TTCB – Results

Trinidad & Tobago Stanford Cricketers
November 5th 2008

T&T cricketers are fast becoming the richest players in the Caribbean, as they have now nabbed their second bounty this year from the Allen Stanford financial fountain.

The T&T team dominated English county side, Middlesex, to come away with US$280,000.00 and the Champions Cup trophy. They then followed up their well disciplined performance, by putting England on edge, when they held them to a close one-run loss. Middlesex the English Twenty20 champions was drawn up to face T&T the Caribbean Twenty20 champions for the Champions Cup and US$180,000. Middlesex batted first and struggled to put together any meaningful partnerships as they made just 117 for eight off their 20 overs. Neil Dexter was the top scorer with 39, as West Indies pacer Ravi Rampaul was on fire. The right arm fast bowler grabbed four wickets for 25 runs.

T&T then lost some early wickets that kept Middlesex interested until wicket keeper/batsman Denesh Ramdin joined the youthful Darren Bravo. The left hander played some very attractive strokes in getting an unbeaten 30 and ended the game with a glorious off drive that sailed into the jumping, waving fans in the crowd. Ramdin topscored with 41 in the five-wicket win. The T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) and the players agreed prior to the Super Series that the players would receive 75 percent of the winnings and 60 percent off the appearance fee, which was US$100,000.

The players were rewarded with US$135,000 ($TT810,000) from the US$180,000 they were given for winning the match. They were also given US$60,000 (TT$360,000) of the appearance fee that was worth US$100,000. The total amount collected by the team was TT$1,170,000. This sum was divided by 18 members of the team and this worked out to be $65,000 each. The 15 players and three-member management team each get $65,000.

T&T cricketers were met on Sunday by family, friends and well-wishers who gathered at Piarco International Airport to congratulate them on their victory in the Stanford Super Twenty20 Series in Antigua.

The team dominated English county side, Middlesex, to come away with US $280,000.00 and the Champions Cup Trophy.

The T&T players then followed up their well-disciplined performance, by putting England on edge, when they held the Englishmen to a close one-run loss.

The welcome home ceremony at Piarco was not as extravagant as when the team returned as ‘Million Dollar Men’ earlier in the year, after winning the regional Stanford Twenty/20 tournament, and the T&TCB will therefore be hosting a more appropriate ceremony to reward the cricketers in the near future.

Speaking at the ceremony, captain Daren Ganga described the tournament as a great opportunity for the young players. “It’s always a great opportunity to represent T&T. We went there definitely wanting to win all three games, but while we didn’t, we still won the most important game.”

T&T headliners, Denesh Ramdin and Ravi Rampaul, who, both led from the front and were instrumental in T&T’s win against Middlesex and their competitive display against England, described their performances as a means of making a point.

“It’s always a good feeling to represent T&T at any level, but this tournament was really good for me as I used it to show that I’m back and ready,” said Rampaul.

While, Ramdin, the West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman, who was left out of the Superstars lineup, brought his experience to the T&T team and let his bat do the talking.

“I had a point to make, because obviously I was disappointed that I didn’t make the Superstars team, but at the end of the day, it just wasn’t for me, so I had to play for T&T and be contented.”

West Indies make winning start against Sri Lanka – 1st ODI

DAMBULLA – West Indies Women made a confident start to their trip, when they completed a 40-run victory in the first One-day International against Sri Lanka Women on Wednesday at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.

Stacy-Ann King paved the way for the victory with eight fours and two sixes in 70 from 100 balls that lifted the visitors to a respectable 167 in 49.5 overs. Off-spin bowlers Afy Fletcher and Stefanie Taylor then shared six wickets between them to send the home crashing to 127 in 42.4 overs.

Fletcher formalised the result, when she bowled wicketkeeper/bat Dilani Weerakkody for eight, but she already had an early effect on the outcome. The 21-year-old Fletcher, the sister of West Indies and new Stanford Superstars millionaire batsman Andre Fletcher, struck twice in the space of four overs.

She dismissed Dedunu Silva for 23 in the eighth over, and the home team captain Shashikala Siriwardene lbw for five in the 12th over to leave Sri Lanka Women 51 for two.

But the visitors were kept at bay, when Hiruka Fernando joined Chamari Kumarihami, and they steadied the ship with a stand of 40 for the third wicket before things started to unravel for the home team.

Anisa Mohammed made the breakthrough for West Indies Women with two vital strikes, when she had Kumarihami adjudged lbw for the top score of 29 in the 27th over, and Fernando caught and bowled in the 29th over.

Taylor tightened West Indies Women’s grip, when she bowled Suwini de Alwis for seven, and added Eshani Kaushalya in successive balls.

West Indies Women were helped down the stretch, when Chamani Seneviratna and Chamika Bandara were needlessly run out before Taylor bowled Sripali Weerakoddy in the 40th over.

Taylor was the pick of the West Indies Women’s bowlers with three wickets for 10 runs from eight over, and Fletcher snared three for 21 from 7.4 overs; Mohammed took two for 33 from 10 overs.

Earlier, West Indies Women were under pressure from early, and slumped to 50 for five in the 17th over before King led the revival along with Danielle Small and Kirbiyina Alexander.

Small made 11 and added 31 for the sixth wicket with King before Kumarihami snared her in the 25th over, but Alexander added a vital 55 for the seventh wicket with King to beef-up the West Indies Women’s total before she was adjudged lbw to de Alwis for 13 in the 35th over.

Things got progressively tighter for the West Indies Women in the closing overs, and they lost their last four wickets for 30 runs in the space of 15 overs.

Weerakkody collected three for 26 from 10 overs, and de Alwis took three for 33 off 10 overs.

The second ODI will be contested on Friday at the same venue.