Combined rookies hold Trinidad
published:
Wednesday | October 17, 2007
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC):
FLOYD REIFER carved out a brilliant century to help rookies Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) snatch a sensational tie against defending champions Trinidad and Tobago in their KFC Cup match at Providence Stadium yesterday.
Reifer was run out for 130 off the last ball of the match from which the Caribbean students required four runs.
The run out left the scores tied with the CCC responding with 252 for nine, after Trinidad and Tobago had posted 252 from 49.2 overs.
The CCC required eight runs from the last over bowled by offspinner Sherwin Ganga and, after a string of singles, it came down to the last ball.
The experienced Reifer, batting with a runner after colliding with Dwayne Bravo when trying to complete a single in the 49th over, attempted to hit the final ball through the leg-side, but it came off the outside edge and went down to third-man.
As the batsmen tried to complete the third run, the stumps at the bowler's end were broken and the ball deflected into the on-side, allowing the batsmen a chance to scamper the winning run.
Craig Emmanuel, running for Reifer, was just short of his ground, leaving the two teams to share the four available points.
Reifer, who struck 11 fours and three sixes, featured in important partnerships, adding 67 for the third wicket with opener Omar Phillips (34) and 72 for the fourth wicket with Chadwick Walton (32) before having to carry the mantle mainly by himself in the closing overs as the asking rate increased.
Benefitted from chances
Trinidad and Tobago owed their total principally to the contributions of their two most senior batsmen, captain Daren Ganga and Dwayne Bravo, who featured in a third-wicket stand of 97.
After coming together at 52 for two, Ganga and Bravo consolidated following the dismissals of openers Lendl Simmons (21) and Mario Belcon (16).
Bravo was the more enterprising, stroking his way to 64 off 69 balls with the help of seven fours, while Ganga, who started cautiously, blossomed to hit 71 off 85 balls that contained six boundaries.
Bravo benefitted from chances on 21 and 50, but CCC, to their credit, were able to pick up wickets at regular intervals in the closing stages of the innings.
Trinidad and Tobago tried to get after the bowling during the last 15 overs, but ended up losing their last seven wickets for 53 runs.
Pacer Jason Bennett, who removed Ganga and Denesh Ramdin, finished with 2-45 from 10 overs, while new-ball partner Khismar Catlin, on his regional debut, took 2-44 from his 10.
There were also two wickets apiece for off-spinners Ramnarine Chattergoon (2-48) and Shirley Clarke (2-50).
The teams return to action tomorrow when Trinidad and Tobago meet Windward Islands at Bourda and CCC oppose Guyana at Providence.
