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• Fairfield United retain SDC National Community T20 Cricket title in low scoring final

  Defending champions Fairfield United retained the SDC National Community T20 Cricket title in a low scoring final against Links United at Chedwin Park on Sunday, August 25th. 

  After losing the toss and being invited to bat, Fairfield United managed only 147 runs when their innings came to an end with 3 balls remaining in the innings. However, the reigning champions were not prepared to go down without a fight and managed to restrict Links United to 117 all out to win by 30 runs and take the trophy back to Manchester for the third time overall. 

  Leighton Leslie, player and manager of Fairfield United said that his team was never worried about retaining their title despite putting less than their targeted total on the board.

  “We had a target in mind of 180, however we fell short. But as usual, we back our bowling. We have one of the better bowling (attacks) in this complete competition and after getting the 147, we knew that we were going to defend it. If they were going to get it, they would have to go to the last ball. So, at no point we were fretting or worried about the total that we got,” he said. 

  Leslie noted that the team had to overcome early season difficulties from which they learned as the season progressed. 

  “We had a rough start in this competition. We almost didn’t make it to the parish stages, but we got a lifeline and from there on, we have just been playing more disciplined cricket,” he noted. 

  Leslie hinted at continued success for Fairfield United based on the composition of his squad.

  “We have a lot of youngsters in our programme. We have a good crop of youngsters coming up.”

  He was also impressed with the preparation of the grounds for the finals, thanks in part to sponsors such as Wray & Nephew. 

  “When I came to the cricket ground and looked at it closely, I must say it is at international standard. I must say this competition is well put together and it’s a joy to win it back-to-back. 

  During their time at bat, Jamaine Morgan got Fairfield off to a flier but fell to the penultimate ball of the second over with the score at 20/1, amassing 15 runs off 10 deliveries. 

  A second wicket stand of 37 runs between Javed Williams and Zidane Gordon pushed the score along to 57 in the 8th over before Gordon departed for a quick fire 25 off 20 deliveries. Williams was next to go at 65/3 in the 9th over as the Links United skipper captured two wickets for 35 runs from his spell of four overs. 

  Fairfield tried to push the score along, but Tevin Gilzene stymied the run chase as the chief wicket taker for Links United put the brakes on the defending champions when he snapped up the next five wickets to fall in the middle overs to end with figures of 5 for 19 off his 4 overs. 

  Roshawn McKenzie was the only batsman of the last four wickets to get into double figures as he made 16 runs from 13 deliveries before he went caught off the bowling of Amoi Campbell. 

  Links United got off to the worst possible start in their quest for 148 runs to win when they lost their first wicket off the third ball of the innings with the score at 4/1. Damion Bryce returned to the pavilion, caught by Jamaine Morgan off the bowling of Romario Marshall.

  Tevin Gilzene, who had been magical with the ball, tried to replicate the performance with the bat, but he went for 19 runs, of 8 deliveries at 39/2 in the 4th over. 

  Things were still within reach for Links at that stage, but a steady stream of wickets from the 4th to the 7th over, saw them slip from 39/2 to 64/6 due to injudicious shots from the batsmen coupled with good fielding from the defending champions. 

  A brief recovery saw Links get beyond the 100-run mark for the loss of just one more wicket, but two wickets in two balls to end the 13th over and start the 14th over saw them reduced to 106/9 which left the defending champions on the verge of a repeat victory.

  Roshawn McKenzie then completed the final rites when he bowled Nashawn Campbell for 4 runs with the second ball of the 16th over to leave Links United all out for 117 runs. McKenzie ended with figures of 2 wickets for 10 runs from 2.2 overs while Richard Thomas with 4 for 17 from 4 overs was the pick of the bowlers for Fairfield. 

  Kerry-Ann Bryan, Brand Manager of Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum could not hide her excitement after watching an engaging and exciting final.

