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• de Kock plunders 115 as Royals defeat Amazon Warriors to go top of CPL standings

   Quinton de Kock pummelled Guyana Amazon Warriors with a brilliant century as Barbados Royals recorded a 32-run victory at Kensington Oval on Saturday to move to the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League's (CPL) top spot.
  
  After the Warriors elected to bowl, de Kock dominated the Royals' total of 205-6 and batted almost through the innings to compile an outstanding 115 off 68 balls.
  Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj claimed three wickets as the Warriors finished well short on 173-5 to slump to their first loss of the season.
  
  After a heartbreaking two-wicket defeat to Trinbago Knight Riders the night earlier, the Royals rejigged their batting order with Kadeem Alleyne replacing Rahkeem Cornwall.
  Alleyne enjoyed the promotion and monstered a couple of massive sixes, including off Moeen Ali who made his CPL debut. But his whirlwind 22 off nine balls ended in the third over when he holed out to quick Dwaine Pretorius.
  
  After a cautious start, de Kock took over with a calculated assault on Shamar Joseph in the seventh over. But Joseph, desperate to rediscover his best form, hit back after striking de Kock on the body in a painful blow.
  
  The South African shook off the discomfort and rolled to his half-century off 34 balls. He particularly enjoyed hitting straight down the ground, highlighted by smacking a slower delivery back over the head of left-arm seamer Raymon Reifer.
  
  Wickets fell around de Kock, who appeared to be batting on a different surface as he reached his century off 60 balls. He joined Evin Lewis as the only batters to hit a ton so far in this season's CPL.
  
  De Kock hit a couple of more sixes before falling with three balls left in the innings. After struggling with the ball at the death against the Knight Riders, a determined Jason Holder smashed three sixes in a row in the penultimate over off seamer Keemo Paul.

    

  Holder's mood continued to brighten after he claimed Warriors opener Azam Khan with his first delivery in the second over. The Warriors' chase stuttered when a frustrated Tim Robinson was stumped after being deceived by a flighted delivery from Maharaj.
  
  Shimron Heytmeyer started with consecutive sixes off Maharaj and then smashed another one into the crowd on the resumption from a one-hour rain delay.
  
  But Maharaj exacted revenge by enticing a false shot from Hetmyer in the ninth over as the Warriors' chase fell away despite cameos from Moeen, Paul and captain Shai Hope.
  
  The Royals moved to 4-1 and replaced the Warriors (3-1) at the top of the table.

• David, King demand more from Soca Warriors in October window as League A survival on the line

  Trinidad and Tobago’s interim head coach Derek King and captain Aubrey David were left ruing the Soca Warriors’s sub-par performances in the September window, which has their Concacaf Nations League, League A survival in the balance.

  The Soca Warriors, who lost their opening contest 0-4 away to Honduras, were heavily favoured to take three points off French Guiana in the following encounter at home, but they were instead held to a goalless stalemate.

  This was much to the disappointment of King, David, and the many spectators that flocked the Dwight Yorke Stadium, as that result left the Twin Island Republic sitting at the foot of Group B on a point. Jamaica (four points), Nicaragua (four points), Honduras (three points), Cuba (two points), and French Guiana (one point) complete the group.

  The Soca Warriors now face a must-win scenario in their next two fixtures against Cuba on October 10 and 14 to have a slim chance at making the top two for a quarterfinal berth, but more importantly to avoid relegation to League B.

  Having made the quarterfinal in the previous edition of the Concacaf Nations League, David believes there is a need for individual and collective introspection as they need to raise the standard of their game.

  

  "It was a sad result for us. It's a draw, but it feels like a loss for us because three points would have put us in a good position in the group once again. Unfortunately, we didn't get going. We need to reset again because we have two important games coming up,” David said as he reflected on the outcome of their contest against French Guiana.

  "I think we as a team have to look at ourselves in the mirror and go back to the drawing board and look at the things that brought us success in the last campaign. I think we need to be humble and have that hunger to get good results,” he added.

  Alvin Jones echoed similar sentiments.

  "I think each and everyone has to look in the mirror and decide what they want—whether we want to play big football or we just want to compete. I think we have a lot of work to do mentally and physically. Each and every player,” he noted.

  Meanwhile, King, who was appointed ahead of the tournament following the dismissal of Angus Eve, felt his team could have done more to secure the three points against French Guiana.