Which final will BNB St Catherine now play first? Last year’s which went to arbitration because of a ball dispute with losing semi-finalist Sagicor UWI or this year’s?
The St Philip-based side ruthlessly rolled over ESA Field Pickwick by eight wickets in a one-sided Sagicor General Super Cup cricket semi-final at Dayrells Roads yesterday to reach the final for the second straight year.
Pickwick, sent in to bat, meekly capitulated for a paltry 89 in 30.2 overs, and St Catherine raced to victory just before the scheduled lunch interval at 1 p.m., reaching 90 for two in 14.2 overs.
Spin twins Derick Bishop and Kenroy Williams mesmerized the Pickwick batsmen, both taking four wickets for 13 and 19 runs respectively, in ten miserly overs each.
In reply, former Barbados players Dayne Maynard and Ahmed Proverbs treated the Pickwick bowling with scant respect.
Maynard, a burly national fast bowler in his heyday, now an opening batsman lashed two sixes and six fours in an unbeaten 47 off 49 balls, while Proverbs hit four fours and two sixes in a 20-ball cameo for 32 runs as they featured in a stand of 57 for the second wicket in 6.3 overs.
Maynard was severe on West Indies’ off-spinner Shane Shillingford, who came on at 49 for one after the eighth over, when pacer Jade Padmore was flayed for 18 runs by Proverbs who swung him for a four through long on and a six over mid wicket.
Proverbs, batting without a helmet, had earlier top-edged a bouncer from the fiery Tino Best for six.
Maynard also top-edged Best for four before he deposited the second ball from Shillingford over long off and into the orchard for a huge six.
He also swung him over midwicket next to the PAHO headquarters for maximum and elegantly drove off-spinner Jamar Phillips through the covers for four while Proverbs guided the same bowler past point for another four.
When Pickwick batted, they benefited from nearly a dozen wides in quickly moving to 41 for one in seven overs.
But once Kyle Hope softly drove Williams to Patrick Browne fielding in the covers as former Garrison schoolboy Renaldo Rudder kept wicket, Pickwick’s innings went into a tailspin as five batsmen got “ducks” in a woeful batting display.
Williams snared four of the first six wickets but Man Of The Match Bishop got three of the last four including Shai Hope, whose patient 17 off 64 balls was the top score.