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Double delight for rampant Cavaliers

Spring Garden Cavaliers booked their place in the Commercial Cricket League’s Twenty20 League Cup final for the second season in a row after powering their way to last-over victories over league leaders Forties and North Village at Shelly Bay on Sunday, winning both by six wickets.Cavaliers first cashed in on some some wayward bowling to chase down Forties’ 179 for five bolstered by another half-century from prolific opener Simon Jones with four balls to spare in their preliminary round match and then, in an even tighter finish, overhauled Village’s 161 for two with just one ball to spare in the first semi-final.Cavaliers will now face defending champions Jamaican Association the team who beat them last year or their semi-final opponents BC Allrounders in the final in early August.Opener Dion Ball jr, who has been in good form this season, laid the foundation for Village’s total, which was boosted by 31 extras, by smashing four sixes and seven fours in an unbeaten 94. Rudy Smith was run out for 20.In reply, Cavaliers slipped to 76 for three after opener Jeff DeSilva made 38 and Trevor Haynes fell for 25 at 124 for four but big hitters Craig Smith (41 not out) and Anthony Brathwaite (26 not out) teamed up to steer their side home, having required eight to win at the start of the 20th over.“Not much to say other than it was a very hard-fought game,” said Village skipper Allen Walker whose best bowler was Owen Edwards with two for 31.Added Cavaliers batsman Barry Richards: “They were two very good games played in good spirit. We were happy to win both.”In the opener day, Gary Knight, who has been plying his trade with Leg Trappers, and skipper Jones featured in an opening stand of 124 to give Forties a flying start after they lost the toss.Knight marked his return to his former club by hitting four fours and a six in his 48-ball 60 while Jones’ 47-ball 61 included four fours.Yatin Gawas chipped in with a 14-ball cameo of 24 in an imposing total boosted by 21 extras.But Forties’ bowlers paid for their profligacy as they sent down a woeful 37 wides among 45 extras to make Cavaliers’ task far easier.Skipper Dave Greenidge (31) and DeSilva (25) added 61 for the first wicket and Smith made 41 from 25 balls as Cavaliers coasted to 185 for four from 19.2 overs. Saniru Dushantha took two for 29.“Simon continued his remarkable form and Gary took over where he left off about ten years ago for us with 124 for the first wicket,” said Forties’ spokesman Gordon Campbell.“Our total of 179 for five should have been defendable but with Forties donating them two runs an over Cavaliers were never really hurried.“They were able to pace the innings knowing they had some big hitters down the order.”Added Campbell: “This certainly sets up an interesting next week in the league.”He was referring to the fourth meeting of the season between Cavaliers and Forties, who revert to the longer form of the game when they meet again this weekend at Garrison Field in a match which could go a long way towards deciding the outcome of the league title.Richards described it as a “huge match between two evenly matches teams”.Forties currently lead their title rivals by ten points after winning their first four matches.Sunday’s win was Cavaliers’ second victory over Forties this season Cavaliers won the season-opening Memorial Trophy by eight wickets but Forties avenged the Memorial defeat the following week by beating Cavaliers by six wickets in the first round of league matches.“We’re looking for a bit of revenge after losing that first league match,” added Richards, saying the toss was vital.“Who wins the toss has half the job done. We have to win this game otherwise Forties will be too far ahead.“If we win the toss we will obviously put them in to bat and try to chase it down.”In Sunday’s other match Village host Jamaican Asociation at Shelly Bay.Sunday’s resultsTwenty20 League Cup preliminary round: Spring Garden Cavaliers beat Forties by six wickets. Forties 179-5 innings closed (S.Jones 61, G.Knight 60, Y.Gawas 24; T.Haynes 2-30), Spring Garden Cavaliers 185-4 in 19.2 overs (C.Smith 41, D.Greenidge 31, J.DeSilva 25; S.Dushantha 2-29).First semi-final: Spring Garden Cavaliers beat North Village by six wickets. North Village 161-2 innings closed (D.Ball, Jr 94 not out, Rudy Smith 20), Spring Garden Cavaliers 162-4 in 19.5 overs (C.Smith 41 not out, J.DeSilva 38, A.Brathwaite 26 not out, T.Haynes 25; O.Roberts 2-31).Second semi-final between BC Allrounders and Jamaican Association will be played at Shelly Bay on August 7; winners will meet Spring Garden Cavaliers in the final the same day.League standingsP W D L PtsForties 4 4 0 0 40Spring Garden Cav 4 3 0 1 30Jamaican Assn 4 2 0 2 20North Village 4 1 0 3 10BC Allrounders 4 0 0 4 0Teams are awarded ten points for a win, seven points for a “winning” draw and three points for a “losing” draw. Teams get five points each in unfinished drawn games.Sunday’s league fixtures: Spring Garden Cavaliers v Forties, Garrison Field; North Village v Jamaican Association. Bye: BC Allrounders. Matches start at 12.30pm.