SPORTS
Newsday reporter
TOBAGO lost all three matches in the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) under 19 zonal 50-overs competition.
The 15-man Tobago outfit, which included five players from Trinidad, was clinically outmatched in the games.
Marcus Daniel, PRO of the Tobago Cricket Association, said the build-up to the matches, which provide a platform to approach national selectors, was less than ideal.
He said, “The team was greatly affected by the government’s safe zone policy, as some of the prominent players, including Orlando James and Jaden Kent, were unable to attend.
Daniel added, “While we thanked the Trinidadian players for helping to strengthen the team, our association would have preferred an all-Tobago team.”
Daniel hopes that the experience will be useful for the players in their development.
In the first match on March 4, at the Diego Martin Sports Facility, against the North Zone, Tobago lost by a whopping 192 runs.
North batted first and were led by a top score of 67 runs from Kyle Ramdoo and 57 from Joshua James in their total of 341 all out in 48.2 overs. Xavier Reid was the top bowler for Tobago, taking four wickets for 49 runs.
Tobago could muster just 149 runs in their reply, in 36.2 overs. Telemaque was the only batsman to put up any resistance, with a top score of 43 runs. Jaden O’Brien took six wickets for 30 runs, bowling for North.
Tobago’s remaining two matches were played at home at Shaw Park Recreation Ground on 7 and 10 March.
On March 7, Tobago lost by 73 runs to the North/East. In the rain-affected match, the visitors compiled 172 for five wickets in the allotted 30 overs. Vasant Singh’s top score of 51 runs was the highlight of the innings.
The entire Tobago team returned to the pavilion for 99 runs after 27 overs. Christian Manga scored 28, in the home team’s response.
Tobago batted first in their last match on March 10 and were handed the East zone by nine wickets. The home boys capitulated for 54 runs in 23.1 overs, with Jordan Mohammed leading the East attack with five wickets for 19 runs, in 9.1 overs.
East reached victory by 56 for one after 13.3 overs.
The Tobago team was coached by John Pollard and coached by Emile Telemaque.
