The first round of the Canal #1 Malvern T20 tournament commenced with V&V All-Stars battling Malvern Sports Club and Rising Stars taking on CI Western Warriors in matches that were staged at the cricket ground in Canal #1, West Bank Demerara. Rising Stars and V&V All-Stars each picked up a win to commence their campaign with much confidence.
Ravi Bharat returned figures of 4-19, and Reaz Esau 3-12
In their match against the Malvern Sports Club, V&V All-Stars won the toss and elected to take first strike. They made 154 all out, with Wazir Hussain top scoring with 44 and Mahendra Dhanpaul chipping in with 27.
Bowling for Malvern Sports Club, Ganesh Hardial returned figures of 2 for 18 in 4 overs, and V. Dass bagged 2 for 11 in two overs.
Needing 155 for victory, Malvern scored 112 all out, with D. Singh top scoring with 39, and no other player on the team offering any kind of support.
Shane Persaud bagged 4-6 in 4 overs
Bowling for V&V All-Stars, Ravi Bharat returned figures of 4-19 in 4 overs, and Reaz Esau returned figures of 3-12, handing V&V All-Stars victory by 42 runs.
In the other game, Rising Stars won the toss and decide to take first strike. They, however, were bowled out for 83 in 11 overs.
Travis Cato led the scoring with 19, and skipper Elroy Fernandes contributed 16. The CI Western Warriors’ bowling attack was led by one Jerrel, who claimed 3-18 in 3 overs, while D. Hussain bagged 3-27 in 4 overs.
This small total seemed reachable and enticing for the Warriors, but they were bundled out for a mere 42 runs, scoreboard pressure causing them to lose wickets in quick succession.
The Rising Stars’ bowling was led by Shane Persaud, who returned figures of 4-6 in 4 overs, while Christian Husbands returned figures of 3-9 in 3 overs. Rising Stars won by 42 runs.
