Combined Sixers enjoy big pay day in Lauders softball cricket

Combined Sixers, last Sunday afternoon at the Antoine Playing in Lauders, walked away with the 2014 Digicel Hairoun Beer Lauders Cultural and Sports Club’s Softball Cricket title.{{more}}

They earned a big pay day when they beat CGM Novice by 13 runs in an exciting final.

Combined Sixers, which is a combination of Radcliffe and Rivals players who feature in the Premier Division of the national cricket competition, did not live up to expectations, and were strangled to 111 for 7 from their 20 overs, batting first.

Their total was propped up by later order batsman Davian Barnum, who struck 30.

Barnum’s charge was poured with four sixes.

Richie Richards hit 27 and Kadier Nedd 16, to save Combined Sixers’ face.

Bowling for Novice, left arm spinner Andre Hunte was miserly, as he took 2 for 9, with Vernardo Primus snaring 2 for 21 and Kentish Phillips, 2 for 28.

Novice, in response, lost wickets frequently.

Their top batsmen, in Rohan Dowers, Hyron Shallow and Renrick Williams, all did not click when it mattered.

Novice was 64 for 9, before Primus and Chrisy King gave them a sniff of hope, with Primus the more belligerent. His onslaught drove panic into the Combined Sixers, as Novice inched closer to the target.

Primus, however, could not carry his assault to the end and fell for 39 off the penultimate ball of the 18th over, caught by Asif Hooper on the deep midwicket boundary off the bowling of Barnum. Primus latched on to five sixes and one four in his entertaining knock, as Novice folded for 98 in 17.5 overs.

The win saw Combined Sixers pocketing $4,000, along with a trophy and the challenge trophy, while Novice gained $2,500 and a trophy.

Combined Sixers had defeated Out Ah Trouble and Novice saw off Fully Loaded to reach last Sunday’s grand finale.

In the third place play-off, which preceded the final, Country Meets Town Out Ah Trouble beat Fully Loaded by five wickets, thus earning $1,500 and a trophy.

Fully Loaded: 104 for 9. Out Ah Trouble replied with 107 for 5, with Sunil Ambris cracking 45, which was dotted with five sixes and one four. Twenty teams participated in this year’s competition. (RT)