After a crushing defeat in their season opener against Barrackpore East Secondary School (BESS), the Naparima Girls’ High School Open Division cricket team rebounded to clinch back to back victories, sealing a spot in the South Zone finals.
The team was pushed to work harder following their loss against BESS and this hard work certainly showed as they registered a comprehensive win over San Fernando Central Secondary (SFCS). After electing to bowl first, the NGHS team bowled out the SFCS team for 53 runs in 15 overs with bowlers Samantha Khan, Zara Sukhdeo, Tamala Ramdeen, Amirah Ramdass and Shantelle Jahoor picking up wickets at regular intervals. Special mention must go to skipper Samantha Khan who picked up a hat trick. In reply, the NGHS team scored 54 for no loss in 7 overs, with openers Amirah Ramdass and Melinda Edwards scoring 19 and 10 respectively.
The zone playoff against Barrackpore West Secondary School (BWSS) followed. BWSS elected to bat first and got off to a flyer, scoring 67 for 1 in 6 overs. The NGHS team managed to pull things back thanks to a five-fer from skipper Samantha Khan, including another hat trick, a three wicket haul from Jessica O’Rosco and 2 wickets from Zara Sukhdeo. BWSS finished with 123 all out after 16 overs. In reply, NGHS got off to a cautious start, losing an opener early into the match. However a blitzkrieg of 64 not out from Amy Nagaur, coupled with 28 runs from Melinda Edwards brought the team back into the game. It was a nail biting finish with 2 runs required off the last ball; however, the victory was sealed with a powerful boundary from Amy. This victory over BWSS secured a berth in the final as well as marked the team’s first in seven years against this opposition, doubling the euphoria.
We wish the team all the best for the Zone Final where they will face off in a rematch against Barrackpore East Secondary School.
