Village Rams end 22-year wait for NY Masters title

Village Rams Masters ended a 22-year wait for their first New York Masters Cricket Association. Over-45 title after defeating defending champions Bronx Crusaders Masters by seven wickets at the Roy Sweeney Oval in Brooklyn.
Playing in the final on Saturday, August 29, Village Rams dismissed the 13-time champions for 142 in 26.4 overs, before reaching 143 for three from 23.1 overs.
Barrington Bartley led the successful chase with an unbeaten 58, anchoring the innings as Village Rams comfortably overhauled their target. Ainsley Edwards contributed 27, while former West Indies B all-rounder Derrick Kallicharran compiled a well-constructed 21 to move the team closer to victory.
Earlier, Bronx Crusaders won the toss and elected to bat but failed to use their full allocation of 35 overs. Roderick Ricketts top-scored with 51, while Prassanna Ramaswamy supported with 30.

Off-spinner Ballister McLeish spearheaded the Village Rams attack with four wickets for 30 runs. George Adams claimed three for 29, Mikhail Miller took two wickets, and Bartley added one for 25.
The victory came after 22 attempts by Village Rams and brought an end to Bronx Crusaders’ reign as champions. Former Guyana youth player and United States senior team captain Steve Massiah was part of the Bronx Crusaders squad.
Nine teams contested the round-robin tournament, with the top four advancing to the semi-finals before the championship match.