ICBL?Empire, CGI?Maple, Super Centre Spartan and LIME have advanced to the quarter-finals following the completion of the preliminary round of matches in Zone B of the Sagicor Twenty20 cricket competition yesterday.
Empire, Maple and LIME completed wins and despite Spartan’s loss to LIME they still made it through.
They joined defending champions Sagicor UWI, who remained unbeaten at the top of Zone A with their seventh straight victory to move to 28 points. There are still two rounds of matches left in this zone.
At Queen’s Park, LIME recorded an easy 44-run win over Spartan. Electing to bat, LIME were all out for 123 with Ashley Nurse top-scoring with 48 spiced with four fours and three sixes off 34 balls. He shared a third-wicket stand of 65 in 10.1 overs with Randy Thomas who made 26. Andre Marshall took three for 27 and Omar Marshall and Chaim Holder two each.
Off-spinner Michael Agard bagged a career-best four for 13 from his four overs as Spartan were bundled out for 79. Ashley Nurse and Ryan Nurse chipped in with two apiece.
ICBL Empire amassed 161 for six at Bank Hall against CounterPoint Wanderers. Alcindo Holder hit the highest score of 35, Ryan Hinds made 28 not out and Kevin Stoute 28.
Wanderers lost wickets at regular intervals and were restricted to 120 for nine. Jomel Warrican claimed three for 18 and Roston Chase two for 13.
A second-wicket partnership of 58 between Neval Grazette, who hit an unbeaten 38, and Pedro Agard, with 28, carried CGI Maple to a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Police at Weymouth. Maple reached the modest target of 98 with five balls to spare.
At Friendship, Pickwick and Yorkshire’s chances of reaching the quarter-finals were dented, when rain forced play to be abandoned with ESA Field Pickwick on 29 for one after four overs chasing 120 to win. Earlier, off-spinner Shane Jones picked up his best figures at this level of four for 35 as Yorkshire were dismissed for 119.
In Zone “A” boundary-studded half centuries by YMPC’s Dwayne Smith and Ryan Wiggins and Shane Moseley of Carlton helped their teams record important victories.
Smith, who was dropped twice off luckless medium pacer Ishmael Dhanraj within the first three overs, sped to 50 from only 16 deliveries on the way to completing a 46-ball knock of 84 with five fours and five sixes, as YMPC racked up the highest total, 193 for seven, off BRC BCL.
Wiggins picked up where Smith left off to also smite five sixes along with a couple of fours to be 53 not out at the end of the innings.
BCL limped to 97 for eight in reply to concede defeat by 96 runs.
Moseley helped Carlton to maintain an interest in reaching the quarterfinals with 51 not out, made off 24 balls as the home team plundered 71 for two off eight overs in response to Ince Transport MTW’s 130 for six.
Carlton emerged winners by eight wickets via the Duckworth/Lewis method after rain forced a premature end to the match.
UWI ensured their position at the top of the standings in the zone with a 39-run conquest of Republic Bank St Catherine, who suffered a stiff 36-run penalty for slow over rate when they bowled first at their home ground in Bayfield.
UWI were restricted to 147 for seven in their 20 overs with coach/player Floyd Reifer scoring 58 not out. St Catherine responded with 144 for six in 20 overs with Ulric Batson following up his three wickets for 16 with 37 not out but the revised target of 184 runs for victory proved to be a major obstacle.
Guardian General Barbados Youth also recorded a 15-run victory over home team, Banks Wildey at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic ground. (EDH/WH)
