Ramnaresh Sarwan quits players' association......

West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan has resigned from the board of the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA). Dave Kissoon, the attorney who had presided over the recent court cases concerning player contracts and a disputed memorandum of understanding involving WIPA and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), also resigned as director.

The Jamaica Gleaner reported, quoting sources, that Sarwan may have resigned as WIPA executive to patch up with the WICB and ultimately make his way back into the national team.

"Both Ramnaresh and Dave have in their own ways contributed to WIPA's progress. We certainly wish Ramnaresh all the very best in his future cricket career as we are certain that he still has a great deal to contribute to West Indies cricket," WIPA stated in a release.

Div 2 Tables after 7 games played.

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Points	P/Lost	Fined
Renegades	7	6	1	0	-	36
Hustlers 2	7	5	2	0	-	30
BreakAway	7	5	2	0	-	30
Raiders	7	5	2	0	-	30
D’Diamond	6	4	2	0	-	24
Lehigh CC	6	4	2	0	-	24
Warriors	7	3	4	0	-	18
PrimeTime	7	2	5	0	-	11	1	$50.00
Guyana Heat	7	0	7	0	-	0
Lehigh Indians	7	0	7	0	-	0

The race to the final 4  playoff positions is hotting up with only 2 more rounds to play.

Hustlers drop back into the chasing group after their loss to Breakaway last sunday. Raiders, Breakaway, and Hustlers all find themselves on 30 points each with Diamond and Lehigh CC one game behind on 24 who still have to play each other in their catchup game.

Hustlers have Diamond and top team Renegades to play and need to finish the season with strong performances against them both otherwise they may find themselves missing out in the playoffs.

Food for thought........

This pretty much sums up some batsmen's mentality in the SFSCL.

Hustlers lose against Breakaway....

Hustlers 2 lost against Breakaway in round 7 of the SFSCL having fallen short in their chase of 281.

 

Terry taking guard

Breakaway captain Denny smashed the Hustler bowling attack all over the park to finish on 132 not out as he saw his side post an enormous 280 for 5 in their 25 overs.

The Hustler bowlers all bowled without any control and found it hard bowling on their uneven wicket. Too many loose balls went high and long over the boundary on a regular occurence as the Breakaway batsmen feasted on their wayward bowling.

Rasheed finished with 2 wickets and Ravi who also grabbed 2 wickets of his own.

Hustlers knew a good start was needed to get near to the 281 needed for victory but got off to a bad start when they lost Mukesh early. Chris went for 36 and was soon followed by Ravi. Rasheed promoted to number 3 finally came good with an aggressive 42.

At the break the Hustler score was a respectable 130 but they had already lost 6 wickets.

After the interval the Hustler batsmen all chipped in with useful contributions but it was never quite enough. Mohan 11, Sookraj 23, Terry 25 and Keshore 43 all batted extremely well and  saw the Hustler side reach 241 all out but unfortunatley lose by 30 runs.

 

All in all it was a very good performance by the Hustler squad who at one time only had 7 players available on late saturday afternoon. The players who came in at the last minute all did their bit which was greatly appreciated by the captain.

Hats off to the Breakaway side who came away with the victory that keeps them well in the playoff spots available. Congrats go to their skipper Denny for his brilliant knock of 138 which really was a match winning innings.

Next game is in 2 weeks time when Hustlers meet D'Diamond at 19th street in a playoff crunch game for both teams that may turn out to be one of the best fixtures in round 8.

See you all there........

Match Highlights

Keshore 43
Rasheed 41
Chris 36
Terry 25
Sookraj 23

Rasheed 2 wkts
Ravi 2 wkts

Divali Nagar Talent Show....Sunday Oct 28th

 

This SUNDAY Oct 28, 2012!!!

 

You dont wanna miss the Divali Nagar Talent show.

 Admission $10 with kids under 10 free!! @Hibiscus Nightclub Sunrise Blvd..... Singers!! Dancers!! 

