The first week of the Round Robin Parish Division of the SDC Cal’s National Community T20 Cricket at Chedwin Park St Catherine on Sunday (May 21) had a mixture of explosion, drama and disappointment wrapped in one.
In the opening Round Robin fixture, Ewarton-Slazenger who faced Bushy Park-Church Pen won the toss and elected to field. However Ewarton was soon to realize that their decision to field was not in their best interest.
The Ewarton bowlers were found wanting, as their deliveries were blasted all over the Park. Sheldon Dale was the pick of their bowlers taking 2-20 from 4 overs, while Orlando Gordon took 1-32 from 3 overs, Shawn Parchment 1-38 from 4 overs and Kemar Fuller grabbed 1-20 from 2 overs.
Alex Peterson, who was warned by Umpire Willis Tulloch for too many short pitched deliveries, only bowled one over for 17 runs.
On the other end of the scale, Church Pen’s openers Shane Pusey and Mario Davis exploded from the first delivery putting on 43 runs, finding the ground with an array of shots. Pusey was the first to go as he was caught for 17. Skipper Jeavour Royal who represented the West Indies Youth Team few years back, was the next batsman in and after 2 flashy fours the 24 year old had to depart the party, after he was caught and bowled going for an audacious pull shot.
With the score on 85-2 Marshall Marsh was the next batter, to partner Davis who was finding all ends of the ground before his dismissal. Davis top scored in the innings with a whirlwind 43 from 24 deliveries lacing the ground with 6 fours but just hoisting 1 six. Marsh was joined by former National player Keith Hibbert who himself was in a no nonsense mood as the pair put on 4th wicket partnership of 64 runs.
Hibbert’s cameo performance came to an end when he was bowled by Parchment for 30 from 17 balls, registering 2 fours and 2 sixes while Marsh chipped in with a modest 31 from 35 deliveries before he was caught.
Number 6 batter Kevan Lettman was in an athletic mood facing just 8 deliveries. He hammered 2 fours and lost the ball over the Eastern fence with a huge six for a total of 24 runs.
Jonio Beckford and Elvis O’Conner were the not out batsmen on 7 and 8 respectively, as Church Pen who were sent into bat, scored 194-7 from their allotted 20 overs.
With the Morning sunlight turning into a Mid-Day Dark cloudy procession over Chedwin Park, Slazenger started their response searching for 195 runs for victory, as intermittent Showers paraded over the ground.
Former outstanding Charlemont High School representative Jemarie Harris opened the innings with Rowen Williams, but the response was dismal from the get-go.
Williams who fell for 6 off the bowling of O’Conner with the score on 13, started the catastrophe. Ewarton lost Peter Pottinger for a first ball duck bowled by O’Conner putting him on a hat-trick which never materialised.
Four runs later it was the skipper Royal to go on a Hat-trick removing Slazenger’s Rayon Reid and captain Shawn Parchment both for ducks by the way of the LBW route and again the Hat-trick never happened.
O’Conner then bowled Kemar Fuller for a duck to have Ewarton reeling at 20-5. It was not all Doom and Gloom as there was a slight rebuilding 7th wicket partnership by Orlando Gordon and opener Harris which carried the score to 40 runs, before Harris fell for an innings top score of 16.
Alex Peterson was the next to go for 2, before the Duck-Farm production line restarted. Sheldon Dale and Yashawn Brown both failed to trouble the total of 45, as Ewarton lost their 8th and the 9th wickets of the innings to the bowling of Hibbert.
Hibbert was the third bowler on Church Pen’s team in the game to go on a Hat-trick. But again it failed to come to pass.
The Heavens once again opened causing a second interruption in the game with Ewarton on 45-9. It was decided by umpires Tulloch and Orlando Jones that Bushy Park-Church Pen had won by 82 runs over Ewarton-Slazenger using the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method.
Due to persistent rain and a water logged field the second game featuring Old Harbour and Greater Portmore was not played and was called off at 4:45 pm after a final inspection by umpires Tulloch and Jones.
Both teams walked away with a point apiece in the First round of the Round Robin affair.
The next round of games will be played on May 28, 2023, with the main double header taking place at Boscobel Sports Complex, St. Mary. The first match of the day will begin at 10:00 a.m., where between Gayle Cricket Team and Geddes Town Cricket Team, followed by a play between home team Boscobel and Rock River Cricket Team at 2:00 p.m.
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