SPORTS
Jonathan Ramnansingh
MATTHEW PATRICK, captain of the Namalco U-23 Cup finalists Flamingos, believes much more is at stake in Saturday’s title game against the Hummingbirds.
Both teams are chasing their first domestic title of the 2023 season when they meet in the final at the National Cricket Center in Balmain, Couva, from 9.30am.
Patrick, 22, wants his youth group to execute flawlessly on the day, lift the title and, in the process, catch the eye of the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force selectors and strengthen their chances of a call-up Cricket West Indies. Four day tour.
Patrick feels Saturday’s final is the “perfect opportunity” for his team to perform at their best.
“It’s all about opportunities,” said the former TT and West Indies U-19 player. “It only takes a good score, a good bowling performance to catch the eye of a selector to go into the four-day trials. . It’s going to be a long cricket season because there’s a lot of cricket to play.
“One performance can break you in the team. Once you’ve achieved that, just try to cement your place on the team. TT is saturated with a lot of great players and it’s very difficult to get into that set-up. And you have to make sure that when you go in, you stay there,” he added.
Patrick said consistency remains a key element in sealing selection.
“Even if you are selected in the Red Force, there are others knocking on the door, so you have to keep improving as an individual and I think the U-23 final is the perfect opportunity to showcase their talent as it is a final. And that’s what the selectors want to see,” he said.
Of their three preliminary matches, the Flamingos won the first, took a wicket in the second and lost the last, by 61 runs, against fellow finalists Hummingbirds on Wednesday. However, the Hummingbirds won two out of three and automatically qualified for the final.
After three rounds, the Flamingos and Masqueraders shared an identical win/loss record, but the former prevailed, thanks to a higher net rate.
In Wednesday’s match, the Hummingbirds were bowled out for 259 in 49.4 overs, led by Antonio Gomez (68) and captain Cephas Cooper (52) with the bat, along with Justyn Gangoo (3/36) and Avinash Mahabirsingh (2/50) ) with a ball.
In reply, the Flamingos looked set for victory at 181/3 after 34.5 overs. However, when their top scorer Aaron Bankay (87) fell, the remaining seven wickets fell cheaply, for just 17 runs, and saw the Flamingos ignominiously dismissed for 198 in 41.3 overs.
Patrick said they have learned from their mistakes and aim to change their last result on Saturday.
“After the first match, the mood was good as we secured victory against one of the toughest teams. Unfortunately we lost our third game, I would say the ball was in our court but we gave it away.
“Knowing that we still qualified for the final, the team atmosphere is still very good. The boys know where they went wrong in the last game. The thing about being a good team is the ability to come back and maybe win the final; this will show our courage and determination.
“I think the boys planned well; we just have to execute now and give 110 percent. We know how to make the shot in a different way compared to last time,” he added.
Hummingbirds: Cephas Cooper (captain), Tariq Mohammed, Navin Bidaisee, Antonio Gomez (goalkeeper), Damion Joachim, Aaron Nanan, Nicholas Ali, Kyle Roopchand, Avinash Mahabirsingh, Jevon George, Vanir Maharaj, Mbeki Joseph, Chustyn Gangoo; Stephen Ramkisson (manager), Amin Forgenie (coach).
FLAMINGOS: Matthew Patrick (capt), Denzil Antoine, Daniel Ramsawak, Isaiah Ali, Aaron Bankay, Rahul Pitiram, Shiva Sankar, Justin Manick, Sameer Ali, Ryan Bandoo, Lemuel Matthews, Amrit Dass, Crystian Thurton, Kieron John; Frank Simmons (manager), Gibran Mohammed (coach).