 

Come and see who will be 2012 Divali Queen!!!! all happening between 5-8pm

 

The Hustlers 2 squad and management would like to wish our very own Devya all the best at the show.

Softball Cricket International head off to Guyana...

The Softball Cricket International squad head out soon to compete in the Guyana Softball Masters Cup led by our very own Hustler, Amar Singh.

We would like to wish all the teams the best of luck and especially some of the Hustlers 2 players who are playing for the Cricket International team.

Good luck to the Hustler players who are supporting both the Guyanese softball league and also the Cricket International team.

SFSCL Results from Last week.....

Division 1 : Sixth Round Matches

• SuperKings def. Diamond at St Georges
• FiveStar def. United 1 at 199 North
• President def Hurricanes at Southridge 2
• OutLaws def  Berbice at Tamarac
• Hustlers – Bye Week

Division 2: Sixth Round Matches

• Lehigh CC def. Lehigh Ind at Veterans Park
• D’Diamond def. PrimeTime at Southridge B’Ball
• Radiers def. BreakAway at Willie Webb
• Renegades w/o from Guyana Heat at Southridge 1
• Hustlers 2 def. Warriors at L’hill mdl Sch

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Division 2 Points Table

 

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Points	P/Lost	Fined
Renegades	6	5	1	0	-	30
Hustlers 2	6	5	1	0	-	30
BreakAway	6	4	2	0	-	24
Raiders	6	4	2	0	-	24
D’Diamond	6	4	2	0	-	24
Lehigh CC	6	4	2	0	-	24
Warriors	6	2	4	0	-	12
PrimeTime	6	2	4	0	-	12
Guyana Heat	6	0	6	0	-	0
Lehigh Indians	6	0	6	0	-	0

Hustlers 2 tame the Warriors......

The Hustlers 2 squad came away with the win and 6 points against Warriors CC this sunday in round 6 of the SFSCL after a strong performance by their bowlers.

Having won the toss, Hustlers captain Chris sent in Warriors to bat first on the 19th street wicket. Warriors lost Neil in the 2nd over but were soon taking advantage of some lose bowling and some sloppy fielding as they set about scoring quickly early on. However, key wickets at key times saw their runs dry up and also by some good fielding from Michael, Rasheed, and Debbie.

Some good bowling by Mohan, Amar, Ravi,Mukesh, and Rasheed in the first half saw Warriors go to the break delicately poised at 70 for 6 wickets out.

Mohan, Keshore, Amar, and Mukesh after the win

The second half of the Wariors innings saw the Hustler team take their foot off the pressure and allowed the Warriors batsmen to score boundaries at will.In the second 12 overs the Warriors team amassed 143 in their allotted 25 overs.

  Mohan 3 wickets, Rasheed 2 wickets, Ravi 2 wickets and Amar 2 wickets all did their bit in confining Warriors to their total of 143 which on any given day could have been a tricky run chase for Hustlers.

Hustlers came out to bat and Cliff set about the opening bowling with his classic and well known sweep shot to everything bowled at him. He quickly scored a fluent 17 before he was caught. Ravi, Mukesh, and Keshore came and went but at the other end Chris was displaying some extroadinary pick up shots over extra cover and the mid wicket boundary for six. The Hustler team went into the break sitting nicely on 114 for 4 with Chris 88 not out.

 

Chris 105 not out v Warriors CC

Once the game resumed everybody was more concerned about Chris getting his hundred which he duly gave to his team as he finished on 105 not out as Hustlers reached the Warrior total in the 17th over with no other alarms. Chris's hundred came with 9 sixes and 8 fours.

All in all it was a win but the Hustler squad still have some work to do in the batting department and also their fielding but no matter what the feeling, we will always win together as a team and more importantly, lose as a team just the same way.

