Rangers are the new Champions of the BCL/Pepsi/Heineken Knockout competition.
Playing before a large crowd at the Foursquare Oval in St Philip yesterday, Rangers defeated Cupid Cavaliers by 47 runs with 5.2 overs remaining. Rangers, who last won a BCL Knockout Championship in the early eighties, batted first after winning the toss and struggled to reach 140 on a very grassy outfield.
Openers Othneil Sargeant and Kyle Franklin added 16 for the first wicket before Sargeant was caught at the wicket. Jeffrey Williams and Dave Taylor went cheaply to leave Rangers on 59 for 3 off 13 overs.
Franklin followed soon afterwards with his score on 25. However, Da Costa Atherley steadied the innings with a solid 30 not out and got minor assistance from O’Brian Gibson who contributed 18. The other batsmen did not reach double figures. Former YMPC Division One seam bowler, Tennyson Roach took 3 for 43 to lead Cupid’s bowling.
Set 141 for Victory Cupid Cavaliers opened with Vonrick Nurse and Terry Pilgrim who only mustered 5 before he was lbw to Othneil Sargeant. Nurse and Roach added 33 for the 2nd wicket before Roach departed for 12.
Cupid Cavaliers’ batsmen showed their fear of spin bowling after Mario Miller and Da Costa Altherley came into the attack from both ends. They slumped from 58 for 3 off 13 overs to 84 for 7 off 23 overs.
Miller took 3 for12, while Atherley took 2 for 21. However, it was Kyle Franklin, man of the match for the second consecutive match, who wrapped up the innings by bowling the last three batsmen to finish with 3 for 10 off just 2.4 overs.