On the 12th of September 2020, the inaugural Bermudan ‘Twenty20 All-Star Classic’ matches were played at White Hill Field.
Premier League All-Star Classic Wrap
With the likes of Kamau Leverock, Onias Bascome and Terryn Fray all in action there was plenty of talent on show during what promised to be an exciting game. Leverock was a late addition to the game as he was initially unavailable, as he was flying to England the night of the game; but an agreement between the two teams meant that Leverock would be able to play the first half of the afternoon game and that his team would bat first.
With Vice-President’s XI batting, first, the exciting duo of Leverock and Ras Solomon Burrows took to the crease. However, the opening partnership was not able to get the team off to the desired start as Jahre Blakeney bowled a delivery into the pads of the usually entertaining Leverock (7) who only managed to hit to Basden at deep square leg. Number three batsman Coolidge Durham was then dismissed four balls later.
After Blakeney became Durham’s second wicket when President’s captain Jordan DeSilva took the catch to leave the VP’s XI three down, Burrows and Vice-President’s captain Onias Bascome looked to stem the flow of wickets and to aid the team in setting up a competitive first innings total. The pair had combined for a partnership of 42 from 6 overs, but just as they were beginning to build momentum for the team, Kwasi James got the breakthrough. James, one of the many Bermudan internationals on show, claimed the wicket of Burrows with Basden taking his second catch of the game. Burrows top-scored for the Vice-President’s XI with 27 during an innings which included five boundaries. Bascome also batted well scoring 21 from 13 balls, hitting four boundaries during his innings, before he was dismissed by the impressive Dalin Richardson. The wicket of Bascome meant that the scoreboard read 67-4, which was a position from which both of the teams could still take the momentum.
It was the President’s XI that took control as Basden took the wickets of Oronde Bascome and Amari Ebbin in successive deliveries during a period of play that saw the batting team reduced from 67-4 to 68-8 as the President’s XI bowled with excellent control which ensured that the VP’s XI was unable to score freely whilst picking up regular wickets.
The Vice-President’s XI was bowled out inside 15 overs leaving the President’s XI their full allotment of 20 overs to reel in the 80 required to win. Basden finished with the figures of 3-1-17-5, a fantastic performance against some of the Island’s best talent. James (2-0-8-1) and Richardson (2-0-11-2) also made quality contributions with the ball.
The Vice-President’s XI had close to a perfect start in defence of the small total as Kyle Hodsoll two wickets in the first over of the chase. Treadwell Gibbons (0) was the first to depart after he hit the first ball of the innings to Mid-Off with Jade Morrissey completing the catch. Chris Douglas (8), who made a bright start to his innings after hitting two boundaries, was the second batsman to depart during the first over as Durham took a catch at mid-wicket. These two wickets gave a wind of momentum to the VP’s XI, but once Richardson and Terryn Fray came to the crease, there were no more blips during the chase. Richardson batted at the higher tempo scoring 48* which included five fours and three sixes. However, Fray also batted well and made an important contribution finishing on 22*. The President’s XI completed the chase after 6.5 overs in a commanding all-round team performance.
When talking about his bowling performance, Basden, who was awarded Man of the Match, was quoted by the Royal Gazette as stating the ‘Obviously Kamau is a big player and we were always looking to get him out early, so any chances of getting him out we had to take it’. But what was also really impressive was Basden’s attitude towards playing cricket, Basden shared that he ‘just came out here to have fun, which is the main idea when playing’.
First Division All-Star Classic Wrap
Earlier in the day, the First Division All-Star Classic was also full to the brim with exciting talent, including Bermuda Under-19 captain Jarryd Richardson. Richardson, despite being selected to play in the Premier League All-Star Classic, played in the earlier First Division encounter to allow him to be on time for a flight to England.
The match saw the President’s XI bat first. The team started well through an opening partnership between Jaiden Manders and Regino Smith worth 42 runs, before Smith was out for 24. This brought Richardson to the crease who really showed his class. Manders and Richardson put on another large partnership, worth 64, before Manders was run out after scoring a run-a-ball 34. Mander’s scored three fours and a six during his stay at the crease whilst showing an exceptional ability to rotate the strike. Richardson top scored for the team with a well made 35 coming off 29 balls in an innings which contained the same number of boundaries and maximums as Manders. Q’shai Darrell, who batted at number 4, also made a start scoring 29 and was part of a successful start for the President’s XI. All of the President’s top four made meaningful contributions and helped to set the foundation for the team’s final total of 160-5 from their allotted 20 overs.
The President’s XI then made a fantastic start with the ball as a fine bowling and fielding performance saw the Vice-President’s XI chase failing to gain traction. The scoreboard read 30-5 within six overs. The impressive bowling attack of the President’s XI went on to claim two more wickets, before a partnership which went against the pattern of the game. Torleair Caines and Shane Robinson, who batted number eight and nine respectively, combined for an unbeaten 75 which saw the team go beyond 100. The Vice-President’s XI finished on 130-7 after their 20 overs meaning that the team fell 31 runs short of victory, however, there were some impressive performances throughout the game by the bested VP’s XI; Jodie Maronie was arguably the bowler who impressed the most in the context of the game as he finished with figures of 2-25.
Both All-Star Classic matches provided an entertaining showcase into the talent within Bermuda with two intriguing matches. With this year seeing the inaugural matches played, only time will tell if the Bermuda Cricket Board decides to continue the concept post-pandemic, perhaps even growing into larger-scale events where players can further stake their claim for national honours.
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