We would like to thank all the spectators who came out to support us and especially to the Hibiscus restauarant for supplying our food for the day. Arnold, our uniform sponsor, who came to the game to support us was also witness to a good game and another win and also thanks once again to our scorer Devya for her hard work keeping up with the scorebook.

The nightly party ended up at Hibiscus for a few extra celebatory drinks for the win and also to the supporters who came to enjoy the moment with us all.

Thanks to another fun filled day out at the park everybody.

Match Highlights

Chris 105 not out

Mohan 3 wkts

Rasheed 2 wkts

Amar 2 wkts

Ravi 2 wkts

Next game is against Breakaway at 19th street. See you all there....

Divali Nagar 2012 5th Annual Celebrations Coming Soon

Divali Nagar US Inc

 

www.divalinagar.us  Click this link if you are interested in a booth of your own.

Lara declines to play T20 matches in Pakistan.....

Brian Lara was made an offer to play for the International XI in the two unofficial Twenty20 matches in Karachi but he refused because he was concerned about the message his participation would send out, given that the PCB had disassociated itself from the games.

 

"Yes, an offer was made to me," Lara told the Trinidad Guardian. "Until such time as the governing body in Pakistan [PCB] is able to convince the rest of the world that the best safety mechanisms have been put in place, and the ICC agrees, I would have to say no."

The Twenty20 games between the International XI and a Pakistan All Stars XI at the National Stadium will mark the return of international players and cricket, albeit unofficial, to Pakistan for the first time since the terror attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009.

Lara 156 & Chanderpaul 85 v Pakistan ODI 2005

 

Hustlers 2 CC next game.....

Hustlers 2 meet Warriors CC at Lauderhill Middle School this coming sunday in Round 6 of the SFSCL.

All players are to be reminded to be at the ground by 11 45am without any hangovers from the previous night.

We have work to do on preparing the pitch and also feeding the fish in our big dangerous river we have in the outfield located near deep mid on for a right hand woodchop batsman.

Bring all your families, neighbours, best friends, long lost cousins, and pets for an exciting day of league cricket as the Hustler squad compete once again in Division 2 for a 12 30pm game start time.

Points Table after 5 Rounds.....

It's looking very tight betwen 6 teams all vying for a playoff spot. Even teams at 7 and 8 positions still have an outside chance.

This final season of the year is looking like going all the way with some exciting games coming up in the next 4 weeks

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Points
Renegades	5	4	1	0	-	24
Hustlers 2	5	4	1	0	-	24
BreakAway	5	4	1	0	-	24
Lehigh CC	5	3	2	0	-	18
Raiders	5	3	2	0	-	18
D’Diamond	5	3	2	0	-	18
Warriors	5	2	3	0	-	12
PrimeTime	5	2	3	0	-	12
Guyana Heat	5	0	5	0	-	0
Lehigh Indians	5	0	5	0	-	0

Thoughts about our game........

Last week the Hustlers2 team found themselves in another situation whereby the rules are not clear on what condition the field must be in after it rains to constitute a game. Of course we're talking about a 25 overs softball cricket game run by the SFSCL played in parks all around the city.

Last Sunday’s round 5 match between Lehigh CC and Hustlers2 CC almost created an ugly situation because no ruling was put in place about a rain affected game start and the conditions of an outfield even though the actual batting wicket was very acceptable and playable. The Hustlers2 team will show you. How? Take a read.

 Here goes: both teams arrived at the ground well before the schedule start of play, the usual Hustler players were attending the pitch and setting up stumps, then the boundary markers were put in place. Behind both wickets are baseball fields that had small patches of water that was left by overnight rain, also, there was a small puddle of water no bigger than the size of a barrel cover ( usual size sent home with goodies cram up) at about 5 yards in from the boundary on the western side of the pitch (deep mid on for a right hand cane cutter batter).

Finally, the pitch was given a nice cut and deweed from a brand new Echo weed wacker complements of no other than one of our die hard supporters.That actual wee wacker should be borrowed by some of our current batsmen the way they have been batting recently as well......

