North Field, National Sports Centre (Pembroke won toss): Smith’s Sixers beat Pembroke Panthers by 43 runs

A glorious all-round performance by Raymon Reifer confirmed Smith’s Sixers as the first team in the Bermuda Smash Invitational to guarantee Sunday cricket.

The Barbados and West Indies all-rounder thumped the first century of the inaugural tournament and then claimed three wickets, as the Sixers romped to their second straight victory yesterday.

Reifer made 108 not out coming from 61 balls at the top of the order, his 96-run stand for the second wicket with Jonté Smith (41) setting a solid foundation after Okera Bascome fell to a first-ball duck.

Highlighting left-hander’s innings was a straight-driven six off seamer Jermal Proctor, the ball still appearing to rise as it left the stadium. In all he would smash nine sixes and five fours, while Smith managed six fours.

The pair combined placement and swift running between the wickets with occasional doses of power, keeping the run-rate near par and setting up for an even greater explosion.

Upon the dismissal of Smith, the West Indian put the pedal to the metal during partnerships of 24 with Onias Bascome (six), 27 with Macai Simmons (eight) and 33 with Allan Douglas Jr (one not out), as Smith’s produced their second successive total of 180.

“Whatever is required of me, that’s what I want to do for the team,” Reifer said.

Hurricanes bowlers toiled for little reward, with Proctor’s one wicket coming at an expensive cost of 46 runs, while Kwasi James took one for two and Rishabh Nahata one for 11.

Set a challenging target, Panthers got off to a reasonable start, as Guyana’s Chandrapaul Hemraj (21) and Kwasi James put on 27 to commence matters.

The innings was thrown in to turmoil when Antonio Darrell, in his first match, authored a collapse, dismissing Hemraj, Marcus Scotland (five) and captain Tre Manders (seven) in short order. Reifer had earlier claimed a return catch to see off James.

A fifth-wicket partnership worth 32 runs between Azende Furbert (19) and Dominic Sabir (29) slowed the bleeding, but once both were removed — Furbert caught and bowled by Reifer, and Sabir undone by Malachi Jones — the die was cast.

Requiring more than ten runs per over to stand a chance at reaching the required target, Hurricanes fell well short.

Antonio Darrell finished with three for 23 in leading the Smith’s attack, while Reifer completed a devastating all-round performance in grabbing three for 23, and Jones chipped in with two for 32.

“This is what we came to do, win the tournament,” said Smith’s captain Onias Bascome, who had high praise for Reifer.

“He set the tone. We had to switch it up a bit today and put him forward so that he could attack their spinners. A left-hander at No 3 and it paid off.

“Tomorrow we’re looking to win again. We look to play hard and make it to the finals.”

For Manders’s Panthers, it was a disappointing loss on the heels of a solid performance in the opener on Wednesday and put them in what could be a must-win situation against Hamilton Parish Hurricanes today.

“Our guys put up a good fight today,” the Panthers captain said. “We were up against the ropes while Reifer was going and thought we might have to chase 200.

“He was just on and did everything today. He got three wickets and scored runs that really took the game away from us.”

The Barbadian proved he had even more strings to his bow by donning his tourism hat, with a view to attracting attention to his homeland in advance of the ICC T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and United States this summer.

“I’d like to invite people to come to Barbados and be a part of the World Cup,” said the all-rounder, whose participation in Bermuda is being funded by Barbados Tourism Investment Inc.

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