By Sam Sooppersaud
August 19th, 2009 | Gallery
The New York Premier League completed its third round of games on Saturday, August 15, 2009, at the evergreen Seaview Park, in Brooklyn, NY. This writer was a spectator at one of the games; United Chargers was engaged in a slugfest with Cricket Zone Enforcers. A total of 399 runs were scored by both sides in the 40 overs that were bowled. It is rumored that Twenty/20 cricket is a batsman game, and this was confirmed in the match up. The bowlers suffered at the hands of the batsmen.

The game started with Chargers winning the toss and electing to take first strike. As usual Carl Wright and Glen Hall went out to open the inning. Enforcers immediately tasted success when Hall was caught off the bowling of Joe Allen for one run and with the score at four runs. United States of America senior team Capt. Steve Massiah replaced him in the middle. Together Massiah and Wright commenced a tirade of shots all over the cricket field and beyond the surrounding bushes. No less than five balls were lost and had to be replaced. The two batsmen were merciless on the bowlers, as anything short or over pitched was punished to the maximum.

Wright batted for the entire 20 overs and went on to score 101 runs not out. He hit 7x6's and 6x4's in his entertaining knock. Not to say that Massiah spared the bowlers! He, too, created his own firepower on the hapless bowlers. His personal score of 69 runs included 3x6's and 7x4's. Sudesh Dhaniram scored a quick fire 17 runs in the six balls he faced which included 2x6's and 1x4. At the end of their 20 overs Chargers had scored 201 runs for the loss of three wickets. All the bowlers got their share of punishment with E. Nelson, J. Allen, and N. McFarlane getting one wicket apiece for 31, 40, and 52 runs, respectively.

The Cricket Zone Enforcers were not undaunted by the 10 run per over plus they had to score in order to win the game. Openers O. Powell and O. Spencer set about their task in a positive manner. Powell was the more punishing of the two, with Spencer rotating the strike to get Powell back at the striker's end. Spencer fell with his score on 14. After the fall of the third wicket T. Powell joined O. Powell at the wicket. What we saw from then on was classic T-20 hitting and slogging. The two batsmen kept the scorers busy as they muscled the bowlers around the ground for fours and sixes.

Just when it appeared that the two namesakes would take their team to victory O. Powell fell, bowled by C. Baptiste for 41 runs which included 3x6's and 4x4's. The fall of Powell's wicket slowed the batting tempo somewhat as the new batsman had to settle in. In the meantime T. Powell was still bombing away at nearly everything offered his way. With the start of the twentieth over Enforcers needed 13 runs to overcome the Chargers' total. They fell short by 3 runs with T. Powell not out on 90 and N. Samuels not out on 11. Powell's knock included 3x6's and 10x4's. Bowlers, C. Wright and C. Baptiste each claimed 2 wickets for 23 runs apiece.

The NYPL has provided cricket lovers with Caribbean flavored cricket since it was launched less than a month ago. The players and the franchise owners have promised that things will not "lighten up,"and that the league will continue to bring the excitement back into the game.