Rising Stars defeat Malvern to lift Lochan Premiere League Title
In a grand T20 knockout competition sponsored by overseas-based Guyanese Lochan, aka Mali, and his family at the Malvern Cricket Club Ground at Canal Number One, West Bank Demerara, the Rising Stars Cricket Club defeated the Malvern Cricket Club in a 17-over affair to uplift the Lochan Premier League title and the winners’ purse of US$2000 in cash and prizes.
Marvin Cheong and Shane Persaud were regarded as ‘best bowler’ and ‘man of the match’ respectively
The teams that participated in this league were Rising Stars, Mc Gill Superstars, Malvern Sports Club, and New York Strikers; and besides the prize on offer was the right to brag about being
the number one T20 team in Canal Number One.
The final match of this league was contested between the Rising Stars Cricket Club and the Malvern Cricket Club. The latter team opted to bat first, and posted 130-8 in their 17 overs.
The Malvern side got off to a wrong start, as they failed to use their powerplay overs correctly, and their loss of a few wickets put them on the back foot. They attempted to rally on, but with the match being a 17-over affair, they needed to score at an extreme rate.
But along came Ajay Basdeo, who rescued his side by smashing the ball to every part of the ground to give them something to rejoice about. At the end of the Malvern innings, he remained unbeaten on 73.
Bowling for the Rising Stars, Marvin Cheong took 3-10 and Shane Persaud took 3-16.
Needing 130 for victory off 17 overs, the Rising Stars raced to 131-5 in 15 overs, disdaining a below-par bowling line-up to reach their target with ease.
Shaquille Brisport contributed 47 to the Rising Stars’ tally, while Shane Persaud chipped in with 29 and Vishaul Singh with 28.
The Malvern bowling effort was spearheaded by Chris Deen with 2-12 and Peter Persaud with 2-19.
