TCL Group Regional Under-19 Cricket Challenge
Round 3 Limited Overs TT vs Leewards
August 2, 2009

T&T Under-19 cricketers led by contrasting half-centuries from Nicholas Alexis and Teshawn Castro registered a comfortable victory against the Leeward Islands, in a Round Three fixture of the TCL Group Regional Youth Challenge, yesterday, at the Kensingston Cricket Ground, and kept their hopes alive for top honours in the limited overs series.

Replying to T&T’s challenging total of 250 for nine in 50 overs, the Leewards were dismissed for 163 in 47.3 overs  to go down by 87 runs and virtually put themselves out of the running.

Top-scorers for the Leewards were Hayden Walsh with 51 and Kejel Tyson made 28, while Yannic Cariah  the leading bowlers for T&T with three for 23.

Walsh struck five fours and faced 75 balls, while Tyson scored two fours and a six in his innings off  53 balls.

It was T&T’s second victory in three matches and much will depend on what happens to Jamaica in the remaining two games if they are to retain their title.

Taking control towards the second half of the innings, Alexis and Castro slammed the opposition’s  bowling apart with some lusty hitting that took the sting out of the Leewards’  attack.

Alexis the more sedate than the two, struck 54 off 87 balls with one four and a six, while Castro hit a whirlwind 52 in 30 balls with three fours and two sixes.

Alexis also added an important 74 for the fourth wicket with skipper Yannick Ottley who contributed 31.

Castro was named ‘Player of the Match’.

Asked to take first strike by the Leewards, the T&T opening pair of Evin Lewis and Amir Khan found the going tough against a disciplined opening attack of  Kelbert Walters and Quinton Boatswain  who exploited the overcast conditions and lively track with some hostile bowling.

And it was no surprise that after the first five overs, the free-flowing T&T batsmen had only tallied eight runs on the board, and to add insult to injury, Khan (8)  was foolishly run out by skipper Kejel Tyson going for a suicidal single, in the eight over  with the total on 19.

Alexis then partnered Lewis and the duo started the consolidation process, with Lewis eventually opening up taking two consecutive boundaries through the point region in the fifth and sixth ball of Nelson Bolan’s first over.

But Lewis being a bit too adventurous went  for another  big shot in the following over and was caught  on the square-leg boundary by Shernyl Burns off Boatswain’s bowling, in the last ball of the 12th over, with the score on 42 for two.

Lewis made 27 off 34 balls  and struck four fours.

In-form left-hander  Cariah joined Alexis and played extravagantly for 31 off 36 balls with four fours,  before he perished caught by wicketkeeper Jamar Hamilton from Tevin Osbourne’s bowling, to push back T&T on 88 for three.

Pacers Boatswain (2-30) and Walters (2-58) were the top wickettakers for the Leeward Islands team.

Today is a rest day in the tournament.

SCOREBOARD

At Kensington Cricket Ground

Trinidad and Tobago v Leeward Islands

Trinidad and Tobago Inns

E Lewis c Burns b Boatswain*27

A Khan run out (Tyson)*8

N Alexis lbw Walters*54

Y Cariah c wkpr Hamilton b Osboune*31

Y Ottley run out (Burton)*31

A Cooper c Burns b Walters*6

T Castro stp Hamilton b Cornwall*52

S Boodram run out (Osbourne)*17

J  Boodram b Boatswain*0

R Maniram not out*10

K Magram did not bat*0

Extras (12w)*12

TOTAL (for 9 wkts -50 overs)*250

Wkts:  19, 42,88, 162, 163, 186, 233, 238, 250.

Bowling: Kelbert Walters 10-2-58-2, Quinton Boatswain 8-0-30-2, Nelson Bolan 10-0-64-0, Tevin Osbourne 10-1-30-1, Hayden Walsh 10-0-52-0, Rakhen Cornwall 2-0-16-1.

Leewards Inns

K Tyson c Alexis b Javed Boodram*28

T Mills c & b Castro*5

S Burton run out*4

S Burns c Alexis b Castro*12

J Hamilton c wkpr Maniram b Javed Boodram*17

H Walsh c Castro b Magram*51

N Bolan c Castro b Cariah *11

K Walters lbw Cariah*11

R Cornwall b Cariah*5

T Osbourne not out*1

Q Boatswain c Cooper b Ottley*0

Extras (2w, 1b, 5lb)*8

TOTAL (all out- 47.3 overs)*163

Wkts: 12, 18, 36, 67, 69,93, 108,120,157, 163.  

Bowling: Teshawn Castro 8-0-34-2, Sachin Boodram 10-1-28-0, Kissoondath Magram 8-0-37-1, Javed Boodram 10-3-22-1, Yannic Cariah 7-1-24-3 , Yannick Ottley 4.3-0-12-1.

Toss: Leeward Islands

Result:  T&T won by 87 runs

Umpires: Dewith Coleman & Christopher Booth.

Player of the Match Teshawn Castro.