Just before the toss, a senior member from LeHigh CC came over to our camp and with a lot of conviction said his team will not play because the ground is unfit, moreover the puddle of water is a worry for his players fearing the worst, ( drowning I suppose or some gator appearing looking for lunch). Good thing, the majority of the Hustlers players saw this as a joke and didn't make a fuss over it, except for a few who's temper flared a little but quickly calmed down by the soothing breeze coming across the ground and some proper English (translator was required), coming from their captain.

This is a classic example of one team that came to play and the other to abuse their power and ride the waves of the League's ineptitude. Why would a team travel from so far and don't want to play? 3 points on offer for a rain affected game. Did they know they only get the 3 points if the game has already started and play then gets abandoned? I know,that beats me too.

Mind you, Lehigh CC was the only team winning the game from ball one at the innings end, until a couple or their fielders drowned in the enormous lake puddle they were so concerned about and the Hustlers batsmen took advantage of it.

Now, I don't want to drag this out and to be fair to the Lehigh guys, they chose that route knowing fully they could've gotten away with a free 3 points and they know fully the League would've done nothing. How unfair this would be for the teams who are really trying hard for a playoff spot?

Too many times we see teams looking for the easy option to get points to win a playoff spot by default and the league does absolutely nothing about it. Even some of our governing body members are abusing their position with rules and favoring their own teams. We had it happen to us in the first season of the year when a score sheet were submitted late because the database was corrupt and we were told by people in position it will all take care of itself as they know about the issues with the league database. What happened next was a 1 point deduction and a $50 fine for us after those same people in position told us face to face they would fix it and don’t worry about the fine and point deduction. I think the 1 point loss was a plan for their own team to make the playoffs which in the end didn’t happen simply because they just weren’t good enough to make it. Fixing run rates and asking teams to throw games is also rife in this league to knock out other playoff contenders. Again we were witness to that after a 2 and a half hour drive to a team that is still new to the league and even to this day they still feel we did not do them any favours by fixing the game for them and knocking out another playoff contender.

 It’s a shame that certain teams venture so low just for the sake of winning a championship. May I also ask why the SFSCL entertains a team 2 and a half hours drive away and after being accepted in the league, they expect now for all teams to travel up to them every week. This league said right from the off that team has to travel down to our pitches every week and they agreed to that. Now they are fed up driving so far and demand to split the fixtures in half. It should be down to the teams who wants to travel so far. If they want to go then so be it let them go but if they don’t then don’t force them to go. I wonder who is pulling strings there?

 

For the League: guys, this by no means blaming you for everything but, it's highlighting the fact that nothing was done in the first instance, therefore, it's a recipe for disaster with more serious consequences in rain delayed games. Another thing, I know all you guys have full time jobs, families to attend and don't have time for this 'lil stupidy softball ting', If that's the case then hand over the reins, don't hold up an end and bat for a drawn game and don’t side with your own team. You all should be thinking about the other league teams all in the same way. No team is different from another as we all pay the same registration fees as your own !!!!

 

Quick runs/ action is definitely needed here.

Feel free to post your comments.

 

Hustlers 2 down Lehigh CC......

Hustlers 2 beat Lehigh CC in round 5 of the SFSCL in a great run chase led by Basil and Ravi.

Lehigh won the toss and decided to bat first on a wet wicket and were soon feasting on some wayward bowling by the Hustler bowlers.

Ravi, Basil, Cliff, Keshore, Jai, Amar, Mohan, Derek, & Chris

The Hustlers bowling attack all found it difficult bowling with the wet ball and kept bowling full tosses that always seemed to dissappear high and over the boundary for the maximum 6 runs.

At the break Lehigh found themselves sitting pretty at 114 for 4 at 13 overs.

The Hustlers bowlers came out after the break and still found bowling conditions tough but still restricted the Lehigh team to a score of 195 for 8.

