Six and counting. The Starcom Network/Nation Publishing Conquering Lions maintained their unblemished record since 2016 with a hard-fought 19-run victory over the Commissioner of Police Elite squad in a Twenty20 tapeball cricket match at Weymouth on Saturday night.
And they had to dig deep for this one.
Before a bumper crowd of more than 3 000 and packed with entertainment beyond the boundary, the contest was more than riveting, with the Conquering Lions defending a seemingly modest total of 99 by dismissing the hosts for 80.
It was their sixth win over the past two years, following victories over Michael Lashley’s Elite Mason’s XI at Bayfield, Steve Blackett and his Elite Cabinet team at Combermere, Guyana Warriors at Hoyte’s Village, the Child Care Board XI at Queen’s Park and Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation at Friendship.
Captain Derrick Bishop, one of several players in the Starcom Network/Nation Publishing Conquering Lions squad with top level domestic experience, praised his team for their performance in a match they looked to be under pressure throughout.
“We came out and we knew exactly what we had to do and we executed perfectly. They had very good partnerships but at the end of the day, we persevered.”
Former Police Division 1 fast bowler Dave Springer was mean as ever, grabbing two wickets while conceding only seven runs with the new ball while ex-Barbados pacer Ryan Nurse caused problems in the middle by grabbing three wickets.
The Commissioner of Police Elite squad looked to be on course for victory when captain Ravendra Persaud (26) and opener Dario Sargeant (25) were together in a fourth wicket partnership that took them to 60 for three, but diminutive 19-year-old fast bowler Zidan Harewood intervened with a three-wicket burst in four overs that cost 18 while St Catherine Elite Division player Ulric Baston completed the final rites by claiming three for five from 1.5 overs.
Throughout the night, the spectators enjoyed their fair share of comedy from Eric The Queen Lewis and Keith PC Broome Browne, while master of ceremonies Kevin KB Kleen Hinds and commentators Shawn “Gunsmoke” Brathwaite and Martin Parris also entertained the crowd. (HG)
Summarised scores:
Starcom Network/Nation Publishing Conquering Lions 99 in 20 overs (Derick Bishop 21, Andy Blackman 15, Diego Stuart 10; Ryan Nurse 3-12, Dave Springer 2-7, Rasheed Padmore 2-16). Commissioner of Police Elite squad 80 in 16.5 overs (Ravendra Persaud 26, Dario Sargeant 25, Ulric Batson 3-5, Zidan Harewood 3-18). Starcom Network/Nation Publishing Conquering Lions won by 19 runs. Man-of-the-Match: Zidan Harewood.
