da betsul： Powerhouses Piton Dover and the relative unknowns MTW will clash inthe final of the Barbados Fire & Commercial Shield cricket competitionnext week
Philip Spooner and Louis Linton10-Sep-2001Powerhouses Piton Dover and the relative unknowns MTW will clash inthe final of the Barbados Fire & Commercial Shield cricket competitionnext week.The two sides booked their final date with hard-fought wins in thesemifinals, yesterday. Dover, the kings of lower division cricket,worked hard for a four-wicket victory over Combermere School, making144 for six after the original target of 175 was reduced due to rain.MTW, at home, reached their first final by restricting Central to 197to win by 12 runs.At Waterford: Experience got the better of youth as Dover’s middleorder chose the right ball and the right moments to launch theirattack.Man-Of-The-Match Jerry Kirton blasted three sixes in the space of fiveballs just when it was needed. Kirton’s 28 off 16 balls came with hisside still needing 52 runs off eight overs. Together with Wilbur Bruce(50 two fours and two sixes off 79 balls), he added 45 in six decisiveovers to which the students had no answer.This festival of power hitting came after rain had forced the umpiresto reduced the target from 175 in 40 overs to 144 in 33 overs. At thebreak the score was 76 for three in 22 overs with the game truly inthe balance.I’m an attacking player and I knew I had to be positive in order forus to win the game, said Kirton, who like Bruce is a former CarltonFirst Division captain.From the time I left the pavilion I was planning to attack. We arefull of confidence but not over-confident. Any team (MTW) which makesthe final must be good. We won’t be taking them lightly in the final.Kirton paid Combermere the ultimate compliment, saying they were thebest school side he had ever played against. The level of fitness, thebatting and the bowling was very good. They really made us fight, andfight hard.Kirton also starred with the ball, snatching four for 23 as theschoolboys lost their way at the end, losing the last five wickets for18 runs after Calvin Watson (49) and Rohan Nurse (34) both battedattractively.Maybe the boys could write this one down to experience.At Pine Basin: Cheers and shouts greeted MTW’s victory over theseasoned Central.Fortunes fluctuated all day and the margin of victory said it all. MTWhad to battle back from a difficult start but took control after thevisitors bowlers’ rocked them at the start.Led by their captain and Man-Of-The-Match Geoffrey Padmore with aflamboyant half century, they transformed a position of uncertainty toone of comfort.Padmore belted out seven fours and two sixes in a entertaining knockof 73 which took his team from 70 for five to a respectable total of212.Padmore enjoyed two good partnerships;the first was a seventh-wicketstand with Peter Blackman worth 69 and an eighth-wicket stand withWinston Gittens for 59 runs.The tail rallied around their captain until he was last out.Central started positively posting 50 in six overs with in-formopening batsman David Forde striking four sixes in a quickfire knockof 37.However, the introduction of left-arm spinner David Payne saw theinnings quickly slumping to 112 for six, before Arglye Catwell, with42, brought some glimmer of hope back to the Vaucluse men, but with 19needed in the last over, he only managed four before he was stumped bykeeper Peter Blackman.