Benjamin ton seals Village win
All-rounder Reggie Benjamin struck his maiden century as nine-man North Village pulled off an improbable victory over BC Allrounders, while stand-in skipper Simon Jones led from the front again as Forties maintained their 100 percent Commercial Cricket League record this season by defeating Jamaican Association by four wickets.Benjamin’s 101 not out helped Village end a two-match losing streak and also denied BC Allrounders their first points of the season.“It was my first century in any form of the game,” said a delighted Benjamin, who also took two for 57 from ten overs.BC Allrounders piled up 231 at Garrison Field after the match was reduced to 38 overs a side because of rain, Dano Outerbridge leading the way with 54.Dion Ball, Jr. showed his versatility by bagging five for 74 from 12 overs, a week after making an unbeaten 160 six short of Jeff DeSilva’s record in a losing cause against Forties.BC Allrounders looked on course for victory when they reduced Village to 120 for five with 12 overs left.But Benjamin and Mike Levon, Jr (33) swung the match Village’s way by rattling up 63 runs from five overs, eventually reaching their target with seven balls to spare despite Worrell Bean following up his knock of 32 by taking three for 99 from 16.5 overs.“They dropped Benjamin twice which would have swung the match in their favour,” said Walker.Jones, who has taken charge of Forties while long-time skipper Gordon Campbell recovers from further Achilles surgery, struck an unbeaten 67 to guide his side to victory at Shelly Bay their fourth win of the current campaign with seven balls to spare in a match of fluctuating fortunes also reduced to 38 overs a side because of rain.In the process, Jones lifted his league average this season to 262 as he continues to enjoy a rich vein of form.“We were happy to pull this one out of the fire and end the first half of the league season on a high,” said Campbell whose side have a bye this weekend before facing Spring Garden Cavaliers for the third time in just over two months in the preliminary round of the Twenty20 League Cup on June 19.“Simon continued his incredible run with the anchor role in this game.”Jamaican Association, whose team manager Glenmore Barrett is recovering from a broken left leg he suffered in a freak accident 11 days ago, slumped to 39 for five after being sent in by Forties but recovered to post 158 from 37.5 overs, a total boosted by a last-wicket stand of 36 between David Gibbs (23) and Bevin Carr (eight not out).Allan Lee, 69, marked his second match back from retirement by taking a stunning low catch at mid-wicket as Saniru Dushantha (three for 26), Yatin Gawas (three for 38) and Raghu Dubagunta (three for 41) shared nine of the Jamaican wickets.Forties also stumbled in their reply, slipping to 68 for five, but an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 64 between opener Jones and Johnny Simoes, who made 34 not out, steered their side home.Dismissed only once so far, Jones’ league tally of 262 runs includes an unbeaten 103 against North Village and 69 against Cavaliers, a week after Forties suffered a heavy defeat in the season-opening Memorial Trophy against Cavaliers. Jones made 52 in that match.Jones’ 100-ball knock on Sunday included four fours as he steadied the innings before finding an able partner in Simoes, who scored just three runs from his first 28 balls before cutting loose with 31 in his next 17.Veteran pacers Gibbs and Michael Campbell claimed five wickets between them, Campbell claiming three for 53 from ten and Gibbs two for 41 from 13.Barrett, already limping from an injury to his other leg, said he was walking the Sunday before last when he lost his footing and a mate stumbled onto him.“It was a freak accident,” said Barrett. “I slipped and my mate went down on top of me and I broke my leg. I’ve got a cast on up to me knee and will be sidelined for six to eight weeks.”