T&T outclass CCC by 85 runs to seal semi-final spot

Nov 20, 2008 Sports

Man-of-the-match Pollard smashes 30 ball 54, snares 2-34

Keiron Pollard in attacking mode during his match winning innings.

By Franklin Wilson
Eight-time champions Trinidad and Tobago, aiming to secure a ninth championship strengthened their claim with an emphatic 85 run win over the Combined Colleges and Campuses yesterday at the former World renowned Georgetown Cricket Club ground, Bourda.

And leading the current 20/20 kings of the Caribbean to their effortless win which saw them ending the preliminary round as the top team was man-of-the-match Keiron Pollard who smashed a whirlwind 52 off 30 balls decorated with five huge sixes and four sparkling boundaries, an innings that took the game totally out of the reach of the CCC who, despite not moving on in the competition have earned the respect of the more seasoned teams with some solid performances.

CCC, won the toss and invited the Darren Ganga led Twin Island Republic to bat and they posted a challenging 282-9 off their 50 overs. They returned to topple the CCC for 197 off 44.4 overs to win by a whopping 85 runs.

T&T earned a bonus point to go with the four for winning to end the preliminary round on 16 points and ahead of the Leeward Islands who also gained a bonus point form their win over the Windward Islands, on a better run rate.

Their opening pair of Lendl Simmons (42) and Adrian Barath (36) added 81 for the first wicket as T&T found the going tough against the CCC bowling attack led by Kishmar Catlin with figures of 4-48.

Catlin’s victims were accounted for in his second spell which kept the run rate in check after Pollard’s swashbuckling knock had threatened to lead them way over the 300 mark.

Catlin accounted for Darren Bravo (45), knocked back the stumps of the rampaging Pollard, also sending back Richard Kelly for a first ball duck and wicketkeeper Gibran Mohamed (12) both caught by Callitos Lopez.

Runs were so tough to come by that after 25 overs Trinidad were 92-2. But with the advent of Pollard who joined Bravo after his Captain Ganga was dismissed for 27 to a brilliant catch by Ramnarine Chattergoon at short midwicket, the run rate skyrocketed.

Pollard was particularly severe on Craig Emmanuel and Chattergoon, smashing them to all parts of the ground, about three balls having to be replaced during his run spree.

He featured in a fourth wicket stand of 66 with Bravo who fell 5 short of a half century. His knock contained two fours off 51 deliveries.

Pacer Ravi Rampaul provided some sparks towards the tail end of the innings with a classy 33* (2 sixes & 1 four). Rishi Bachan 4* was Rampaul’s partner when the overs ran out.

Also proving expensive was Lopez whose two wickets form 9 overs cost 66 runs. Kurt Wilkinson, Chattergoon and Romel Currency took one wicket each. Extras contributed 16.

The asking rate of more than five runs an over against a well oiled and professional team from the Land of Soca was always going to prove an uphill task despite the gutsy performances from the CCC who narrowly lost to hosts Guyana but rebounded to defeat the Windward Islands and the USA.

This challenge was way too much for them as they folded for 197 off 44.4 overs in spite of Romel Currency’s solid knock of 62 (95 balls; 6 fours), Chadwick Walton’s 29 ball 29, Simon Jackson’s 25 and Craig Emmanuel’s 15.

The disciplined fielding, excellent catching and astute captaincy of Ganga who rotated his bowlers admirably combined to see T&T to a firm win and pole position at the end of the preliminary round of this year’s championship.

Pollard capped a fine all round game with 2-34 from 6. Sherwin Ganga (2-26), Samuel Badree (2-38) and Rampaul (2-37) all chipped in to underline a total team effort.

Trinidad will go into their semi-final clash against Jamaica tomorrow with their confidence high seeking to topple them in advancing to another final.

They will however take note of the fact that they were beaten by the same team in the 2007 championship. Jamaica qualified as the fourth and final team with 12 points while Barbados finished third on 13.

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