston Stowe gets another wicket after that! Andrew Thomas goes for 1 run and the wheels are falling off the Explorers. It looks now as if they will have to pray that the Divers do not win their match today so that they stand with a chance of the knockouts. Ojay Mathews joins Horne. 32/4 after 5.3 overs

Lavia comes on to bowl a good over of pace. Tight lines. Shamon Hooper is strangled for room. Advances down the ground but just manages a single with a mistimed slam shot. 30/2 after 5 overs, and the Strikers are in good stead for their first win unless the Explorers find a hero in their middle order. Shamon Hooper in 17 off 16 balls, but he has found it hard to get going today.

Hooper moves into double figures as well with a pull shot against Sealroy Williams as the fourth over becomes an expensive one. Lindon James is caught off the last ball though. Goes for the big shot but skies it. The Explorers sink in their chase, having lost their two big batting mainstays. 28/2 after 4 overs

Lindon James manages to clear the field for his second boundary. And Shamon Hooper also manages to get his first four as skipper Cottoy comes up with a poor effort in the field. 

Shamon Hooper, as always striking a stark contrast with his diminutive shape in this top order of tall batsmen, has not managed to clear the field so far. Lindon James has more luck, striking his first boundary in that over.

Run out! Greaves is run out in the first over. Huge wicket in the very first over. Lindon james, the skipper, joins Shamon Hooper at No 3. 4/1 after 1 over

Ronald Scott goes again! Sealron Williams also goes for runs. Lavia also manages to get a boundary, cutting it away. The middle order has turned up for the Strikers today. Lavia gets a single to get Scott on the strike for the last ball bull but Scott is run out off the last ball. Late to react. 92/3 is the score put up by the Strikers. Scott goes for 26. Billingy, the highest scorer in that innings, with 32, but he had to walk off after being hit on the helmet by Darius James. The Explorers will need to get 93 to win.

Ronald Scott, who has hit two sixes, is on 19* off 7 balls. Giving a strong finish to this first innings. Could he take the Strikers to their first victory? Remember, the Explorers need a good run rate from this match as they are 5th on the basis of net run rate. 

Ronald Scott, wearing no helmet, faces Darius Martin. We are into the 9th over. And he smashes Martin. Six, six! Two sixes in three balls. Sensational, given that Martin clattered a bouncer into Billingy's head in his first over. And Martin goes short at Scott! Scott somehow ducks his head out of the way. The umpire does the batsman a favour by signalling a wide. Great individual contests on view here. 75/2 after 8.4 overs