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By Keith Holder
SPARTAN TURN BACK UWI CHALLENGE
Half-centuries for Nurse, Trotman
AT BRERETON: UNLIKE their hard-fought win in the
previous match against YMPC, it was much easier for
Spartan as they beat UWI by six wickets to set up a
grudge final with arch-rivals Empire.
Spartan dismissed UWI for 223 in 46.2 overs after
putting them in, and reached a revised target of 213
off 48 overs with 20 balls to spare on the
Duckworth/Lewis method following a rain interruption
at the end of the 39th over.
The UWI innings was built around half-centuries from
Windward Islands first-class players Rommel Currency
and Craigg Emmanuel.
Emmanuel, a tall St. Lucian, hit the topscore of 69
at No. 7, and opener Currency, who comes from St.
Vincent, made 65 before he was run out. Emmanuel
faced 54 balls and struck three fours and two sixes
while Currency counted seven boundaries in his
71-ball knock.
The best partnership of the innings was 65 for the
third wicket between Currency and
wicket-keeper/batsman Nekoli Parris (16). Ramnarine
Chattergoon, a Guyanese, contributed 22 and fast
bowler Nhamo Winn 16.
Pacer Philip Browne, ironically a graduate of the
UWI St. Augustine Campus, took three for 41 from ten
overs including the prized scalp of Floyd Reifer,
who was second out, caught at the wicket for eight.
Browne had also removed his former Spartan
team-mate, Dion Lovell, bowled without scoring off
the fourth ball of the match.
Medium-pacer Rohan Nurse also had three for 41 off
nine overs and captain Sulieman Benn, a tall,
national left-arm spinner, picked up two for 18 off
9.2 overs in typically, economical style.
Nurse returned to topscore with 64 off 86 balls
including six boundaries and shared the
man-of-the-match award with the heavy-set Mark
Trotman, who made an unbeaten 61 from 85 deliveries
including four fours and a six. The pair added 123
for the fourth wicket.
Barbados opener Wayne Blackman scored 39 and Corey
Yearwood, recently back from a professional contract
in Britain, 21.
Emmanuel took two for 29 while fast bowler Jason
Bennett was wicket-less for 44 runs from eight overs
against opponents he knows well as one of their
team-mates as recently as last season.
On resumption from lunch at 14 for three, things
continued downhill for Spartan as Rohan Nurse lobbed
a simple catch to cover off Roach. With the score on
25, Dwayne Jordan had the prize scalp of former
Barbados wicket-keeper batsman Livy Puckerin who was
trapped in front. After the dismissal of Puckerin,
YMPC had a scent of victory even more as Spartan
lost a further three wickets to be tottering just
past the half-century mark.
However, the rest of the proceedings belonged to the
level- headed Graham and the never say-die Marshall.
Apart from one or two possible ran out chances, they
stuck to the task manfully and ensured they
entertained the large crowd.
Graham counted seven threes and the only four of the
innings over cover that brought up his well deserved
half-century in his 81 ball -knock. Marshall, who
relishes such an opportunity to show his worth,
lashed an equal amount of threes off 47 balls.
Earlier, YMPC asked to bat, got up to 135 all out
from 39.2 overs on a pitch that was not entirely
conducive to strokeplay even though a number of
batsmen had ‘soft’ dismissals.
Adrian Jones’ hook shot landed in the hands of
Philip Browne at square-leg for just three. Lonsdale
Blake, 24 off 56 balls with five threes and Ryan
Wiggins, with three threes in his 24, posted 43 for
the third wicket in 13. 3 overs. The stand was
broken when Wiggins’s forcing back-foot shot found
the edge and was taken behind.
There was a 15-minute break for rain at 11:00 a.m
and Spartan struck first ball when play restarted as
Blake failed to beat Blackman’s excellent throw from
cover to the keeper after a mix up with captain
Calvin Watson.
Watson stayed around for a while for the topscore of
29 including a four and three threes from 58
deliveries. One of the boundaries was a cover drive
off Nurse that was indeed the shot of the match.
But Watson and the rest of the batting succumbed to
the spin of Marshall and Nurse as the spinners came
into their own. Watson was caught short at extra
cover by his opposite number Sulieman Benn.
Leg-spinner Marshall ended with three for 28, as he
also accounted for William Lashley, who hit a long-
hop to Yearwood at deep-wicket. Nurse captured two
for 26.
In the end Spartan’s two heroes dashed YMPC’s dreams
of staying on course for a rare double in local
cricket. It certainly was not for the faint-hearted
but you had to be there to believe it.
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