Canadian Softball Cricket League: Chattergoon (3-4) inspires Cambridge Jaguars to victory

Cambridge Jaguars have begun the 2022 Canadian Premier Softball Cricket League’s (CPSCL’s) Regular Season 20-overs competition auspiciously, having trounced Amazon Sports by seven wickets on Sunday at the Williams G. Davis Public School ground in Cambridge, Ontario.

Amazon Sports won the toss and opted to take first strike, but the decision proved disastrous, as wickets fell frequently, leaving them tottering at 15-5 before they were predictably bowled out for 53 in the 12th over.
The Jaguars combination then made light work of the chase, surpassing the target in the 8th over. Their commanding victory was totally collective, starting with the ball. In the round-arm exhibition, all four bowlers displayed great effectiveness.
Former Guyana and West Indies-19 cricketer Hemnraine Chattergoon led the demolition job by snaring three wickets for only four runs from two overs, while Rishi Harricharan, who opened the bowling, delivered with precision to capture three wickets for 14 runs from his maximum four overs.
Skipper Shilender Singh accounted for two victims, having conceded five runs in his two overs’ outing, while experienced campaigner Teddy Nandkisore, who shared the new ball with Harricharan, made an impression by picking up two wickets for 24 runs off four overs.
Only captain Zaheer Allard was able to reach double figures for the Amazon boys, scoring 12.
When Cambridge Jaguars batted, reputable hard-hitting batsman Rajkumar Budhram again displayed inclination for aggression, as he slammed two mighty sixes and tucked away a boundary in his 30.
Jaguars started off badly, losing opener Sunil Sankar with the second ball and without a run on the board, but Budhram ensured the target was quickly achievable. Young talented middle-order batsman Ajay Jhappan and Nankissore closed off proceedings with 10 and 2 not out respectively.
Singh has said that his team had wanted to play positive cricket from the commencement of the game, so he has not been surprised by the outstanding performances. He attributed the first-match success to team cohesion, and has expressed confidence and optimism the team would continue to play the same level of dynamic cricket in this year’s edition.
In 2021, Cambridge Jaguars featured in the 20-over final against Sunshine in the Ontario Round-Arm Softball Cricket Association, but Singh revealed that they are anxious to win the championship in 2022, albeit in this different League.
Manager of the team, Canada-based Guyanese Mohamed Jinnah, has lauded the excellent effort of his team, relating that their preparations for the competition began greatly by paying off. Jinnah has said he is anticipating quality cricket from Cambridge Jaguars, and with several high-profile players on show, he is not surprised with this kind of phenomenal performance.
Apart from Chattergoon and Budhram, former Guyana first-class player Naresh Roopnarine is a member of the lineup.