By Neto Baptiste
For the first time after three rounds of matches, Bethesda Golden Eagles and Rising Sun Spartans found themselves in the winners’ circle for the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association (ABCA) Two Day Competition with wins over Combined Schools and Pigotts Crushers respectively.
Spartans stunned Crushers who were, at the time, unbeaten after two weekends to win by six wickets at Pigotts, while Eagles claimed a seven-wicket triumph over Schools.
Shane Burton, a senior player within the Spartans squad, said his team was due a win after drawn encounters against All Saints Pythons and Combined Schools.
“Knowing the situation and knowing what our intentions were, we wanted to go to Pigotts and win the game, but we wanted to do so in a position of control. We went out there with a positive frame of mind and we knew that fielding was the biggest downfall because in the last few games we dropped a few vital catches so we went into the game positive and had a positive mindset with the intentions of winning,” he said.
Burton, who was named player of the match, had first innings bowling figures of 5 for 57 while hitting 47 not out in the second innings to see his team over the finish line.
Meanwhile, President of the Bethesda Golden Eagles and former West Indies player, Anthony Martin, commended what he labeled an in-experienced squad for continuously showing improvements and finally binging home the win.
“Some of the guys, they are playing for their first time so it’s kind of like a rebuilding process and I am seeing improvement so I am not going to really kill them. The bowling was okay so we would settle for bowling out a team for 103. It was a good performance from Kevin Pitman [11 and 41] who saw it through. He stayed there until the end, saw his team home with a first victory and Mekali Tonge [30] came in at a crucial time as well because we would have lost a few wickets [and] he stuck there with Pitman and hit a couple of big blows and stuff and he is a very strong young lad, and I think he has places to go,” he said.
Empire Nation, unblemished after three rounds of matches, sit at the top of the standings with 36 points with Liberta Blackhawks in second with 27, Pigotts Crushers and Rising Sun Spartans third and fourth respectively with 24 points each and Jennings Tigers rounding off the top five with 18 points.
New Winthorpes Lions (16 pts), Bethesda Golden Eagles (12 pts), All Saints Pythons (7 pts), Combined Schools (3 pts) and Bolans Blasters (0 pts), rounds off the standings.