Hustler bowler Rasheed picked up 4 wickets for 31 in his five overs with Ravi the next successful with 2 wickets.

Mukesh, Terry, Jai, & Ravi all enjoying the moment.

Hustlers soon went about the run chase with a positive mind but some of the early batsmen lost their wickets at crucial times and at the break they were in a sorry position of 72 for 6.

However, the Classic Ravi and ex skipper Basil soon set about the Lehigh bowling attack as they scored at a brisk rate at over 9 an over.

Derek

With the overs running out, Basil punished the bowling to all parts of the ground as he raced to a quickfire 59 not out and was assisted by the Classic man Ravi who contributed 52 runs not out as well to see their team home.

Their partnership was worth an amazing unbroken 122 which saw the Hustler team home with 11 balls to spare in the innings.

The Hustlers team players from the side all celebrated the win in style as they knew that the fat lady never started to sing again. What we had was a fat man singing early in our run chase but he soon went quiet once he saw Basil and Ravi smashing the ball to all parts of the ground to take the win and 6 points.

The usual social get together after the game was adhered to as the Hustler squad enjoyed the moment well into the darkness. Man in tights celebrated afterwards at Hisbiscus with a few of the other team players and was a little upset at the 10pm cut off time and started reminising about the good old days when he would get thrown out of bars at 4am on a sunday night.

Mohan 1 for 26

All in all it was a fine performance by a few of the Hustler experienced batsmen that gave us the victory and even though we got the win, we still have a lot of work to do before our next game. This Hustler team has already had more comebacks than Frank Sinatra in his heyday with all these hardfought wins so far this season !!!!!

Special thanks go out again to Terry and Satti for the excellent food provided and also Devya for keeping the scorebook upto date.

As for Lehigh, we all can accept defeat in our own way but to lose and run away after the game thinking you were robbed when infact you were beaten by yourselves with wayward bowling and lack of experience is something you need to look at. We all got to remember that the SFSCL is all about promoting the game, friendships, and playing fairly with a smile on your face and not about winning at all costs with complaints about the state of the outfield at the start, even though you amassed 195 runs batting first, and sending in one of your own umpires to officiate who seemed to be wearing your colours all throughout the second innings with his bad calls. That is not expected from a very good Lehigh team who should play the game without resorting to bending the rule book and especially from one of the SFSCL representatives who seems to be abusing his position and using it for his own team needs.

Well done to the Hustler guys for the get out of jail win and showing all that this game is never over until the last man is out......

Hustlers 2 host Lehigh CC

Hustlers 2 face Lehigh CC at 19th street Lauderhill Middle School today in round 5 of the SFSCL for Division 2.

All players are to be reminded that they need to be at the ground by 11 45am.

24 TEAMS for Guyana Softball Cup 2

24 TEAMS for Guyana Softball Cup 2

As promised by GFSCA, the tournament will be " Bigger and Better".

The tournament is expanded to accomodate more teams, because local interest is very high.

12 Teams for the Open Category + 12 Teams for the over 40 yrs old Category.

Each teams will play 2 games on Friday Nov.2nd, 1 on Saturday morning, with the Semi-Finals on Saturday afternoon.

The Finals is on November 4th at Everest Cricket Ground starting AT 10AM. Please do not miss it. It will be a fun-filled  day.
 WINNING CASH PRIZES/ Guyana Softball Cup 2

If all goes according to plan, along with Massive  winning and runner-up Trophies ,and Men Gold BraceletS for Players of the Series, the total Cash Prizes should be

US$7,500.00 ( GUY $1,500,000).

GUYANA  Cup - MALE OPEN.......Winning Cash Prize .............US$4,000.00 (GUY$800,000.00)  + Trophy.
                         Runner- Up..............US$1,000.00 (GUY$200,000.00) + Trophy

GUYANA Cup - Masters ( male 40yrs and over).......Winner US$2,000.00 (GUY $400,000.00) + TrOPHY.
                       Runner Up ...............................................US$500.00  (GUY$100,000.00)  + Trophy.

