Development Bank Wind Ball Cricket: Church Ground and Empire into wind ball finals

By Curtis Morton

Charlestown Nevis (September 24, 2012) — Church Ground Massives and Empire strode into the finals of the Nevis Island Administration/Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis-sponsored Wind ball cricket league after the two semi final matches at the Flats, Cole Hill on Sunday night September 23.

Match one was the most exciting match of the evening, as Church Ground Massives and Finished Touch Highlights International locked horns in what turned out to be an absolute thriller. Church Ground won by eight runs.

Finalists Church Ground team

The second semi final encounter between Brown Hill Cooperation and Empire, turned out to be a one sided, anti-climactic affair with Empire easily disposing of their opponents to storm into the finals. Empire won by eight wickets.

The grand final day of the Nevis Island Administration/Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis-sponsored Wind ball cricket league is now set for Sunday September 30 with three matches scheduled:

Match one—Brown Hill Cooperation v Highlights International for third spot-at 4 pm

Match two—Prime Minister’s X1 v Premier’s X1 -5.30 pm

Grand finals—Church Ground Massives v Empire at 7.30 pm. This will be followed by the prize giving ceremony.

In the exciting first match on Sunday, Church Ground Massives won the toss and batted first and were off to the worst possible start, losing main batsman Eddison Parris for a golden duck and initially struggling to get the ball away. After three overs, they looked hopeless at 5 runs for 2 wickets.

Gavin ‘Bulf’ Wattley who had opened the innings realised that his team required something special from him and he delivered. Later, joined by Leon ‘Red out’ Powell, the two teamed up to entertain the crowd with some exciting stroke play. At one point it seemed to be raining sixes at the Flats with Powell hitting five of them before he was run out and Wattley striking three before he was bowled by Wendell Wallace. Church Ground scoring 95 for 6 in their allotted 10 overs.

Finalists Empire team (Pictures by Curtis Morton)

Highlights International had no such problems in making their initial response. The first over produced 10 runs and by the end of the second over, they had raced to 21 for 1 and looked comfortable for an easy win. This, helped by a spate of wides from the Church Ground bowlers.

Thereafter, the Church Ground men had an emergency meeting and some semblance of sanity returned to their bowling and suddenly, the Highlights men did not look as comfortable. The stand out batsman was Ardie Liburd who played some scintillating shots, especially with the wind helping him to sail several huge ‘kites’ out of the grounds.

When it looked like he could singlehandedly take the game away from the Church Ground team, it took a super spectacular catch by Gavin ‘Bulf’ Wattley to turn the game on its head. Liburd heaved big with the wind.

The ball for all intents and purposes seemed destined for another maximum when Wattley, who was stationed on the deep mid wicket boundary, leaped into the air; stuck out his left hand and the ball stuck—much to the amazement of the crowd and to the jubilation of the Church Ground supporters.

Liburd took quite some time to leave the field, firstly in apparent amazement at the catch and secondly to question the legitimacy of the delivery, which initially appeared to be a high full toss which was not called as such by a firm Umpire ‘Puk’ Liburd.

The very next ball, Captain Devon Liburd clean bowled Alexis Jeffers for a one ball duck and the Church Ground supporters were dancing around the grounds.

The final over was entrusted to young Luke who admitted after the game that he was too nervous to bowl and really did not want to bowl that last over but did so with the encouragement of his team mates. Fourteen runs were required from that final over and he managed to keep it down to six.

Summarised scores:

Empire winning by 8 wickets