ST MARY BIG BASH TITLE GOES TO PORTLAND TEAM
Harrington Costley (right) presenting the trophy to winners Buff Bay
Buff Bay United are the new champions of the Sandals and Costley Construction-sponsored St. Mary Big Bash T 20 cricket tournament.
They defeated defending champions Gayle by four wickets in the pulsating finals at Mango Valley Oval in the parish on Sunday, February 18.
Highgate grabbed the third-place spot by defeating Boscobel in the opening play-off match.
(In photo at left, Aan Ennis top batsman of the finals receives a trophy, and Kemroy Roper receives the SDC trophy for being the top bowler of the finals)
Gayle won the toss and elected to bat first in bright sunshine but were rocked by the Buff Bay opening bowlers who had them reeling at 31 for 5. It took a patient and unbeaten knock of 43 by national Under-17 player Aan Ennis to restore some respectability to the scoresheet as they totalled 139
for 7 off their allotted 20 overs.
Ennis played some sweetly times drives, especially through the offside and was never troubled by the bowlers.
Fengue Aarons slammed 26 while Mikhail Downer chipped
in with an invaluable 19.
Schoolboy Kemar Roper, who took 3-31, was the main destroyer of the Gayle innings and he was well supported by medium pacer Herman Henry 2-28.
In their turn at the crease, Buff Bay United were always in control, despite a middle-order wobble, and romped to 140 for 6. Lerome Tyrell led the way with a polished 46, which included a number of hard-hit boundaries. Robert Weir made 39 and Attoy Newell 37.
A joyous Tyrell said his team was always confident that they could defeat the strong Gayle side and raised his bowlers for suffocating their opponent’s powerful top order.
Losing captain, Sheldon Pryce of Gayle lauded the winning team but said his team would be back and gunning for revenge the next time around.
First vice president of the St. Mary Cricket Association, Junior Mattison, hailed both teams for an exciting climax to what has been a very good competition despite rains disrupting a number of the matches.
Mattison cited the emergence of young players like Ennis and Roper as one of the major successes of the tournament.
President of the Jamaica Cricket Association, Wilford “Billy” Heaven, who was a guest at the event, was full of praise for the St. Mary Cricket Association for their initiative in spreading the matches across the various grounds in the parish. He also noted the number of young national players emerging from the parish. He said this bodes well for the future of Jamaica’s cricket.
