BESS Motors Marchin Patriots and Queen's Park Cricket Club (QPCC) both registered their fourth wins of the 2024 TT Cricket Board (TTCB) Premiership I 50-over competition in a rain-affected fifth round on Saturday.
At Marchin recreation ground, Charlieville, while other games were severely affected by the weather, the Patriots and the visiting Powergen team played out an uninterrupted, low-scoring thriller, with the hosts managing a four-wicket win.
Batting first, a handful of players got starts for Powergen but they were eventually bowled out for 191 in 44 overs. Daniel Williams top-scored with 33, while Mbeki Joseph chipped in with 30. Richie Looknauth led the Patriots bowling with figures of three for 44.
In reply, the Patriots got off to a brisk start thanks to the opening pair of Teshawn Castro (12) and out-of-favour Windies opener Evin Lewis (23 off 16 balls). The hosts had a middle-order wobble, though, and they slipped to 74 for four by the 17th over as the openers were sent back to the pavilion, along with the pair of Crystian Thurton (22) and Kirstan Kallicharan (two).
Number four batsman Rajeev Ramnath (78 not out off 120 balls) took control of the run chase, though, and he dominated a 62-run stand with Looknauth (22) to take the Patriots to 136 for five.
Ramnath also had handy partnerships of 33 and 26 respectively with Kashtri Singh (11) and captain Adrian Ali (17 not out) as the Patriots got over the line with 26 balls to spare.
At the Fatima College grounds in Mucurapo, QPCC got a six-wicket win over Merry Boys in a game that was significantly reduced due to the inclement weather.
Merry Boys were restricted to 143 for eight from 31 overs, with Andrew Rambaran top-scoring with 52. Dexter Sween (two for 26) and West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein (two for 28) shone with the ball for the Parkites.
With QPCC set a revised target of 112 in 25 overs, Sween returned with the bat to hit a brisk 24 off 18 balls as the Parkites clinched the game in the 16th over. Opener Jordan Warner struck an unbeaten 38.
In the other completed game, Preysal got their second win in the tourney when they defeated Victoria United by seven wickets in their rain-affected meeting in Preysal.
Victoria were bowled out for 137 in 25.5 overs in the 31-over contest, with Adrian Cooper grabbing five for 21 to lead the Preysal attack.
Opening batsman Adrian Gomez then played a dominant hand of 82 off 64 balls to steer his team to victory in the 21st over.
The highly-anticipated matchup between defending champions Clarke Road United and 2024 National League Premiership I champions Central Sports was abandoned after just 17.4 overs due to a waterlogged outfield at the Wilson Road recreation ground, Penal. Central Sports had won four straight games in the competition before Saturday's matches.
Summarised Scores:
Powergen: 191 from 44 overs (Daniel Williams 33, Mbeki Joseph 30; Richie Looknauth 3/44, Teshawn Castro 2/17) vs Marchin Patriots: 195/6 from 45.4 overs (Rajeev Ramnath 78 not out, Evin L