Remember last year, the Trophies that were given out by our Organisation and sponserer Ramesh Sunich of TROPHY STALL, was the best ever seen at  any cricket

 matches played any where in the world.

This year we will improve.

All for your information.


The Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association
President     - Rahaman Khan (697-7818)
V. President - Ricky Deonarain (600-7734)
Treasurer    - Mikes Singh (669-9647)
Secretary    - Ramesh Sunich (673-6505)
http://www.guyana-cricket.com

Classic West Indians from back in the day.....

Kalli murders the Aussies.

 

King Viv demolishes the English

 

Greenidge smashing it everywhere.

Season so far after 4 rounds...

The Hustlers 2 squad now have played 4 games in Division 2 in the SFSCL this season and have so far won 3 and lost 1 game.

The only loss coming against Primetime CC in their very first game.when the batsmen failed to chase down the Primetime score and lost by 14 runs. Since then they have picked up good victories against Lehigh Indians (Rasheed 5 wkts), Guyana Heat (Chris 78 no), and Raiders CC (Mukesh 43).

The added players to the squad are blending in well with their new team mates and appear all to be enjoying themselves. We welcome Reetesh, Michael, Calvin, Amar, Keshore, and now Sanjeev to our side and hope they all play to their fullest potential the rest of the season.

All outstanding registration fees are now required to be paid this sunday as a gentle reminder otherwise our manager will be booting those individuals cars at the ground until payment is settled. Either expect the car clamp or get 10 lashes from Rasheed's unused bat so far this season.

The next game up this week is against Lehigh Cricket Club to be played at 19th street at Lauderhill Middle School for a 12 30pm start.

All players are to be reminded that they need to be at the ground at 11 45am to assist with the ground preparation and to help fill all the coolers with some liquid refreshments.

Hustler 1 latest News

Hurricanes won the toss and put Hustler 1 to bat. Hustlers 1 were bowled out at 22.3 overs, putting up only 128 runs. To win - Hustlers 1 needed to take wickets to ensure a victory. This was very difficult as the runs were coming with ease for Hurricanes batsmen. Needing just 29 runs in 10 overs with 4 wickets in hand, this was Hurricane's match to lose. Hustlers Skipper never gave up. He took the ball himself, rallied the team taking 2 wickets, giving up only 3 runs in 2 overs -- Smally coming on in the 18 over bowling 2.3 overs for 9 runs -- and with a massive Run Out from Anil Bhawani -- Hustlers 1 Won!.........Hustlers 1 visit Super Kings this coming sunday in their next game...

Happy belated birthday wishes to die hard Hustler squad member Danny from all of us at Hustler 2. Enjoy the celebration Danny.

Hustlers 2 win in a nailbiter.....Raiders raided.

Hustlers2 pulled off a hard fought victory against Raiders CC played at Margate Middle ground yesterday.

Raiders claimed the toss because some of the Hustlers players were tardy which didn't impress the captain much, and they then asked Hustlers 2 to bat first on a wet grassy wicket.

Chris and Ravi opened the innings and got off to a slow start as the ball was holding up on the grass. Chris fell trying to up the tempo with the score on 37, followed by the next batman Kesho who didn't last long and after the 13th over Hustlers were 50 for 2.

After the break knowing quick runs needed Mohan (The Classic Woodman) fell after hitting a massive blow for six , Mukesh and Ravi stitched together a usefull quickfire partnership before Ravi was out caught on the deep mid wicket boundary.

Young Michael was sent in ahead of the most experienced Basil and Cliff (Dances with Garbage Cans), and Rasheed, and he set about doing exactly what was required and proved what a good player he'll become in the not too distant future. The innings closed on 158 for 6 after 25 overs. Mukesh leading the way with a blazing 43 with 5 massive sixes, with added support from Rasheed and Basil who both chipped in with useful runs as well.

