By Neto Baptiste
Defending champions in the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association’s (ABCA) Super40, Liberta Blackhawks, will face Rising Sun Spartans in the competition’s first semifinal slated for Saturday at Liberta, while New Winthorpes Lions and Jennings Tigers will clash in the second semis slated for Sunday in New Winthorpes.
This after the teams ended the competition’s preliminary round in the top four positions on the standings with Blackhawks sitting at the top with 30 points following seven wins, one loss and one no-result in their nine matches.
The other three teams, Lions, Tigers and Spartans, all ended with 26 points with head-to-head being the ultimate deciding factor. Although shown in second on the standings due to net run rate, Spartans dropped to fourth as they were beaten by both New Winthorpes and Jennings in the preliminary round.
However, net run rate was used to determine second and third between New Winthorpes and Jennings as the match between the two teams was rained out.
Following the semis this weekend, the two winners will clash in the final next Sunday, while the two losers will play for third on Saturday.
In the final round of matches contested Saturday, Jennings Tigers defeated Bethesda Golden Eagles by 51 runs to secure their place in the semis, while Spartans claimed a two-wicket triumph over Pigotts Crushers, putting Crushers out of the semis for the first time in at least eight years.
There was victory as well for New Winthorpes Lions over Blackhawks, as they won by three wickets. Empire Nation recorded a dominant 159 runs victory over Combined Schools, while All Saints Pythons won by five wickets over Bolans Blasters.
Blackhawks’ Kofi James leads the batting following the preliminaries with 379 runs in eight innings, while Tigers’ Morton Browne is the top bowler with 21 wickets.