U-19 cricketers win twice in warm-up

Trinidad and Tobago Under-19 cricket team warmed up for the TCL Group Regional series with two victories against a representative U-23 side during the past week at the National Cricket Centre.

In the first game on Tuesday last, the U-19s led by Dinesh Ramdin scored 179 for seven wickets off  their allotted 50 overs. Lendl Simmons led the way with 31, and Deon Bennett  27. National senior and West Indies “A” team spinner Rodney Sooklal took three wickets for 27 runs. Excellent bowling by spinners Kavesh Kantasingh 2/13 and Rishi Bachan 2/15 and spearhead pacer Ravi Rampaul 2/21 saw the youngsters rout the U-23 for 132 for a 47-run victory. On Wednesday in their second game at the same venue the Representative XI  were bowled out for 133 with St Mary’s and Queen’s Park all-rounder Jonathan Augustus taking 3/25. Bachan took  2/13 and fellow spinner Kapil Subran 2/23. And the U-19s romped to a ten-wicket victory with Tishan Maraj and Bennett featuring in an unbroken 134-run opening stand.

Maraj who skippered the West Indies U-15 team to the World Cup title in 2000, hit an unbeaten 54, and Bennett got  a stroke-filled 62. The under-19s are scheduled to leave Trinidad and Tobago today for Guyana where they will be making a bid to bring back the title for the first time in 16 years. The team will be based in Kitty, Georgetown and will have the majority of their matches at the Linden Cricket Facility.

Summarised scores:
UNDER-19s — 179/7 (50 overs) — L Simmons 31, D Bennett 27, Tishan Maraj 18, R Sooklal 3/27 vs UNDER-23s  132 — R  Rampaul 2/21, K Kantasingh 2/13, R Bachan 2/15.
UNDER-23s 133 — J Augustus 3/25, R. Bachan 2/13, K Subran 2/23 vs UNDER-19s 134 for no wicket — T Maraj 54 not out, D Bennett 62 not out.