Raiders got off to a steady start at the begining of their chase helped by some sloppy fielding and drop catches by the Hustlers fielders.Both openers , Munni and Mark were dropped several times and made the most of it by scoring 63 without loss in the first half of the run chase.

After the break Raiders needed 8 runs per over with all 10 wickets intact  continued putting away full tosses the fielding side was serving up. While both openers were there, the bowling side looked dead and buried but, as the saying goes it's not over until the fat lady sings, there was none except for a fat guy but he wasn't singing, he was too busy eating all our food and lashing drinks on the touchline.

Mark fell in the 16th over and thereby gave the fielding team a sniff. Munni tried his best to overhaul the score but eventually fell to a tired stroke. The other batters wasn't up to par with the likes of Mark and Munni and kept playing and missing with some good second half bowling from Rasheed especially and Amar (turn back the clock aka man in tights). Needing 11 from the last 12 deliveries, Rasheed gave away only 2 miserly runs from the penultimate over. Amar was left with task of defending 9 runs bowling the last over, not many bowlers would have liked the scenario but Amar (man that guy can play and chat too), with all his years of experience as a bowler choked the Raiders batsmen by giving away only 5 runs.

The Hustlers 2 players were jubilant and started running to all directions to celebrate a famous victory (even Usain Bolt would have been left behind).

A special thank you to our former Hustler 2 players for stopping by with refreshments and their support as well as all the other specatators wives and children who all  witnessed a great game of cricket.

Also a big thank you to our scorer Devya for looking after our scorebook the entire game.

One of our sponsors Arnold came to view the Hustler squad in action and was impressed with the way the game went one way and then swung back another. He also reminded us all that catches win matches and that is a must when practicing next time.

Champagne moment of the Day..........

One of our most experienced players taking a spectacular catch on the boundary and finding himself playing push the garbage can over and seeing if he fits inside it. No names mentioned here this time for his sake but our manager came up with a classic quote when he witnessed this. " The Man Laden da Bin"........

Samuels, Sammy give WI first world title since 1979

West Indies 137 for 6 (Samuels 78, Sammy 26*, Mendis 4-12) beat Sri Lanka 101 (Jayawardene 33, Kulasekara 26, Narine 3-9, Sammy 2-6) by 36 runs

Flair. Calypso. Frontrunners. Millionaires. Gold chains. Chris Gayle. No, no, no, no, no and no. West Indies' first World Twenty20 win was more digging in, refusing to give up, running and fielding like their life depended on this match, stunning the home crowd, and pulling off one of the most amazing turnarounds in Twenty20 history, especially given the stage. The due share of flair came from one of the most eye-pleasing batsmen going around. There's no need to add "one of the" here, because Marlon Samuels played simply the best Twenty20 international innings ever seen when West Indies were down and the count had reached about eight.

Well done to the West Indian cricket squad.

Twenty 20 Champions 2012

Gayle, Pollard help West Indies crush Australia....

West Indies 205 for 4 (Gayle 75*, Pollard 38) beat Australia 131 (Bailey 63, Rampaul 3-16) by 74 runs

So lopsided was West Indies' obliteration of Australia in the second semi-final of the World Twenty20, the victors had near enough to 13 overs to bask in their looming progress to the final against Sri Lanka.

Matthew Wade's departure in the eighth over of Australia's reply to 205 for 4 left George Bailey's team at a forlorn 43 for 6, their campaign collapsing in a few fevered minutes. Bailey was left to offer his team's last gesture of defiance, a breathless 63 from 29 balls, but it served only to narrow the margin.

That they were chasing such a tall tally was down to Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard. Gayle was starved of the strike early and later battled an apparent muscle strain, but in between produced an innings of controlled aggression that helped foster a trio of partnerships with Pollard, Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Bravo.

Pollard clumped three of four sixes to be brutalised from Xavier Doherty's final over of the innings, a sequence that broke Australian spirits.

