Semi Finals Match Reports
Semi Final 1: Trinidad & Tobago Legions vs Washington Tigers at Central Broward Regional Cricket Stadium.
The conditions were perfect for the day’s first semi final on the main oval. Temperatures were in the high 60s and the blue south Florida sky is slightly overcast, allowing for perfect vision in the crease and on the field.
The Tigers batted first, sending out Akeem Dodson and Dawood Ahmed to face the openers and take some shine off of the new ball. Ahmed got his team of to a strong start, smacking a quickfire 27 off 26 balls before being bowled by Andre Brown. A more steady Dodson held down his end, notching up 24 off 42 balls before being caught by Brown off of a neat delivery from Bhim George.
Just when a low total looked inevitable, Neil McGarel strode out to the crease and got stuck into the attack, knocking 37 off 32 balls while the wickets fell around him. In the end, the Tigers posted a creditable score of 122, but 6 an over in the semi-finals would prove to be too little to defend. Legions’ first drop bowler Shazam Babwah looked the best with the ball, taking two wickets for just 18 runs off of his 4 over spell.
With 123 runs needed, Legions sent Timothy Surujbally and Nick Sookdesosingh out to the crease. Surujbally was trapped LBW for 6 off of 11 balls, while Sookdesosingh got stuck straight in to the bowling, notching up a quick 34 off 28 balls. Adrian Ali supported him well, scoring 24 off 36.
With the run rate looking good, Shazam Babwah strode out to make his mark with the bat. 39 runs off just 27 balls followed in quick succession, seeing Legion sail past the total with a little more than an over and 6 wickets to spare. Tigers bowler Jermaine Lawson rates an honorable mention, taking 2 wickets for 19 runs off of his allotted 4 overs.
Semi Final 2: The second semi was played on the outside oval at Central Broward Regional Park between the United Charges and Florida Destroyers. The Destroyers won the toss and batted first, but never really found a rhythm. Steven Taylor top scored, with just 18 runs, while tail-enders Frederick Redwod and Masood Mohamed posted 14 runs each to boost the score a more competitive total.
The bowling was the feature of the first innings, coming in tight and cheap. 2 wickets for 19 from opener Alexis Francis’ applied early pressure, while Tim Allen’s 2 wickets for just 4 runs off of 4 four overs made sure the Destroyers never got going.
The Chargers, despite the name, got off to a steady and measured start, with opener Sushil Nadkarni scoring 44 runs before being run out. Number two opener Glen Hall was out quickly for 5, caught behind off sharp bowling. Carl Wright came in and took his team home, scoring 42 not out and supported at the end by a solid 21 from number five batsman Rashad Marshall. Destroyer Y. Elliot bowled a tight spell, taking 1 wicket for 22 runs off of his 4 overs.
