Americans unable to overcome Everton Weekes’ Excellence

The Everton Weeks CoE side relax after their 28 run win over NY Tri-State

Sir Everton Weekes Center of Excellence 118 (35 overs)
NY Tri-State Youth 90 (25.4 overs)

Sir Everton Weekes Center of Excellence won by 28 runs

The Everton Weekes Center of Excellence (EWCoE) stretched their winning start to the Sir Garfield Sobers U-19 Tournament to three opening wins in a table topping contest at Dash Valley Stadium in Barbados.

Both sides arrived this morning with 100% records, but it was the USA NY Tri-State Youth side who surrendered that record in disappointing fashion.

EWCoE skipper Rajeev Parsooram held his side’s inconsistent batting effort together with an excellent and unbeaten 45 as wickets fell around him. Opener Oliver Gooding with 14 was the next top scorer.

The most unfortunate was Jedidiah Gilkes who fell to a sublime over the shoulder wind affected catch by Dhanesh Persaud off the bolwing of Saatvik Kailash. Given the catches dropped in the previous match, this was a superb effort.

Gilkes wasn’t the only batsman to fall to an excellent piece of fielding. Danish Dinesh’s superb throw ran out Jaden Joseph with the help of a very reliable wicketkeeper in Shiloh Adams.

At one point, EwCoE were tottering on 92-9 with ten overs and a ball left.

From this winning position however, the New Yorkers lacked that killer instinct and a last wicket partnership of 26 between the established Parsooram and the number 11 Jeremiah Forde changed the trajectory of the match. It was the game’s highest opartnership by some distance and It took the match out the reach of the Americans.

Chasing 119, the task seemed possible but the EWCoE seam bowlers Zarell Harding and Forde proved too quick and powerful. Harding dismissed Persaud (2), Dinesh (2) and Emmanuel Lewis (12) in his first spell.

He returned later for Jayden Dowling hwo topscored with 17 and Sachin Lakhan (0) before Joshua Thompson trapped Ekansh Rastogi (4) LBW to seal the victory.

Harding was deservedly applauded off the field by his colleagues clutching the ball for his 5-30 off 7 overs.

Head Coach Linden Fraser did not mince his worse after watching his side’s batting effort:

“It was a dismal performance by us today.

“119 runs to get in 240 balls and we decided we would get that in 20 overs … (laughs) maybe 20 balls. Our shot selection was extremely poor today.

“Well we just have to pick up get ourselves together and look forward to tomorrow’s game.”

Indeed, EWCoE left some suprising gaps in the field, especially on the leg side, and singles and 2s could have been easily nurdled on a slow outfield. Tri-State only reached the boundary twice but a few contributed to their own dismissal by seeking, unnecessarily in Fraser’s opinion, to add to that couple.

Not all is lost for the American side. EWCoE look certain to win Group B but there is a semi-final place for the best runner-up in the three groups.

EWCoE remain at Dash Valley where they meet Combermere on Friday while Tri-State play the Lodge at the scenic Windward Ground.

Both won today and may prove tough opponents on Friday. Combermere in fact have two wins and are now Tri-State’s main rival for that second place.

They will meet in the last group game.