La Soufriere Hikers vs Botanical Gardens Rangers Match Report – 28th Match VPL 5
Rangers won the toss and chose to bowl.
Rashon Primus started off target, giving away five wides but the plan was very clear to bowl short to Jonathan Carter and it paid off as he was caught at short fine leg trying to pull. Hikers were dealt a deathly blow when Ravendra Persaud removed Dillon Douglas to reduce Hikers to 14/2 after 2.1 overs.
Desron Maloney at the other end was playing really well and timing the ball beautifully. Hikers felt the pressure of Kenneth Dember’s bowling and Walters tried to hit out but was bowled and Hikers finished the powerplay on 27/3. By this stage, it was clear that the wicket was helping the spinners and it would be tough to get a big score.
Hikers batsmen found the going difficult and without captain Maloney’s knock, Hikers would have got far less than the 85/7 that they made. Maloney remained unbeaten on 49 from 32 deliveries, hitting 4 fours and 3 sixes. Roshon Primus was the wrecker in chief, taking 3/10 from his 2 overs and top the chart as the joint leading wicket taker.
Cottoy was looking to be positive in the chase but was run out off the 2nd delivery of the innings as Dillon Douglas rocketed a throw from the wide long on boundary to find the electric Cottoy well short going back for a second run. Rangers was under pressure as Persaud, Primus and Fletcher were all removed within the powerplay to leave Rangers staggering at 18/4.
Things got worse as Andre Hunte sneaked an arm ball through the gate of Wayne Harper to reduce Hikers to 20/5. Kenneth Dember and Tijourn Pope resurrected the innings, running hard between the wicket as boundaries were hard to come by. The chase was getting really tense as it came down to 31 runs from 12 deliveries. Kirton Lavia bowled the penultimate over and was going well. Tijourn Pope ran hard for and pulled up while going back for the second and went off retire hurt. It brought Roneil Jeffrey to the crease and he drove a full delivery like a bullet to the long off boundary, leaving 18 leaving off the final over.
Jonathan Carter bowled the final over and Dember had the measure of him and went bang, bang, bang, htting 1 four and 2 sixes to take 16 runs from the first three deliveries. Rangers got a single from the 4th delivery, which was a no ball and that sealed an emphatic victory for the Rangers. Kenneth Dember top scored with 43 from 20 deliveries, hitting 2 fours and 3 sixes.
La Soufriere Hikers 85/7 (10 overs)
Botanical Gardens Rangers 86/5 (9.3 overs)