St. Catherine’s pride and joy Old Harbour, copped the 2011 SDC National Twenty/20 Community Cricket title, defeating Content Gardens from St. Ann by 50 runs at the Alpart Sports Club on Sunday, September 4.
In a low scoring final mirroring the 3rd and 4th places playoff, the huge crowd in attendance no doubt, had come to see the present and former national and West Indies stars on show. The spectators, however, were to be denied the swashbuckling, lusty hitting of Andre Russell and the swing and guile of left arm seamer Krishmar Santokie, because both struggled with bat and ball.
Losing the toss and sent to bat, Old Harbour lost Peat Salmon for 11 with only 12 runs on the board. His opening partner, the talismanic Jamaica and West Indies all rounder Russell had in his previous three innings compiled 311 runs to lead his team to resounding victories. However, 14 runs later, Old Harbour was set back when Valentine McKenzie had Russell caught by Canute Ferguson for 6 to send the Content Gardens fans into mass hysteria.
By the 8th over McKenzie had Old Harbour on the back foot with a match haul of 3 for 29 runs and only 50 runs scored. The slide was slowed however, when Andrew Davis, coming in at number 5, kept the scoreboard ticking even while losing partners at the other end to get to 32, before he was the 7th batsman to be dismissed with Old Harbour on 82.
Tail enders, Lascelles Davis 19 and Michael Brown 10 propped up the innings aided by 20 extras, carrying Old Harbour to 122 runs in 18.5 overs and what would prove to be a winning total.
Replying, Content Gardens opened with the hard hitting former Jamaica batsman Howard Harris, who was expected to lead the charge on the small total. Harris was however back in the pavilion in the second over, caught by Michael Brown off Peat Salmon for one with the score on one. 7 runs later Content Gardens was two wickets down with the score on 8.
Content Gardens found the bowling of Russell and Salmon extremely difficult to negotiate and at the end of the 10th over had posted only 24 runs while losing 4 wickets. Junior Carr who got 17 not out, Patrick Harty 16 and Sashane Anderson were the main scorers for Content Gardens before they succumbed to 72 runs in 17.3 overs.
Deron Royal with a magnificent 5 for 13 destroyed Content Garden’s middle order and cap the title for the St. Catherine team. The St. Catherine outfit, however, maintained the stranglehold of the southern parishes on the competition, while sending the championship trophy for the first time past mid island.
In the 3rd place playoff earlier, favourite Clarendon’s Race Course with Jamaica and West Indies 20/20 specialist Krishmar Santokie was ambushed by KSA’s Waltham Park Police Youth Club to come out victor by 11 runs.
Batting first, Waltham struggled to 100 all out from the allotted 20 overs with only Kemour Fraser 26, Herman Dawson 22, Fitzroy Peterkin 14 and Kerron Edwards 11 troubling the scorers much. Rennar Whyte with 4 wickets for 11 runs was the main wicket taker.
In their turn at the crease, Race Course also found the going tough throughout, losing their last 5 wickets for 17 runs to be humbled out for a paltry 89. Franklyn Waugh with 17 and Skipper Hamlet Stewart 12 were the only batmen getting double figures with 4 batsmen not troubling the scorers any at all.
Written by: Roosevelt Campbell