Sammy savaged Mon Repos in final

GROS-ISLET, Saint Lucia – West Indies all-rounder Darren Sammy slammed an

aggressive century to take his team out of trouble, as Mon Repos chipped away

at the South Castries batting in the final of the 2008 Mindoo Philip Premier

League Cricket Tournament, played at the Gros-Islet Playing Field.

Out of the final first innings’ total of 312 off 53.2 overs, Sammy hammered 155 off

167 deliveries, with 11 fours and 12 sixes in a savage display of stroke play.

On Saturday, with wickets falling regularly around him, the West Indies all-

rounder took matters into his own hands, and changed his approached.

No bowler was spared, although he gave three chances, but with Sammy in a

no-nonsense mood, the slaughtering was the order of the day.

When he was finally out, the damage had been done, and the shell-shocked Mon

Repos team had to knock off 181 runs, if they were to make the South Castries

batsmen take to the crease a second time.

sammy cuts hazel charlery during his knock of 155 (Robertson S. Henry photo)

In addition to Sammy century, there were two other half centuries in Johnson

Charles (54), and Xavier Gabriel (51). The only other notable score was 21 from

the bat of Alex Antoine.

Hazel Charlery was the most successful of the Mon Repos bowlers with figures of

15-0-64-3, with Cyril Charles finishing with figures of 18-2-95-3.

The pair received support from Garvin Serieux 2.2-0-15-2, Egbert Henry 6-0-27-1,

and Shervin Charles 4-0-50-1.

Earlier on, the opening day Friday, Mon Repos won the toss and decided to take

first knock on a placid strip.  If the Mon Repos team had plans for a huge total,

they were sadly misled, as Sammy grabbing seven for 43 off 17 overs, which

included four maidens, and Gairy Mathurin taking three for 26 in 12.1 overs of

which three were maidens, reduced them to 131 all out.

Hazel Charley (32), Mervin Peter (25), Cyril Charles (19), and Linus Mathurin (17),

were the main contributors to an embarrassing total.

It was disappointing to many that Mon Repos folded to meekly in the first inning,

as they fielded a quality team that included a number of players just out of the

Stanford pro-team programme.

However, what separated the two teams was as one Mon Repos player put it,

“South Castries has nothing that we cannot handle. It is Sammy who made the

difference.”

Sammy’s hundred came on the heels of public concerns and an outcry from many

quarters that he is yet to score a century at any level since he was called onto

the West Indies team in 2004.

Many were also concerned that he is not as dominant as he should be when

playing cricket at the national level, for his class, talent and potential is so

obvious.

Anyway, on the day, when it was really needed to take his team out of trouble,

Darren Sammy stroked his way to a hundred and into the record books.

Mon Repos were quickly dismissed for 156 despite a fighting half-century from

Stanford pro-team batsman Shervin Charles. Medium pacer Sherlon Isidore took

four for 20, ripped throught he middle order, after Sammy took an early wicket.

The match just after lunch on the third and final day, to give South Castries

victory by an inning and 25 runs, their first hold of the Coca-Cola Mindoo Phillip

Premier League championship.

Man-of-the-Match in the semi-finals were Shervin Charles and Kemrol Charles,

with Darren Sammy being awarded the Man-of-the-Match in the Finals.

Johnson Charles scored the most runs in the competition (501), while the

centurions’ preliminary rounds were Keddy Lesporis(2), Johnson Charles(2), Esau

Gabriel, Leon Polius, and Keitha Prosper. (Robertson S. Henry)