  “It’s been a pleasure to be here with you at Chedwin Park, where we come together to celebrate not just a game but a tradition that runs deep in the heart of our nation. Cricket, like Wray & Nephew, has a longstanding tradition in Jamaica and it is synonymous with passion. It’s not just a sport; it’s a way of life. A good cricketer plays with heart, not just skill, bringing a level of energy and enthusiasm that inspires everyone around them,” Bryan remarked.

  “The game isn’t for individual glory; it’s about teamwork and community. A good cricketer knows that the success of the team comes first. They play for something bigger than themselves, representing their community, their culture, and their shared values,” she continued.

  Earlier in the afternoon, Angel’s defeated Bushy Park by eight wickets to win the Masters title. 

• England selector Wright backs Bairstow to bounce back

  Jonny Bairstow must recapture his pre-injury form if he is to regain his place in the England white-ball set-up.

  That is according to England's chief selector, Luke Wright, following the decision to leave Bairstow out of the squad to face Australia in a limited-overs series next month.

  Bairstow has missed out on England's first white-ball series since the T20 World Cup, with fellow veteran campaigners Chris Jordan and Moeen Ali also left out.

  But Wright says the door remains open for Bairstow, if the 34-year-old can play his way back into the form he showed before sustaining a broken leg while golfing in 2022.

  "One of Jonny's great strengths is how much he wants to play," said Wright. "He's hugely disappointed.

  "We just want him back to being one of the best players in the world. He had that horrific injury, and that’s been the message. Can we get you back to where you were pre-injury?

  "He understands that. He doesn’t like it. One thing Jonny will do is fight back, and I hope he does and gets himself back in the team."

  Wright is hoping the refreshing of England's squad in the wake of their T20 World Cup disappointment helps spur Jos Buttler's team on, with coach Matthew Mott having also left after that tournament.

  "The one thing we don't lack in England is the amount of talent that's around," Wright said.

  "More than anything, the character these young players show in taking the game on.

  "What a great time to be in English cricket."

  England's Test team, meanwhile, have made one alteration to the team that featured in the first match against Sri Lanka, ahead of the second contest of the series, with Olly Stone replacing the injured Mark Wood.

• Barbados Royals maintain perfect start in WCPL with 17-run win over Guyana Amazon Warriors

  Defending champions Barbados Royals booked their place in the final of the 2024 Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) with a 17-run victory over Guyana Amazon Warriors at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad.

  Ball dominated bat on a testing wicket under lights. The Royals were inserted after Warriors captain Lauren Winfield-Hill won the toss and Hayley Matthews’s side struggled to break the infield or find the boundary in the early stages. Matthews fell for just two runs off 13 deliveries, and the normally fluent Chamari Athapanthu used up 27 deliveries for her 15 runs before being pinned lbw by Chloe Tryon.

  It was hard going throughout for the Royals in the face of tight bowling, with just 25 runs added in the PowerPlay and 33 on the board after the first ten overs. Erin Burns starred for the Warriors once again, this time with the ball in hand, as she returned figures of 3/31 off her four overs as the Royals reached a total of 101/8 off their twenty overs. Qiana Joseph top scored for the 2023 champions with 19 runs. The slow left-armer later pocketed 3/16 with the ball to cap a Player of the Match performance.

  The Warriors found conditions equally as tough in their response. The Royals put the squeeze on and showed their class and composure in defending a small target. Once Erin Burns, the tournament’s top run maker, was dismissed by Athanpanthu to leave the warriors 44/5 in the twelfth over, the game drifted out of sight for Winfield-Hill’s side.

  The Royals chalked up another win and look increasingly strong in this year’s competition, now it is a case of who they will meet in Thursday’s final with Trinbago Knight Riders and Guyana Amazon Warriors both tied on two points apiece. Deandra Dottin’s Knight Riders have the chance to secure their place in the final but will need to find a way of beating the undefeated and dominant Royals tomorrow night in order to do so.