East Coast 2nd Division Cricket: Lusignan, Golden Grove B and Ogle open campaigns with victories

The East Coast Cricket Board Premier Insurance 2nd Division 40-Over Tournament bowled off on Sunday, September 7, with action taking place at various venues across the East Coast.
At the Lusignan ground, Lusignan Sports Club Development edged past Lusignan Sports Club East in a nail-biting contest that went right down to the wire.
Batting first after winning the toss, East produced a modest batting display, managing just 107 all out in 29.3 overs. Quazim Yusuf offered the lone resistance, playing a valiant knock of 65 runs, laced with five boundaries and three maximums. The Development bowlers were on target, with Chanderpaul Ramraj (3-9) and Nyles Liverpool (3-10) leading the charge, while Chaitram Balgobin chipped in with two wickets.
In reply, Development survived a tense chase before scraping home at 108-9 in 20.2 overs. Balgobin returned to shine with the bat, blasting a quick-fire 37 decorated with four fours and three sixes. Neeran Bani held his nerve at the end, steering the team home with an unbeaten 13.

For East, Vidyanand Jalal (4-37) and Mohan Jailall (3-37) fought valiantly, but their efforts weren’t enough to prevent a one-wicket defeat.
Over at the Golden Grove Community Ground, hosts Golden Grove B made full use of winning the toss, piling up a commanding 261-7 from 40 overs. Opener Steven Mangal anchored the innings with a solid 55, well supported by his partner Lawrence Pellew (24). In the middle overs, Joshua Bollers steadied the innings with a composed 45 before Gerald Montfort injected momentum with a quick-fire 38, guiding the hosts to a strong total. For Hope Estate, Kamal Dass claimed 2 wickets, while Bryan Fraser chipped in with one.
Hope Estate faltered in reply, never really threatening the target as they were dismissed for 133 all out. Bryan Fraser (37) and Budram Premdass (35) offered resistance, but the chase collapsed under the pressure of spin. Golden Grove’s bowling was led by the duo of Mangal (4 wickets) and Bollers (3 wickets), who combined to dismantle the visitors’ batting line-up.
Meanwhile, Ogle defeated EC Masters by nine wickets in a one-sided contest. Batting first, EC Masters struggled to 91-9 in 40 overs, with S. Samlall (21) and R. Ramnaresh (20) offering brief resistance. Ogle’s bowlers shared the wickets, led by Soopaul Sanichar (2-24), Omari Lalbachan (2-13), Christopher Deonarine (2-23), and Anndram Persaud (2-24). In reply, Ogle cruised to 94-1, guided by Daveanand Khemraj’s unbeaten 34, alongside Andrew Samaroo (23) and Joshua Behari (18*).