TCL Preview
August 8th 2008

Against all odds

THE T&T youth cricketers salvaged some pride after they lifted the coveted TCL Group West Indies Cricket Challenge limited overs trophy, when they triumphed over Barbados in the final last Saturday at the Banks Brewery Ground. After an indifferent performance in the three-day league championship in which they placed third and which was riddled with controversies, T&T bounce back in the limited overs series with impressive performances against Guyana and the Leeward Islands in the preliminaries, then with a great performance against the homesters in front of a partisan crowd.

It was a fitting tribute for skipper Adrian Barath who was playing in his fourth and final year in the youth series.

He achieved several landmarks during the series including a maiden century against the Leeward Islands.

He ended with a tally of 363 runs including a highest score of 121. The pint-sized Barath also had 16 catches to his name, which bettered the previous best of 14 held by former T&T and West Indies captain Brian Lara.

Also doing well with the bat was the find of the tournament, Evin Lewis.

A native of Rio Claro in the South-Eastern part of Trinidad, Lewis who was named as the PowerGen Secondary Schools Cricket of the Year, two weeks before the tournament started scored 380 runs in the league including 140 not out against Jamaica in the opening match at Banks Brewery.

Among the bowlers, Yannick Cariah who was one of the six players sent home for disciplinary indiscretions bagged 24 wickets from four matches and could have played a bigger role in the remaining games.

Barath copped the prize for the outstanding fieldsman in the league championship and the one day series.  

Kjorn Ottley copped the prize for best bowler and best allrounder in the limited overs competition.

T&T coach Larry Gomes was ecstatic at the team’s victory in the limited overs series.

“We played as a team and I think that was the main factor for us to be victorious.”

Despite the six players left us due to disciplinary problem I think the young guys fit in nicely and filled the void left by them. We came into the one-day tournament having placed third in the three-day tournament, but the guys executed their game plan well,” Gomes declared.

  “Gomes also praised all-rounder Kjorn Ottley for his performances. Yes, I think he batted well first and then returned with the ball to claim three wickets. As a senior player, he came out and play his part along with other young players,” Gomes, a former West Indies batsman revealed.   

Gomes believes coaches must be part of the selection panel and says he will make this recommendation to cricket authorities when he returns from the TCL West Indies Under-19 tournament.

The T&T Under-19 selection panel is headed by well-known sports administrator Lalman Kowlessar and includes former national middle-order batsman, Narine Bidhesi, and ex-national left-handed batsman Aneil Rajah. Gomes contented, however, that the coach should be a part of the selection process and not simply given a team to oversee.

Looking back at the competition, Gomes said that the team could have done better if they had applied themselves much more.

“Before we left home, we had high expectations, we did not know what the opposition looked like or what they had to offer. But we still ended up third in the competition, which I felt was creditable. Also it there was the case of indiscipline, when six players had to be sent home,” Gomes said.

Manager of the T&T team William Wallace said that he is pleased with the team’s overall performance.

“In retrospect, our playing in this tournament, with a little bit more fortune could have been different. The result may have been different. Leeward Islands’ rain-affected game robbing us of full points.

The decision to send home six players for indisciplanry reason affected the bowling unit. Yannick Cariah who was at the top of his game and to a lesser extend Javed Boodram were distinctively missed, especially in the Guyanese second innings.

Credit must be given to the management staff for holding the team together in the face of adversity which has been reflecting on the team total of 336 against Guyana.

That total was the highest in the entire tournament. This total came through two days after the new players joined the team.

It is my opinion that the correct decision was taken to send the players home,” Wallace concluded.  

2008 TCL GROUP HONOUR ROLL:

Three-day awards:
Most outstanding batsman- Andre Creary (Jamaica).
Most outstanding bowlers - Kenroy Cottoy (Windward Islands).
Most valuable wicketkeeper-  Maverick Perry (Jamaica).
Best fieldsman-  Adrian Barath (T&T)
Best all-rounder -  Dalton Polius (Windward Islands).
One-day awards:
Best batsmen: Horace Miller (Jamaica), Kjorn Ottley (T&T) and Kraigg Brathwaite (Barbados).
Best bowlers: Roston Chase (Barbados) and Kjorn Ottley (T&T).
Best wicketkeeper: Rickson Maniram (T&T).
Best fieldsman: Adrian Barath (T&T) .
Best all-rounder: Kjorn Ottley (T&T).
League Champions – Barbados
One –Day Champions – Trinidad and Tobago.

TCL GROUP LIMITED OVERS FINAL
SCOREBOARD
At Banks Brewery Ground
Trinidad and Tobago v Barbados
Trinidad and Tobago Inns
*A Barath c Reifer b Holder*37
E Lewis b Holder*27
N Alexis c & b Chase*1
K Ottley not out*68
A Cooper run out*17
Y Ottley c Corbin b Simmons*8
S Boodram c Boucher b Simmons*7
H Mitchell run out*0
+R Maniram c Boucher b Brathwaite*1
S Dogan lbw Benn*4
K Magram not out*4
Extras (2lb, 1b, 32w, 3nb)*38
TOTAL (for 9 wkts – 50 overs)*216
Wkts: 74, 86, 91,131, 144, 162, 165, 166, 192. 
Bowling: Diego Stuart 6-1-49-0 (10w, 1nb),  Jeremy Marshall 3-0-28-0 (5w,2nb),  Roston Chase 10-2-28-1(4w), Jason Holder 8-1-25-2 (4w), Shad Simmons 10-0-32-2 (3w), Kraigg Brathwaite 10-1-29-1 (2w), Maradon Benn 3-0-22-1 (1w).
Barbados Inns
R Boucher c K Ottley b Dogan*4
K Brathwaite lbw Boodram*43
*K Corbin stp Maniram b Boodram*62
R Chase run out*16
M Benn run out*2
R Reifer b K Ottley*24
+K Smith run out*24
J Marshall c wkpr Maniram b K Ottley*1
J Holder c Barath b Ottley*2
S Simmons c Alexis b Magram*17
D Stuart not out*1
Extras (1b, 1lb, 10w)*12
TOTAL (all out – 49.2 overs)*208
Wkts: 6, 108, 118, 121, 152, 173, 175, 179, 194, 208.
Bowling: Sheldon Dogan 6-0-30-1 (2w), Hakeem Mitchell 4-0-22-0 (2w), Kjorn Ottley 10-0-47-3 (2w), Yannic Ottley 10-0-33-0 (3w), Sachin Boodram 10-0-29-2, Kisoondath Magram 9.2-0-45-1 (1w).
Result: Trinidad and Tobago won by 8 runs.
Player of the match – Kjorn Ottley.
Toss: Trinidad and Tobago
Umpires: Vincent Bullen & Earl Collymore