Victors hunting for five in a row

Victors One have already sent out a warning that they are intent on making it five in a row in the RBTT Premier Division Cricket competition.

They took maximum points from newly promoted Vincom Numbgerz, last year’s First Division champion, as the shortened 2006 national cricket season began last weekend.

To the casual onlooker Saturday afternoon at the Arnos Vale Playing Field, one could not distinguish between a practice match and the official start of the season.{{more}}

The executive of the St. Vincent Cricket Association did not see it fit to send at least one representative to greet the players, to usher in the new season.

The twenty-minute-late start did not deter Victors One, whose bowlers went to work early on the youthful Numbgerz, bolstered by the inclusion of national middle order batsman Harley Skerritt and his former MVC Rivals teammate Orlando Simmons.

The consistent Dodridge Small 3 for 13 and Kerroy Cottoy 3 for 26 mesmerized the Numbgerz batsmen.

Donwell Hector (29) and Simmons (25) were the only batsmen to show any resistance, as they folded for 89.

The evergreen Bertram Stapleton topscored with 59, as Victors One also found the going tough, and were dismissed for 139.

Simmons 3 for 42, and Kesworth Lewis who bagged the most wickets in the First Division competition last season, continued his bowling form, taking 3 for 34.

Numbgerz fared worse in the second innings, again undone by Small and Cottoy. Small added three wickets to his tally for 23 runs and Cottoy 2 for 30. Veteran pacer Ian Allen had figures of 3 for 10.Numbgerz made 85, with the Captain Karim Trotman topscoring with 25.

Victors knocked off the 36 required for the loss of two wickets.

The teams in the Premier Division, as well as the First Division will be grouped as the local cricket body has been forced to scale down its competition because of the unavailability of cricket grounds. This unavailability is caused by the fact that four of the grounds, Arnos Vale One and Two, will be out of commission , as preparations go ahead for World Cup Cricket 2007.