Kings hold nerve against Royals to claim T10 title

The Dream XI-sponsored Jamaica T10 competition came to an end yesterday at Sabina Park with the Surrey Kings edging the Surrey Royals to the title following five-run win in the final.

Both teams left it all out on the park in what was a nail-biting finale with the Kings conjuring up a decent score of 109 for seven and then holding their nerve to restrict the Royals to 104 for five.

The defending champions Royals won the toss and asked the Kings to take first strike as the Javelle Glenn-captained side believed that they could chase any total that the Kings posted on what was a good cricket wicket.

That decision to bowl looked good early as the Kings lost two wickets for just two runs in the opening over with left-arm seamer Khari Campbell sending back opener Antwin Stevens and captain and number three batter Jeavor Royal for nought.

It didn’t get much better for the Kings who lost Tevin Gilzene for two and Andre Russell for 13 at 23 for four in the fourth over.

Late-order hitting

It took some late-order hitting from Shalom Parnell to get the Kings to a respectable score as the right-hander hit an unbeaten 35 from 14 balls with one four and four sixes. Kenroy Williams was left not out on 14 from 10 balls with two sixes.

Campbell and Abhijai Mansingh took two wickets each for the Royals who got off to the worst possible start in the run chase when they lost in-form opener Leroy Lugg for a duck when he went caught and bowled by Sheldon Cottrell.

Carlos Brown and Odean Smith took the score to 47 in 5.4 overs, before Royal bowled Brown for 16.

The very next ball Royal knocked back the middle stump of Glenn for a duck and the Kings were in the driver’s seat having the Royals in trouble at 47 for three in the sixth over.

Peat Salmon then joined Smith and the pair resurrected the run chase with a 53-run fourth-wicket stand before Salmon went run out by wicketkeeper Kimani Wilson for 30 which he got from 14 balls and hitting two fours and three sixes.

It was all left up to Smith to see if he could complete the job, but with the team needing more than 20 runs in the final over, they were only able to get 16 off pacer Ojay Shields with Smith left stranded on 45 from 29 balls with five fours and two sixes.

Player of the tournament Jeavor Royal summed up what was a tremendous finale for the Kings.

“We lost last season to this team in the final and it was a tight game as well, but I am really happy for this win against them. We have a good crop of players and we played some good cricket. We lost one game this season and I told the team, that was our only bad game, and we came out and executed well,” Royal said.

“I can’t fault my guys as we fought hard. The final came down to the last over and we were still in the game. We just came up short and such is the game,” said losing captain Glenn.