This weeks Fixtures

Hustlers 2  play Raiders CC at Margate Middle School  12 30pm start

Hustlers 1 play Hurricanes CC at Carter Park  10 00am start

Good luck to both teams as they compete in their respective divisons in the SFSCL.

Carnival weekend is also here so be safe and enjoy the Fete's wherever you are.....

West Indies World Cup 1975 & 1979 Highlights

1975 World Cup Highlights

 

West Indies and Australia, the best teams in the world, took on each other in the first World Cup final in 1975 at Lord's. If Australia were daunting, West Indies improvised beautifully to win the trophy. Clive Lloyd and others take a walk down memory lane

 

1979 World Cup Highlights

 

West Indies retained their World Cup title at the 1979 World Cup after beating England at Lord's. England won the toss and elected to field, a decision that did not prove fruitful as West Indies beat the hosts by 98 runs. Here is revisiting that day at Lord's.

 

West Indian Greats......Rohan Kanhai

Throughout Rohan Kanhai's career, whether at county or Test level, he was in the midst of great players, and it speaks volumes for his own ability that he sparkled as brightly as the gems around him. Consider some of the illustrious names in the West Indies side in the 22-year-old's first Test in 1957 against England at Edgbaston: Sonny Ramadhin, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, Garfield Sobers and Frank Worrell. Ten years later he was playing with Charlie Griffith, Wes Hall and Lance Gibbs. At the end of his Test career he was lining up with Roy Fredericks, Alvin Kallicharran, Clive Lloyd, Vanburn Holder and Andy Roberts. And during his time in England with Warwickshire he was at the heart of an excellent batting line-up: John Jameson, Dennis Amiss, Kallicharran and MJK Smith formed the top five batsman with Kanhai.

For Warwickshire Kanhai scored 1,000 runs in a season on ten occasions, his most prolific year being 1970 when he hit 1,894 at an average of 57.39. He also hit 1,000 runs in a season once in Australia and once while touring India and Pakistan. His highest score for Warwickshire was 253 against Nottinghamshire in 1968 at Trent Bridge. Kanhai and Jameson created a first-class world record with an unbroken stand of 465 for the second wicket for Warwickshire against Gloucestershire at Edgbaston in 1974; Jameson made 240 and Kanhai 213.

 

 

Born at Port Mourant on British Guyana, Kanhai played for the country from 1954-55 until 1973-74. In his early days he was a wicketkeeper as well as a pugnacious middle-order batsman; indeed, in his first three Tests he kept wicket before Franz Alexander took over behind the stumps. Kanhai deputised as keeper on several other occasions.

But it was his batting which West Indies came to rely on for more than 16 years. He didn't score a century until his 13th Test but it was worth waiting for; he smashed 256 runs off the Indian attack at Calcutta. There were centuries too for Sobers and Basil Butcher as West Indies crushed their hosts by an innings and 336 runs. Kanhai followed this with 99 in the next Test as West Indies went on to win the series 3-0. Another double century followed on the same overseas tour, this time in Lahore as West Indies beat Pakistan by an innings. In all he hit 15 Test centuries, averaging 47.53 in Test matches.

Rohan Kanhai 150 v England Lords 1973

 

Kanhai was appointed captain of the West Indies for the home series against Australia in 1972-73. West Indies lost the five-Test series 2-0 but he retained the captaincy for the tour to England the following summer. This time he enjoyed success, winning the three-Test series 2-0, although the following winter he only managed to draw the five-Test home series against England 1-1. Unhappy with his own form, he retired from Test cricket after that series.

One-day cricket was in its infancy as Kanhai's career drew to a close, and he only played in seven ODIs. However, he went out on a high, appearing in the first World Cup Final at Lord's in 1975 against Australia. He scored 55 in putting on a vital 149 with Clive Lloyd for the fourth wicket after West Indies had been struggling at 50 for 3. The West Indies went on to win by 17 runs.