EMPIRE SUPER 50 CHAMPIONS

The Bank Hall based Empire team outplayed their rivals Gladiola from Rices, St. Philip in yesterday’s 2022 BCA Super Cup Championship Final at Kensington Oval.

Empire won the toss under a bright sky and decided to bat on what looked like a batting-friendly pitch and a well-prepared outfield. Openers Jai-Bari Yarde and Shian Brathwaite looked business-like and worked to 42 in 8.2 overs before Yarde was bowled by Richard Simpson for 16 runs. With these 16 runs, Yarde reached 511 runs to be the only batsman to score over 500 runs in the Super 50 Cup Tournament, ending with a record of three centuries in a season at an average of 63.87. Without question, it was on Yarde’s bat that Empire got into the day’s final.

There was no panic after Empire was 52 for 2 when wicket-keeper Martin Nurse stumped Brathwaite off bowler Shakeel Turney. Kevin Wickham 59 off 57, Kevin Stoute 48 off 50 another valuable contributor was captain Kofie Hurdle with 25 off 29. But it was Roston Chase, the West Indies player who displayed fine strokes to make 100 off 79 balls (eight fours and four sixes), he returned with the ball to take 2 wickets for 25 runs from six overs to earn the Player of the Match Award.

A target of 323 in 50 overs is no walk in the park and there was a feeling that Gladiola knew this extremely well. At 3 for 8 after 2.4 overs the going was getting harder, and Empire was smelling victory. There was a steady flow of wickets much to the joy of the substantial number of Empire supporters in the lower level of the Three W’s stand. Gladiola’s slip was quick, from 5 for 50 in 9.1 it soon became 6 for 94 in 15, 7 for 95 in 15.4, 8 for 98 in 17.3, 9 for 105 in 20.3, and all out for 122 in 24.3.

Bowling: Jarion Hoyte 5-0-24-2, Shaquille Cumberbatch 4-0-26-1 (w5, nb3), Jomel Warrican 2-0-21-1 (w1, nb1), Camarie Boyce 7.3-2-26-4, Roston Chase 6-0-25-2 (w1)

Empire defeated Gladiola in convincing fashion, winning by 200 runs.

featured photo caption Sir Garfield Sobers presenting Empire’s captain Kofie Hurdle with the BCA Super 50 Cup.

(Pics & article by Chris Williams)