Athanaze scores big again, Shepherd the hero as Guyana beat T&T

Alick Athanaze scored his a second successive hundred and Kavem Hodge notched the second of his career for windward Islands Volcanoes as they overpowered Combined Campuses and Colleges by 50 runs on Wednesday.

Sent in at Queen’s Park Oval in the Zone A contest of the CG United Super50 Cup, Windward Islands Volcanoes gathered 300-4 off their 50 overs, the left-handed Athanaze scoring 140 from 129 balls to follow up his maiden century of 133 against Guyana Harpy Eagles on Monday.

He was joined by the right-handed Hodge who hit an unbeaten 106 off 131 balls, counting four fours and a couple of sixes.Together, the pair posted a massive 208 for the second wicket which proved to be the cornerstone of the innings. Andre Fletcher came in afterwards to lash a 19-ball unbeaten 30 and provide added impetus.

In reply, CCC were at 109-4 after 23 overs when the rain arrived to end the game prematurely, with the chasers well behind on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern. Demario Richards (24) and Kirstan Kallicharan (23) both got starts while captain Denesh Ramdin, was unbeaten on 21 from 19 balls when the innings was curtailed.

In the day’s second match at Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Darren Bravo’s half-century went in vain as defending champions Trinidad and Tobago Red Force slipped to a narrow three-run defeat to Guyana Harpy Eagles.

Chasing 270 for victory, Red Force failed to get the 11 runs required from the final over sent down by seamer Clinton Pestano, to taste defeat for the first time in Zone A. The left-handed Bravo top-scored with 71, opener Kjorn Ottley got 49 while Yannic Cariah chipped in with 30 down the order, but it was Sunil Narine’s 17-ball unbeaten 30 which nearly got Red Force over the line.

Narine, who notched four fours and a six, stole a single off the first delivery of the final over before scampering two byes off the second with Akeal Hosein, who then pinched a leg bye off the third. With seven runs required from the last three balls, Narine punched a couple to deep cover, refused a single off the fifth, but could only scrape a single off the final delivery.

Earlier, Sent in, Harpy Eagles posted 269-9 from their 50 overs but needed a superb unbeaten 74 from all-rounder Romario Shepherd late in the order to get up to their total. He earned the CG United Man-of-the-Match award as he blasted five fours and six sixes in a 46-ball cameo, adding 68 from 36 balls for the final wicket with Veerasammy Permaul (4).